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.
What Do You See?
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fields on fire
Look to the left
What can you see?
A mint green bathroom
On a walless house
Welcome!
Drive into the Mickey Mouse
The must place to be?
The place we never enter
If we are not with us
Enter!
Look down the street?
A young boy hunting butterflies
Look down the street?
He swallows one
He swallows two
That is not enough
Stay!
In the bed for two hundred crowns
I waited for you
Me and the dancing lamp
With a VIP card
I would have met the blue man
I hear his noise in the stairs
Listen!
Can you hear the ocean?
Did you hear the thunder?
Did you see the signs left by the boy
Who fell through the frozen sea?
The world turned upside down
Down!
The song "What Do You See?" by Wire is a surrealist, abstract piece of music that defies straightforward interpretation. The song is composed of disconnected images and scenes that are largely unrelated to each other. The first verse describes fields on fire to the right, and a house with no walls and a mint green bathroom to the left. The second verse mentions an elusive place called "The Mickey Mouse," which is apparently the place to be but is left unexplored unless one is with their own kind. The third verse describes a young boy chasing and eating butterflies, and a bed where the singer waits for their companion with a dancing lamp.
The lyrics contain a lot of surreal imagery that is seemingly random, making it difficult to pinpoint a clear meaning. However, one possible interpretation is that the song is an exploration of the ways in which we perceive and make sense of the world around us. The disjointed and disparate images may represent different ways of seeing and experiencing the world, which can often feel confusing and overwhelming. The song suggests that our perceptions are highly subjective and dependent on our individual experiences and perspectives.
Line by Line Meaning
Look to the right
Direct your gaze towards the right-hand side
Fields on fire
The fields are ablaze and burning
Look to the left
Cast your eyes towards the left-hand side
What can you see?
What is visible to your eyes?
A mint green bathroom
A bathroom colored in mint green
On a walless house
Located on a house without walls
Welcome!
A greeting inviting you to enter
Drive into the Mickey Mouse
Enter the Mickey Mouse structure
The must place to be?
Is this the most desirable place to go?
The place we never enter
We don't go to this place
If we are not with us
Unless we are in a group with others
Enter!
A command to come inside
Look down the street?
Observe what's at the end of the road
A young boy hunting butterflies
A boy is searching for and catching butterflies
He swallows one
He eats one of the butterflies
He swallows two
He eats two of the butterflies
That is not enough
The amount of butterflies he's eaten is insufficient
Stay!
An instruction to remain in place
In the bed for two hundred crowns
Lying in a bed that costs two hundred crowns
I waited for you
I anticipated your arrival
Me and the dancing lamp
It's just me and a swaying lamp in the room
With a VIP card
If I had a VIP card
I would have met the blue man
I could have met with a blue-colored individual
I hear his noise in the stairs
I can hear the blue man's sounds coming from the staircase
Listen!
Pay attention and listen closely
Can you hear the ocean?
Is the sound of the ocean audible to you?
Did you hear the thunder?
Were you able to perceive the sound of the thunder?
Did you see the signs left by the boy
Did you notice the indicators left by the boy
Who fell through the frozen sea?
The boy who plunged into the icy ocean
The world turned upside down
The planet was inverted or completely altered
Down!
One interpretation could be 'Lower your gaze'
Contributed by Bailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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