Winger disbanded in 1994. In 2001 they reunited and have since conducted several successful tours. In 2006, the band's 1993 touring line-up (minus Paul Taylor but including John Roth) reunited to record the band's first studio album in over 13 years, IV, and toured in support of the album into 2008.
In 2009, the band released their fifth album, Karma. As of 2013, Winger was performing on mini-tours, festivals and private events. Their most recent album, Better Days Comin', came out in 2014.
History:
Main career and break-up (1987–1994).
The debut album, Winger, was released on August 10, 1988 on Atlantic Records. The record was a success, achieving platinum status in the United States, and gold status in Japan and Canada. On February 11, 1989, the album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and was in various places on the chart for 63 weeks. Radio and MTV hits from the album included "Madalaine", "Seventeen", "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Hungry". In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for "Best New Heavy Metal Band".
Shortly after that tour, Winger released its second album In the Heart of the Young, which went 1-and-1/2 platinum in the U.S. and gold in Japan. Hit radio tracks and MTV videos included "Can't Get Enuff", "Miles Away" and "Easy Come Easy Go".
Winger followed the release of its second album with a 13-month world tour, playing over 230 dates with Kiss, Scorpions, ZZ Top, Extreme and Slaughter. Paul Taylor left the band after the tour, citing exhaustion after years of touring. Their third studio album, Pull, produced by Mike Shipley, was recorded in 1992/1993 as a three-piece band. It was originally to be called Blind Revolution Mad, after the opening song. Reportedly, Kip Winger, anticipating that critics would dismiss the album out of hand, renamed it Pull as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the CD being used by critics as a skeet-shooting target. The album was not as successful as the previous albums sales wise, but gained solid reviews. On the following tour, John Roth was called in to replace Paul Taylor on rhythm guitar. The album coincided with the rise of grunge, which swept aside the brand of melodic pop metal that Winger represented.
In the 1990s, Winger was subject to mockery from MTV's animated series Beavis and Butt-head. Series creator Mike Judge later revealed that he had been incorrectly informed that Kip Winger had asked the network not to make jokes about the band on the series, which led to further jokes about the band, but later learned from Winger himself that he had never made any such stipulation. “Stewart”, an early character from the TV show, wore a Winger t-shirt during the shows original run on MTV during the early 90s.
After disbanding in 1994, bassist/lead vocalist Kip Winger went on to a solo career, guitarist Reb Beach went on to touring projects with artists Dokken, Alice Cooper and has held a permanent guitar spot in Whitesnake since 2002. The band's other members pursued or resumed careers as session musicians.
Reunions (2001–present)
In 2001, it was announced that all original members of the band would return to the studio to record the song "On the Inside" for The Very Best of Winger. In 2002, all five members embarked on a reunion tour of the U.S. and Canada on a bill with Poison. According to Kip Winger, in a 2008 interview with rock and roll comic C.C. Banana, it was important to include all five members because "it was the big, long-awaited reunion so I wanted to include everybody who had ever been in the band." In 2003, it was confirmed that activity had been halted due to Reb Beach's touring commitment with Whitesnake as well as his solo album "Masquerade" and involvement with "super-group" project The Mob with King's X frontman Doug Pinnick and Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy.
On July 16, 2005, it was announced that Kip Winger would perform as the lead singer for the Alan Parsons Live Project at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Michigan. In May 2006, it was confirmed that Winger had reformed without one of its original members Paul Taylor, to record another album and tour Europe. The album, IV, was released in Europe in October and the nine-country "Winger IV Tour" ran in the last two weeks of the same month.
On February 25, 2008, the band performed in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of a benefit for survivors of the Station nightclub fire. The concert, along with other artists was debuted on VH1 Classic on March 23, 2008. In late 2009, it was confirmed that Winger would record a fifth album Karma, with a tour to support it. Most recently, John Roth became the guitarist for Giant and would appear on their forthcoming album Promise Land then set for release in February/March of 2010.
Winger released their sixth studio album titled, Better Days Comin' in April 2014, after teasers were published on Kip Winger's website and on the official Winger Facebook page as well.
As of late 2018, Winger was playing club dates. They were scheduled on Dec 29, 2018 in Westland, Michigan.
Style and influences.
The band's musical style combines elements of glam metal and progressive metal. Kip Winger, in description of the band's musical ability and style, said, "Our band was known to musicians, and a lot of musicians showed up to see me play — watching, trying to figure out how I'm playing. We were like the 'hair band' (version of) Dream Theater."
Never
Winger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I grew up with no place to jam, just hearin' the talk of somewhere remembering
When all the children sang and all you heard was the word
It's funny how we've changed, we're getting closer
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
In the day we'll never see, what have we done?
