Wire's debut album, Pink Flag (1977), contains songs which are diverse in mood and style, but most use a minimalist punk approach, unorthodox structures, and several songs are under a minute in length; "Field Day For The Sundays" is only 28 seconds long.
Chairs Missing followed in 1978, and found Wire stepping back from the stark minimalism of Pink Flag, with longer, more atmospheric songs and synthesizer parts added by producer Mike Thorne. The experimentation was even more prominent on 154 (1979). Many of the songs had bassist Graham Lewis on lead vocals.
In 1979, creative differences pulled the band in different directions, leading to the Document and Eyewitness LP (1981), a recording of a performance that featured, almost exclusively, new material. The LP came packaged with an EP of a different performance of more new material. Some of these songs, along with others performed but not included on the album, were included on Colin Newman's post-Wire solo albums ("5/10", "We Meet Under Tables"), while others were released by Gilbert and Lewis' primary post-Wire outlet Dome ("And Then...", "Ritual View"). The band disbanded for the first time in 1980
Between 1981-85 Wire ceased recording and performing in favour of solo and non-Wire collaborative projects such as Dome, Cupol, Duet Emmo, and several Colin Newman solo efforts. In 1985, the group reformed as a "beat combo" (a joking reference to early 1960s beat music or even possibly beatniks), with greater use of electronic musical instruments. It released It's Beginning To And Back Again (IBTABA) in 1989, a "live" album of mostly re-worked versions of songs from The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck, heavily re-arranged, edited, and remixed. A new song from the album, "Eardrum Buzz", became the band's biggest charting single.
Gotobed left the band in 1990, after the release of the album Manscape. After his departure, the band dropped one letter from its name, becoming "Wir" (still pronounced "wire"), and released The First Letter in 1991. Once again, the band disbanded in 1992 There followed a further period of solo recordings, during which Newman founded the Swim ~ label, and later Githead with his wife (ex-Minimal Compact bassist Malka Spigel), while Wire remained an occasional collaboration. It was not until 1999 that Wire again became a full-time entity.
With Gotobed back in the line-up (now using his birth name, Robert Grey), the group initially reworked much of their back catalogue for a performance at Royal Festival Hall on 26 February 2000. Wire's reception during a short tour of the US, and a number of UK gigs, convinced the band to continue. Two EPs and an album Send (2003) followed, as well as collaborations with stage designer Es Devlin and artists Jake and Dinos Chapman. In 2004 the band split once more.
In 2006, Wire's 1970s albums were re-released with original vinyl track listings. Rumours abounded of a renewal of activity to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's debut as a 4 piece and the re-release of Pink Flag in 2007. A third Read & Burn EP was released in November, 2007.
A full-length album of new material entitled Object 47 was released in July 2008. Bruce Gilbert was not involved in this recording, although according to Colin Newman, he did feature in a minimal capacity on the third Read and Burn EP. 2011 saw the release of the band's twelfth studio album Red Barked Tree.
German Shepherds
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Squaring a circle and studying its end
I saw a drunk old lady pissing in a bin
It was far too high, she couldn't stop
The man with the photograph failed to appear
In that kind of rain where an umbrella's no use
The bird lay bleeding, I couldn't break its neck
I get anonymous footbells from a pope I never met
Don't start me off
It's beginning, to, and back again
Don't start me off
Right now there's a man who could take advantage
I wouldn't like to spend an hour locked inside him
He always had an eye for it, we all threw a shoe
Nicely underlined, our table turned again
The lyrics to Wire's song "German Shepherds" are abstract and full of vivid imagery. The first verse describes a scene where the singer observes three dogs flying, being led by a man, who is possibly guiding them through some sort of performance or trick. The man is also studying something, possibly the circle they are creating in the air. The second line describes a drunk old lady, who is unable to control her bladder and is urinating in a bin that is placed too high for her to reach comfortably.
The third line of the song is particularly intriguing as it describes a man with a photograph who fails to appear. It is not clear what this photograph is or who the man is, but it could be a significant detail in the story behind the song. The fourth line details a sort of heavy rain where an umbrella would not be able to protect you from the downpour. In the fifth line, the image of a bird lying on the ground, bleeding, puts the singer in a state of discomfort as they use their hands to try to snap its neck and put it out of its misery. The final line in the verse paints an even more confusing picture, describing anonymous footbells that the singer receives from a pope they have not met.
The chorus of the song seems to be the singer's plea to not be provoked or irritated, as they are already confused and overwhelmed by the bizarre events they have witnessed. The second verse describes a man who is potentially dangerous, and the singer is apprehensive about being left alone with him. The line "He always had an eye for it, we all threw a shoe" is also puzzling and open to interpretation. The song ends with the table being turned, adding to the sense of disorientation and unpredictability in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw three dogs flying, there was a man on the end
I witnessed a peculiar sight of dogs flying with a man attached to one end.
Squaring a circle and studying its end
Engaging in a fruitless task of trying to accomplish something impossible.
I saw a drunk old lady pissing in a bin
I observed an inebriated old woman relieving herself in a trash can due to the height of the location.
It was far too high, she couldn't stop
The height of the bin caused the old lady to be unable to stop urinating.
The man with the photograph failed to appear
The person expected to show up with a picture did not come.
In that kind of rain where an umbrella's no use
The rainfall was severe enough to render an umbrella ineffective.
The bird lay bleeding, I couldn't break its neck
I came across a wounded bird that I was unable to put out of its misery.
I get anonymous footbells from a pope I never met
I receive peculiar and obscure messages from a stranger who claims to be a religious leader.
Don't start me off
Please refrain from provoking me.
It's beginning, to, and back again
Starting something only to end up back where you began.
Right now there's a man who could take advantage
There is currently an individual who has the potential to exploit a situation.
I wouldn't like to spend an hour locked inside him
I would not feel comfortable being alone with this person for an extended period of time.
He always had an eye for it, we all threw a shoe
He was always attracted to certain things and we, too, found those things appealing.
Nicely underlined, our table turned again
The table has suddenly and unexpectedly shifted in our favor, which is a positive development.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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Pierre Clary
on Champs
i believe this song is about amphetamine abuse, endemic on the punk scene...Speed, "more speed than before ,less time than before (tolerance build up)........
Pierre Clary
on Champs
The song "Champs" by Wire is an intense and fast-paced track that addresses themes of competitiveness, the desire for success, and the sacrifices one must make in order to achieve their goals. The repeated phrases "The taste of champions, the pace, the pace, the speed, the need, the need to seed, the chance to die" suggest that the speaker is wholly dedicated to winning and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The subsequent line "Another dead don't cry" implies that the speaker has seen others perish in their pursuit of victory and is not phased by it. The stanza "You've still got speed, you'll maybe bleed, there's less time" highlights the idea that time is running out and that one must act quickly if they wish to be successful.
The next stanza begins with the phrase "More speed than before, you've done it before, there is no for, what are you doing it for?" which suggests that the speaker is no longer satisfied with their previous achievements and is compelled to push themselves even harder. The line "Want more, want more" is a clear indication that the speaker is never satisfied with what they have and will always strive for more. The repetition of "Another dead don't cry" throughout the song serves as a haunting reminder that the pursuit of success often has a cost, and that cost can be the lives of others.i think this so,
Pierre Clary
on Champs
YOU'RE RICH NOT POOR