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.
Point of Collapse
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Closer to you
When you keep
It all on mute
How will I know
The right way
To love you
Of figuring out
Breaking down a man
Is no work out
But I have no clue
How to get
Through to you
I wanna hit you
Just to see
If you cry
I keep knocking on wood
Hoping there's
A real boy inside
But you're not a man
You're just a mannequin
I wish you could feel
That my love is real
But you're not a man
I wish
I could just
Turn you on
Put a battery in
And make you talk
Even pull
A string for you
To say anything
But with you
There is no guarantee
Only expired warranty
A bunch
Of broken parts
And I can't seem
To find your heart
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
I'm such a fool
Cause this one's
Outta my hands
I can't put you
Back together again
Cause you're not a man
You're just a Mannequin
I wish you could feel
That my love is real
You're just a toy
Could you ever be
A real, real boy
And understand
But you're not a man
If the past is the problem,
Our future could solve them, baby
I could bring you to life
If you let me inside, baby
It'll hurt
But in the end,
You'll be a man
And understand
That you're not a man
In "Point of Collapse", Wire sings about the struggle of trying to make a connection with someone who keeps everything bottled up inside. The singer of the song is frustrated with their inability to get through to the person they love. The lyrics describe an individual who is distant and unapproachable, much like a mannequin that can't come to life. The singer wishes they could find a way to reach their love interest, but feels powerless to do so.
The first verse sets the scene for the rest of the song. The singer is trying to figure out how to get closer to the person they love, who keeps all their emotions hidden. They're unsure of the "right way" to love them, and it's clear that their methods of breaking down someone's emotional barriers aren't working. In the chorus, the singer laments the fact that their love interest doesn't seem real. They want to "hit" them just to see if they'll cry, but they're met only with silence.
The second verse gives more detail about the difficulties of connecting with the mannequin-like love interest. The singer wishes they could bring them to life, even just for a moment, and make them talk. But they feel like they're dealing with a toy that's beyond repair. The final chorus is the most emotional moment of the song. The singer recognizes that their efforts to connect have failed, and that the mannequin will never become a real, feeling person. They wish it weren't true, but they accept that they'll never be anything more than a toy.
Line by Line Meaning
How do I get
The singer is expressing his desire to get closer to someone
Closer to you
He wants to become emotionally closer to the person
When you keep
However, the person is not open about their thoughts or emotions
It all on mute
They keep it inside and don't express themselves
How will I know
The singer is unsure how he should approach the situation
The right way
He wants to find the best way to love that person
Usually the queen
The singer normally knows how to understand men
Of figuring out
He is skilled at breaking down a person's barriers
Breaking down a man
He is good at understanding men's thoughts and emotions
Is no work out
But he is struggling with this person
But I have no clue
The singer is not sure how to connect with the person he likes
How to get
He is struggling to find a way to emotionally connect with them
Through to you
He wants to break through their barriers to connect with them
I wanna hit you
The singer is feeling frustrated
Just to see
He wants to test their emotional response
If you cry
He wants to see if they will show emotion
I keep knocking on wood
The singer is hoping for a positive outcome
Hoping there's
He is optimistic about finding an emotional connection
A real boy inside
He hopes there is an emotional person beneath the surface
But you're not a man
The singer is disappointed that they are emotionally unavailable
You're just a mannequin
The person is closed-off and unresponsive, like a mannequin
I wish you could feel
The singer wants the person to reciprocate his feelings
That my love is real
He wants the person to know his feelings are genuine
I wish
The singer wants something he can't have
I could just
He imagines a way to make the person respond to him
Turn you on
He wants to activate the person's emotions
Put a battery in
He wishes there was a quick fix to their lack of connection
And make you talk
The singer wants the person to express their emotions and talk to him
Even pull
He is willing to try anything
A string for you
He is willing to try pulling a string to get a reaction
To say anything
The singer wants the person to express themselves in any way possible
But with you
The singer has not had success in connecting with the person
There is no guarantee
The singer is uncertain about their future together
Only expired warranty
Their relationship is over and has no hope of being fixed
A bunch
The singer feels that the person is not an emotional person
Of broken parts
The pieces of their relationship are irreversibly broken
And I can't seem
The singer is unable to connect with the person emotionally
To find your heart
He is having a hard time reaching the person's emotions
I'm such a fool
The singer is disappointed in himself
Cause this one's
He feels that this relationship is hopeless
Outta my hands
He is powerless to affect their relationship
I can't put you
The singer is unable to emotionally connect with the person
Back together again
Their relationship is irreversibly broken
You're just a toy
The singer feels that he is not in a real relationship
Could you ever be
He wonders if there is any possibility for a real emotional connection
A real, real boy
He wants the person to have real emotions and feelings
And understand
The singer wants the person to understand his feelings
If the past is the problem,
The singer believes their past experiences are hindering their relationship
Our future could solve them, baby
However, the singer believes they can overcome their issues in the future
I could bring you to life
The singer believes that their relationship has potential if the person opened up emotionally
If you let me inside, baby
He needs the person to let him connect with them emotionally
It'll hurt
He understands that opening up emotionally can be difficult
But in the end,
The singer believes it will ultimately be beneficial
You'll be a man
The singer believes that emotional openness is a sign of strength
And understand
The singer wants the person to understand his feelings
That you're not a man
The singer wants the person to understand that emotional openness is important and they are not currently demonstrating that quality.
Writer(s): COLIN NEWMAN, GRAHAM LEWIS, BRUCE GILBERT, ROBERT GREY
Contributed by Ava V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Infinitebaffle
This and "The Seriousness of Snakes" are probably my fav's from Wire. I also loved "The First Letter" album. No one else sounds like this band. I remember playing "The Ideal Copy" album on a boombox, in my friend's backyard. Rural Cobb County GA. Overcast skies in October....1987. Atlanta was bringing in all these imports from England. Album 88 was the radio station of GA College. They would play all the post punk stuff. It's amazing we could pick up the signal, but I am glad we did.
sizone
My god, please check Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154. The absolute pinnacle for Wire. Though this is pretty close to 154, being its followup.
Marix Marixpulp
Excelent song. Gracias por subirlo.
pelodelperro
Great track.
Alan Koslowski
Really? To me this sounds like generic mediocre 80s 'alt' pop.
Mee Howski
Epic....
carolisway
Wire and The Banshees <3
Ricky Johnston
very
Arantxa Hernández
❤
שבי לוי
literally minimal compact