Crucify, while you stand by, you hear the call, don't blink an eye
Where will you go, nowhere to run, what can we save when the damage is done
The light of the moon is now the tear of the clown
Hear the word, it's comin' down, we're getting closer
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
In the day we'll never see, we're getting closer
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
In the day we'll never see, what have we done
The world is spinning round
The light of the moon is now the tear of the clown
Hear the word, it's comin' down, we're getting closer
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
In the day we'll never see, what have we done
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
In the day we'll never see, the time has come, the time has come
To the day we'll never see... in the day we'll never see...
"In the Day We'll Never See" by Winger tells a story about a person who has grown up without a sense of belonging. The lyrics start off on a melancholic note as the person tells us that they were born amidst tragedy- their mother died on the night of their birth. As they grew up, they felt a disconnection from the world around them except for the music that they heard faintly in the background. The lyrics paint a picture of a world that once was, where children sang and one could hear the lyrics clearly. Today the world has changed, and we're getting closer to a day we'll never see. The rising sun is setting, and we realize that there is so much that we've lost. The lyrics talk about the pain of this realization- the world is spinning round but without us, the light of the moon is a tear, the clown is crying, the world is coming to an end, and we hear it all.
There is a sense of urgency and sadness to the lyrics. The message is clear; we need to wake up to what we're doing to the environment, to each other, and to ourselves. The lyrics try to remind us that we need to be careful about what we do and the kind of world we leave behind for future generations. Our actions could lead to a day we'll never see; a world that is unrecognizable.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born onto the earth, mama died on the night of my birth
I came into this world on the same night my mother passed away.
I grew up with no place to jam, just hearin' the talk of somewhere remembering
I had nowhere to play my music, so I listened to others reminisce about a faraway place.
When all the children sang and all you heard was the word
Back when kids sang together, the only thing you could hear was the music.
It's funny how we've changed, we're getting closer
It's strange how we've evolved and yet we are nearing an end.
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
We're coming closer to a point of no return; the sun is setting on our current way of life.
In the day we'll never see, what have we done?
When that final day comes, what will we have accomplished?
Crucify, while you stand by, you hear the call, don't blink an eye
People are being punished while others stand by and do nothing, ignoring the cries for help.
Where will you go, nowhere to run, what can we save when the damage is done
There's nowhere to escape the consequences of our actions, and it's too late to undo the harm we've caused.
The world is spinning round
The planet keeps rotating, despite what happens on the surface.
The light of the moon is now the tear of the clown
The happy facade has melted away, revealing the sadness and pain underneath.
Hear the word, it's comin' down, we're getting closer
The end is approaching, and the signs of it are all around us.
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
We're getting closer to a future where the sun will never rise, and the current era will end.
In the day we'll never see, we're getting closer
As we march towards the end of this era, we're edging closer to a point of no return.
To the day we'll never see the rising sun, it's setting
The final moments of this era are upon us, and we're nearing a future where the sun may never rise again.
In the day we'll never see, the time has come, the time has come
The day we've always feared is here, and it's time to face the consequences of our actions.
To the day we'll never see... in the day we'll never see...
We're heading towards a future we can't even comprehend, and it's already starting to take shape.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEACH, MORGENSTEIN, TAYLOR, WINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Schaffler
Yep.
Trash of the city, Jackal seize the day
I'm a captive underground in disarray
They give me back my freedom, if I pay the whore
Tonight's everything we've been fighting for
We took a bow and saw how it stood through thick and thin
Now you're tellin' me to do with them
Never, never, never will I betray blood brothers forever
Never, never, never will I betray blood, come the judgement day
Make me a martyr in your unholy war
Beat me, break me on your prison floor
Givin' in would give too much satisfaction
Craft to fight you till 2021
We took a bow and somehow it stood through thick and thin
No way, no!
No way of givin' in
Never, never, never will I betray blood brothers forever
Never, never, never will I betray blood, come the judgement day
Your world is wasted, never wins at war
Turn around, go and lock your door
They took a bow and somehow it stood through thick and thin
Now they're comin' around to tell you when
Never, never, never would they betray blood brothers forever
Never, never, never will we betray blood, come the judgement day
Never, never, never will I betray blood brothers forever
Never, no, never, come the judgement day, never
Carlos Martinez
It's amazing what tracks weren't released. These would have made significant additions to the releases of "Pull" & "In The Heart Of The Young".
Samantha Munitz
Yep. Agreed 100%.
Starchild798
this is really good,I wonder why winger never released this as a Cd back in the late 80,s /early 90,s,it would,ve done very well
Shafferhead
9 years later you get the answer. But the producer tought it was to heavy for the record and didnt want it on there
Michael Williams
This was written for The Heart of the Young album and was previously unreleased. Seen this on a Kerrang Magazine disc here on Youtube. This song is awesome!
TheKokojoe
Powerful vocals on this one.
John Perry
Sooo Rocking! This song moves me big time! Winger Lives!
Faustus Kluge
Sounds allot like the "pull" album. Good stuff too.
Sam Desai
I think this song would be a good WWE entrance song.
greekfreak1980
Too bad,they fade out Reb's solo in the end,that sounded amazing.