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."
No Man
Winger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's bustin' at the seams
Immune to whisky
Man it's down to a shot of gasoline
This ain't no Romeo
This here's a one man show
Livin' on a dare
Thinkin' he'll become a legend
Fast lane freeway to the glory hole
'Cause he's
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Tonight's the night
Gonna get to heaven
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Too fast to live
Too young to die
He named his limousine
The Mississippi Queen
Better never look inside
'Cause things get a little bit messy
This party never ends
Plenty of so-called friends
Payin' homage to heroes
They will never see again
Where will you wind up
I'll never know
Fast land freeway to the glory hole
'Cause he's
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Tonight's the night
Gonna get to heaven
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Too fast to live
Too young to die
One more fever diggin' for fools gold
Fast lane freeway to the glory hole
The headline read
He finally made it
No return
Baby see him fly
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Tonight's the night
Gonna get to heaven
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Too fast to live
Too young to die
The song "No Man's Land" by the band Winger tells the story of a reckless and self-destructive individual who is chasing after his dreams of becoming a legend. The first verse suggests that the singer is from Abilene, Texas and constantly chasing a thrill. He's immune to whisky and relies on gasoline to fuel his adrenaline addiction. He's not interested in love or commitment, he's a one-man show who is eager to make his mark and be remembered for it. The chorus implies that the character is living life to the fullest, knowing that he is too young to die and too fast to live a conventional life. He's venturing into unknown territories, or "No Man's Land," unaware of where these adventures will take him. The singer is risking everything to obtain his feverish desire for fame.
The second verse of the song portrays the singer as traveling in style and luxury in his limousine, which he has named "The Mississippi Queen." The character's living quarters are messy and chaotic, which suggests that his luxurious lifestyle may be masking deeper internal turmoil. The chorus occurs again, emphasizing his desire to live without boundaries or restrictions.
The final verse of the song describes the singer's ultimate demise. The headline read that "he finally made it," but there's no turning back. He's gone too far, and the end result is a tragic one. The song concludes by repeating the chorus, with the knowledge that this character's journey is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Straight out of Abilene
This person is from Abilene and the story is about him.
He's bustin' at the seams
He's full of ambition and ready for action.
Immune to whisky
He's not affected by alcohol and can handle his liquor.
Man it's down to a shot of gasoline
He's so alive and on fire that he needs something as strong as gasoline to keep pushing forward.
This ain't no Romeo
He's not concerned with romance or love, he's all about making a name for himself.
This here's a one man show
He's a lone wolf and doesn't need anyone else to achieve his goals.
Livin' on a dare
He's fearless and takes big risks to achieve his dreams.
Thinkin' he'll become a legend
He's convinced that his actions will make him famous and remembered for generations to come.
One more fever diggin' for fools gold
He's chasing after something that will ultimately turn out to be worthless, but he's obsessed and won't give up until he finds it.
Fast lane freeway to the glory hole
He's speeding towards his destination, ignoring all the signs and risks, until he gets what he wants.
'Cause he's
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
He's living in a place where most people don't venture, taking big risks and living life to the fullest.
Tonight's the night
Gonna get to heaven
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Too fast to live
Too young to die
He feels invincible and is ready to do whatever it takes to fulfill his dreams, regardless of the consequences.
He named his limousine
The Mississippi Queen
He's wealthy and has named his car after something regal and powerful.
Better never look inside
'Cause things get a little bit messy
He's hiding something inside his car that he doesn't want anyone to see or know about.
This party never ends
Plenty of so-called friends
Payin' homage to heroes
They will never see again
He's surrounded by people who are only interested in him because he's successful and famous, but they don't truly know or care about him.
Where will you wind up
I'll never know
Fast land freeway to the glory hole
No one knows where he's headed, including himself, but he's willing to take the risk because he believes it will lead to greatness.
The headline read
He finally made it
No return
Baby see him fly
He's achieved his goal and is now famous, but there's no going back to his old life.
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Tonight's the night
Gonna get to heaven
Livin' it up
In No Man's Land
Too fast to live
Too young to die
He's still living on the edge, taking risks and chasing his dreams, because he's convinced that he's destined for greatness.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BEACH, SPIRO, WINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind