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.
The Queen of Ur and the King of Um
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With invitations to the Pharaoh's dream
They stare at themselves, there's a need to be seen
Walking mirrors in the Pharaoh's harem
And here they come
The queen of you're
And the king of Um
Tainted Matthews in car-key relations
Gilt invitations to the blue queen's ball
They stare at themselves, there's a need to be seen
Talking pillars in the blue queen's hall
Fading tattoos of empty stations
Great expectations at Vince's loyal mince
They stare at each other, there's a need to be seen
Crack-head mirrors, licking the soiled mint
Olympic statues from terminal stations
Sifting invitations to the market floor
Steering into the future, it pays to be seen
Polishing mirrors, keeping the score
A babbling gaggle, a scrabbling rabble
Fighting invitations to the emperor's shilling
They stare through themselves, there's nothing to see
Hand-picked recruits for ghostly pursuit
In "The Queen of Ur and the King of Um," Wire paints a surreal and dystopian picture of society's obsession with external appearances and need to be seen. The song's cryptic lyrics describe various scenes involving painted statues, underground streams, and invitations to the Pharaoh's dream. The singers of the song, the queen of Ur and the king of Um, are symbolic representations of this societal obsession with appearances. They are constantly staring at themselves and striving to be seen, walking mirrors in the Pharaoh's harem.
As the song progresses, Wire expands on this theme, painting a vivid picture of a society that is consumed with appearances. The lyrics reference car-key relations, gilt invitations to the blue queen's ball, and talking pillars in the blue queen's hall. These fantastical images are intended to highlight how shallow and empty society's obsession with appearances can be. The final stanza of the song describes a "babbling gaggle" of people fighting for invitations to the emperor's shilling, hand-picked recruits for a "ghostly pursuit." This image is meant to represent the emptiness and futility of this never-ending quest for external validation.
Line by Line Meaning
Painted statues in underground streams
Depicts the presence of mysterious and hidden statues that no one knows about in underground streams
With invitations to the Pharaoh's dream
Refers to the possibility of an invitation from the Pharaoh himself to experience a dream-like scenario
They stare at themselves, there's a need to be seen
The statues and other characters mentioned in the previous lines have a desperate need for attention and recognition
Walking mirrors in the Pharaoh's harem
The characters in the song act as mirrors that reflect the luxury and grandeur of the Pharaoh's harem
And here they come
The next stanza is about to follow
The queen of you're
Refers to a mysterious and powerful queen, the Queen of Ur
And the king of Um
Likewise, refers to the King of Um, another important and powerful figure
Tainted Matthews in car-key relations
Tainted refers to someone or something corrupt, and here it implies corrupt people involved in car-key relations
Gilt invitations to the blue queen's ball
Refers to exclusive invitations to a ball hosted by the blue queen, which is likely to be grand and luxurious
Talking pillars in the blue queen's hall
Depicts the presence of pillars that act as a surrogate for conversation in the blue queen's hall
Fading tattoos of empty stations
Refers to the idea of tattoos that have lost their meaning or significance over time, of empty or abandoned stations
Great expectations at Vince's loyal mince
A reference to high expectations held by people associated with Vince's loyal mince
They stare at each other, there's a need to be seen
Similar to the first stanza, this line implies that the characters in this section also have a desperate need for attention and recognition
Crack-head mirrors, licking the soiled mint
Refers to mirrors that are damaged or corrupted, licking the soiled mint may refer to something that has lost its value over time
Olympic statues from terminal stations
Describes the presence of Olympic statues at a terminal station
Sifting invitations to the market floor
Depicts the act of sorting through invitations handed out to people on the market floor
Steering into the future, it pays to be seen
Suggests that visibility or recognition can benefit a person when looking ahead to the future
Polishing mirrors, keeping the score
Describes the act of polishing mirrors to maintain their shine, and keeping track of something or someone's score
A babbling gaggle, a scrabbling rabble
Refers to a group of people who are noisy or incoherent, and are struggling or competing to gain something
Fighting invitations to the emperor's shilling
This line suggests that people are reluctant to accept invitations from the emperor, or that there is something undesirable about accepting his invitations
They stare through themselves, there's nothing to see
The characters in this final section may be disillusioned or no longer interested in the ostensible benefits of recognition or visibility
Hand-picked recruits for ghostly pursuit
This obscure line suggests that people have been selected for some kind of eerie or supernatural task
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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