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."
Pull Me Under
Winger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just one more taste 'cuz I'm dying slow
Always a price, never a cure
I'll hold on forever. One thing that I know for sure
I can't shake you
I can't let you go
I can't move on
Say you will
Pull me under
Ghosts of the past back from the dead
I bury the memories and dig them up again
Haunting my head, losing control
Not holy water could exorcise you from my soul
I can't shake you
I can't let you go
I still see your face in my mind
I can't move on
Say you will
Pull me under
(solo)
I can't shake you
I can't let you go
I still see your face in my mind
I can't move on
Say you will
Pull me under
The lyrics to Winger's "Pull Me Under" express the struggles of a man who is haunted by his memories of a past relationship. Despite recognizing that these memories are "laced in poison" and that he is "dying slow" because of them, he cannot resist the urge to relive them, hoping that somehow they will provide a cure. However, he soon realizes that there is no cure, only a perpetual longing for his past lover.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer acknowledges that he cannot shake his memories or let go of his past love. He still sees her face in his mind and cannot move on. The only solution he can come up with is to ask her to "pull me under," essentially asking her to take him back and end his suffering.
The verses delve deeper into the singer's pain and desperation. He describes the memories as ghosts that come back to haunt him, even after he's buried them. He feels like he's losing control and that nothing can exorcise her from his soul. It's a heartbreaking portrayal of a man who is consumed by his memories and cannot break free from them.
Overall, "Pull Me Under" is a powerful song that speaks to anyone who has struggled to move on from a past relationship. The lyrics are raw and emotional, and the haunting melody adds to the sense of longing and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories are laced in poison I know
I understand that my memories of you are harmful and addictive like poison.
Just one more taste 'cuz I'm dying slow
Even though I know my memories of you are killing me, I still want to hold on to them for just a little bit longer.
Always a price, never a cure
There is always a cost to holding on to memories of you, but there is no way to completely heal and forget them.
I'll hold on forever. One thing that I know for sure
Even though the pain of remembering you will never truly go away, I will continue to cling to those memories for as long as I can.
I can't shake you
I am unable to rid myself of memories of you.
I can't let you go
I can't bring myself to move on from the past and forget about you.
I still see your face in my mind
The memory of your face continues to haunt me and I can't escape it.
I can't move on
I am unable to let go of the past and move forward with my life.
Say you will
I am pleading with you to take action and do something to help me release my memories of you.
Pull me under
I want you to help me forget about you and take me away from the memories that are drowning me.
Ghosts of the past back from the dead
The memories of our relationship have resurfaced and are haunting me once again.
I bury the memories and dig them up again
I try to forget about you by burying the memories, but they continue to resurface and torment me.
Haunting my head, losing control
The memories of you are overwhelming me and causing me to lose my grip on reality.
Not holy water could exorcise you from my soul
No amount of cleansing or purification could help me forget about you completely and free me from the pain of the memories.
(solo)
Musical solo with no lyrics.
Contributed by Lillian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.