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.
Just Don't Care
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was his way or the highway and he always had a plan
If it broke, you fixed it with your own two hands
You don't hire anyone to do it if you can
He bought a hunk of hearty limestone and granite in the hills In the heart of central Texas far from cities and from frills
He bought it cash money back in 74
Oh they just don't make em like that anymore
Seemed older than dirt to my brothers and to me
He had a dog named Doggonnit' and a house up on the hill
That he built with his own two hands, a hammer, and a nail
He had books stacked up from the ceiling to the floor
And a tattered rebel flag from the civil war
Though I never did learn which side his Daddy fought for
Oh they just don't make em like that anymore
Nowadays we don't talk face to face
We just send little snippets via satellites in space
And we don't have any patience, and we want it now We don't care or give a damn where or how
They say we're moving forward and that might be true But it don't make it better just because it's new
Take a hard look back to the days of before
Because they just don't make em like that anymore
The song "Just Don't Care" by Wire is a commentary on how things have changed throughout time and how we've become more impatient and reliant on technology. The lyrics describe two different individuals: the singer's grandad and their neighbor Fred. The first verse talks about the singer's grandad, who was a stubborn man who always had a plan and would fix things with his own two hands. He bought a piece of land in the hills of central Texas in 1974 and paid for it in cash. The second verse talks about the singer's neighbor, Fred, who was born in 1916 and had a dog named Doggonnit' and a house up on the hill that he built with his own two hands. He had books stacked up from the ceiling to the floor and a tattered rebel flag from the civil war, though the singer never learned which side his Daddy fought for.
Throughout the song, the singer laments about the changes that have occurred over time. We don't talk face to face anymore, instead relying on technology to send little snippets via satellites in space. We want everything now and have no patience. The singer acknowledges that we are moving forward, but questions whether new is necessarily better. In the final line, the singer suggests that we should take a hard look back at the days of old because they just don't make them like that anymore.
Line by Line Meaning
My Grandad was a stubborn man
My grandfather was a strong-willed man
It was his way or the highway and he always had a plan
He had a certain way of doing things and was always prepared
If it broke, you fixed it with your own two hands
He believed in repairing things yourself
You don't hire anyone to do it if you can
He preferred doing everything by himself instead of hiring someone else
He bought a hunk of hearty limestone and granite in the hills In the heart of central Texas far from cities and from frills
He purchased a large piece of land in rural Texas, away from urban areas and without any unnecessary luxuries
He bought it cash money back in 74
He paid for it fully in cash in 1974
Oh they just don't make em like that anymore
Nowadays, it's uncommon to find individuals with his level of determination and self-sufficiency
My neighbor Fred was born in 1916
My neighbor, named Fred, was born in the year 1916
Seemed older than dirt to my brothers and to me
To my siblings and myself, he appeared extremely old
He had a dog named Doggonnit' and a house up on the hill
He owned a property on a hill, and also had a canine companion named Doggonnit'
That he built with his own two hands, a hammer, and a nail
He constructed his house with minimal external help or resources
He had books stacked up from the ceiling to the floor
Fred's home was filled with countless books, arranged from the ceiling to the ground
And a tattered rebel flag from the civil war
He also had an old, worn-out flag from the time of the US Civil War
Though I never did learn which side his Daddy fought for
I never figured out his father's affiliation during the Civil War
Oh they just don't make em like that anymore
Individuals with such unique qualities are currently a rare sight
Nowadays we don't talk face to face
Presently, we communicate through electronic means and rarely discuss things in person
We just send little snippets via satellites in space
We share small, condensed messages through satellites hovering in space
And we don't have any patience, and we want it now
We lack sufficient patience and demand immediate results
We don't care or give a damn where or how
We do not care about the details or consequences of our actions
They say we're moving forward and that might be true
Some believe we are making progress, although this is debatable
But it don't make it better just because it's new
Just because something is new, it does not guarantee that it is superior to its predecessor
Take a hard look back to the days of before
We should reflect on the past and previous ways of doing things
Because they just don't make em like that anymore
Individuals with certain admirable qualities are not as prevalent as before
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Tony Kamel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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