Wire is a band formed in 1976 in Watford, England and after splitting in 19… Read Full Bio ↴Wire is a band formed in 1976 in Watford, England and after splitting in 1980, have reformed three times. They consist of Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (vocals, bass) and Robert Gotobed (drums). Founding guitarist Bruce Gilbert left in 2004. In 2008, Margaret Fielder McGinnis of Laika joined the band as their touring guitarist, but as of 2010 has been replaced by Matt Simms.

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.

Reuters
Wire Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Our own correspondent is sorry to tell
Of an uneasy time that all is not well
On the borders there's movement
In the hills there is trouble
Food is short, crime is double

Prices have risen as the government fell
Casualties increase as the enemy shell

The climate's unhealthy, flies and rats thrive
And sooner or later the end will arrive

This is your correspondent, running out of tape
Gunfire's increasing
Looting, burning, rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape
Rape

Rape
Rape

Overall Meaning

The song "Reuters" by Wire is a commentary on the state of affairs in a war-torn society. The title of the song references Reuters, an international news agency, which sets the tone for the lyrics as a broadcast from a war correspondent. The correspondent begins with the sombre announcement that all is not well in the area they are reporting from, and proceeds to describe the chaos and devastation that has occurred since the government has fallen. The imagery of movement on the borders and trouble in the hills suggests that the conflict is not contained to one specific location; it has spread and is ongoing. The lack of food and rise in crime highlights the human toll of the conflict, while the mention of prices rising conveys the economic impact.

The chorus, which repeats the word "rape," is most likely a reference to the usage of rape as a tool of war, which has been utilized by various armies throughout history. The repetition of the word emphasizes the horror and inhumanity of the act. The song ends with the correspondent running out of tape, suggesting that the situation is beyond what can be captured or conveyed by any one person.

Line by Line Meaning

Our own correspondent is sorry to tell
The person reporting the news is unhappy in delivering an unpleasant message

Of an uneasy time that all is not well
The situation being reported is one of unease and not prosperity

On the borders there's movement
There is evidence of activity around the border

In the hills there is trouble
Difficulties or issues are happening in the mountainous areas

Food is short, crime is double
There is a shortage of food and a rise in criminal activity

Prices have risen as the government fell
With the fall of the government, prices have increased

Casualties increase as the enemy shell
As the enemy attacks, there is an increase in the number of casualties

The climate's unhealthy, flies and rats thrive
The local climate is uninviting and swarming with flies and rats

And sooner or later the end will arrive
It is inevitable that the situation will come to an end, one way or another

This is your correspondent, running out of tape
The reporter is reaching the end of their capacity to relay the message, speaking metaphorically

Gunfire's increasing
The sound of gunfire is becoming more frequent and louder

Looting, burning, rape
Acts of looting, arson, and sexual assault are happening concurrently with the other issues

Rape
Repetition of an earlier point to highlight the magnitude of the issue

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRUCE GILBERT, COLIN NEWMAN, GRAHAM LEWIS, ROBERT GOTOBED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Pierre Clary

on Champs

49w

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

49w

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,