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.
I Should Have Known Better
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lay down by your side
It's not your place to comment
On my state of distress
For this is for real
I've tears in my eyes
Am I laughing or crying?
I suggest I'm not lying
Calibrate my displeasure yet so
To ignore my warning
Could be your folly
The judgment is harsh
I offer no plea
Valuing the vengeance which you treasure
I've redefined the meaning of vendetta
The procession's disordered
You protect your possessions
In light of your actions
I question your love
May I make an observation
Your bite is worse than my aggression
I should have known better
I should have known better
Than to become a target
Albeit a target which moves
No offer of terms or concessions
For statements or confessions
You don't feel warm
I pass close by
You shiver, I whisper
Excuse me, what's your problem?
Oh, I see
I should have known better
The lyrics to Wire's song "I Should Have Known Better" appear to be about a failed relationship or perhaps a situation of unrequited love. The first line in the verse, "In an act of contrition I lay down by your side," suggests that the singer is apologizing for something they have done wrong, and is attempting to make amends by being physically close to the other person. However, the next line, "It's not your place to comment on my state of distress," seems to indicate that the other person is not interested in hearing apologies or explanations, and is not sympathetic to the singer's feelings. The singer's emotional state is not clear, as they ask themselves if they are "laughing or crying," but they insist that they are not lying about their feelings.
The chorus of the song, "I should have known better, than to become a target," suggests that the singer is blaming themselves for making themselves vulnerable or placing themselves in an untenable position. They describe themselves as a "target which moves," implying that they have been pursued or persecuted by the other person in the relationship. The verse continues with more accusations and observations, suggesting that the other person is defensive and possessive ("You protect your possessions"), and that their actions call into question their love for the singer ("In light of your actions I question your love"). In the final verse, the singer seems to have become resigned to the situation, believing that they made a mistake in pursuing this relationship ("I should have known better").
Line by Line Meaning
In an act of contrition
Trying to make up for past mistakes
I lay down by your side
I tried to be close to you
It's not your place to comment
You don't have the right to judge me
On my state of distress
On how I'm feeling
For this is for real
This is serious
I've tears in my eyes
I'm feeling emotional
Am I laughing or crying?
I'm not sure how to react
I suggest I'm not lying
I'm telling the truth
I haven't found a measure yet to
I haven't found a way to
Calibrate my displeasure yet so
Measure how angry I am
To ignore my warning
To not listen to me
Could be your folly
It could be a mistake
The judgment is harsh
The punishment is severe
I offer no plea
I won't beg for forgiveness
Valuing the vengeance which you treasure
You focus on getting revenge
I've redefined the meaning of vendetta
I've given a new definition to revenge
The procession's disordered
The situation is chaotic
You protect your possessions
You care more about your things than me
In light of your actions
Based on what you've done
I question your love
I doubt your feelings for me
May I make an observation
Can I point something out?
Your bite is worse than my aggression
You're hurting me more than I hurt you
I should have known better
I should have been smarter
Than to become a target
Than to let you hurt me
Albeit a target which moves
Even though I'm trying to avoid getting hurt
No offer of terms or concessions
No compromise
For statements or confessions
I won't admit to anything
You don't feel warm
You're not being loving
I pass close by
I get near you
You shiver, I whisper
You're scared while I try to be gentle
Excuse me, what's your problem?
Why are you acting this way?
Oh, I see
I get it now
I should have known better
I should have realized what was happening
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRAHAM LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vivien6160
In an act of contrition
I lay down by your side
It's not your place to comment
On my state of distress
For this is for real
I've tears in my eyes
Am I laughing or crying?
I suggest I'm not lying
I haven't found a measure yet to
Calibrate my displeasure yet so
To ignore my warning
Could be your folly
The judgement is harsh
I offer no plea
Valuing the vengeance which you treasure
I've redefined the meaning of vendetta
The procession's disordered
You protect your possessions
In light of your actions
I question your love
May I make an observation
Your bite is worse than my aggression
I should have known better
I should have known better
Than to become a target
Albeit a target which moves
No offer of terms or concessions
For statements or confessions
You don't feel warm, I pass close by
You shiver, I whisper
Excuse me, what's your problem?
Oh, I see
I should have known better
I should have known better
You should have known
I should have known better
I should have known better
I should have known better
I should have known
I should have known
I should have known better
I should have known
@mikew4001
A perfect opener for Steven Wilson's new 2023 compilation "Intrigue (Steven Wilson Presents: Progressive Sounds In UK Alternative Music 1979-89)".
@benedettobruno1669
30 Novembre 2018. Always and forever, thank you to Great Britain and the British people whose creativity, since the 1960s, has given the rest of the World hundreds of unique bands such as the Wire and music of unparalleled beauty, quirkiness and atmosphere. What would our lives have been without British bands? Thank you from Sicily.
@terrypussypower
Italians seem to pick up on heavy hitting “intellectual” British bands like Wire, more so than any other country. The likes of Van Der Graaf Generator were treated like The Beatles when they first played in Italy! And my best friend’s group The Alabama 3, went down a storm in Italy long before they did in the U.K.!
@jasonmotz5282
Okay, maybe THIS is my fave Wire track.
@SeagreenSerenade
i suggest i'm not lying saying this album is a sheer marvel, maybe one of the most memorable postpunkitude ever recorded ... on my turntable since 1979
@simoneric8183
You're telling the absolute truth
@darylchambers5945
It never grows old.
@v-sorx2213
Fairly experimental, evocative and yet strangely poppy. If I had to pick one favourite album, this would be it and this is my favourite track from that album.
@TheAnalPunisher
Do you know Coil? This is very much in the same style
@morganbryan8045
@@TheAnalPunisher No I have always missed Coil but maybe I will go and hunt some down. Any album suggestions?