Wire - Map Ref. 41°N 93°W

[AsmodelSoljah]

I found this song from My Bloody Valentine, and 154 definitely influenced shoegaze, if not MBV definitely Ride.

[trainingspak]

The title and first part of the song actually refer to an aerial view of the American Mid-west Lewis had whilst flying from NYC to LA (a gridded road system imposed on the land). The second part of the song is about a similar sensation Lewis had while travelling through Holland's reclaimed agricultural lands (the grid system of drainage dikes and the glass houses or ‘’crystal palaces for floral kings’’).

[tomekjankowski49]

You have to be insane to make a pop song about cartography. Or a genius.

[ajisilaos]

I'm french and I don't understand perfectly all the meaning of the song but this

sentence: "Crystal Palaces For Floral Kings" is carrying me away since I know

this song..more than 30 years!! After 10 times 100 times it was the same!!

This feeling is never fading away!! After 1000 times 10000 times it will be even worse!! When I'm listening to theses words it's like if Walt Witman was speaking to my right ear and Arthur Rimbaud to the left one!!!!!!!!!

[monkeyboy4746]

I think it's kind of like REM's Philomath, an ethereal place that you can get near, but can never quite get there.

[Knepperify1]

@monkeyboy4746

-

Philomath exists. It's a small unnamed crossroads with a cemetery on GA County Road 22, SE of Athens by about 18 miles. It's between Philomath/Woodinville Road and Old Springhill Church Road. There are about 20 houses nearby. Drop by, get out, and walk around the woods.

[monkeyboy4746]

@Knepperify1 I know it physically exists, but the way they sing about it, it suggests a more tenous existence, after all you can't get there from here.

[markblyn]

mattisprettycool - Totally agree. In my top 3 favorite albums of all time. It's easily their best album - at least for me. Art meets Punk meets Prog meets Synth meets fantastic arrangements, the perfect voice. This thing is from an album that's 32 years old - it's almost an antique. I miss the days when I 'discovered' the album - voted top new album in NME. It's Beatlesquely (not a word i know) brilliant.

[mattisprettycool]

154 is possibly the greatest album ever.

[Gzarnanplat]

A rather ordinary tune by the poor man's New Order.

[heyguy1231]

@Gzarnanplat huge booty pawg short skirt

[mattisprettycool]

@Gzarnanplat Wire > New Order

[MrSKINFLICK]

@Gzarnanplat: Even New Order would not appreciate your "comment". Go home to mummy.

[isaactaylor08]

@Gzarnanplat I doubt it, since they are contemporaries of Joy Division. Get yer facts straight!

[TheForkedtoungue]

@Gzarnanplat Silly little boy, if you know little to nothing, it's better to keep it to yourself so no one else finds out, but too late now. Wire played many times in the north, New order members, who had yet to play a gig went to the shows, it's documented quite well in Julian Cope's book. Your hero offed himself right after this album was released, probably heard it and said, "well, there no way we can top that! I can't go on anymore" I think his last words were also " Fuck Gzarnanplat"

[NormanArches]

@TheForkedtoungue

Love em all - NO, JD, Wire (knew a couple of the latter years back, in fact) but my Lord you hit the nail on the head there. Funny. Particularly the last sentence. I saw the suicide note and in fact he did write that - truly prescient!

>Gmanzplat, Ian Curtis actually did want you to fuck off, mate. Seriously.

[tigerboy1966]

It is not but what it had been of the "is" no longer.

[klangding]

Ten minute version please.

[strawberryrbicks]

this is comment 154. hehehe

[JFguitar22]

i tried to search this on google map and its in Iowa Usa .. near melrose!

[odantoro]

Isn't this about the planet resigning itself to being poked and prodded by humanity for the next few thousand years? The lyrics seem to be from the point of view of the Earth itself.

[KomackinoA]

This song is the reason why I study geography.

[MrSKINFLICK]

@KomackinoA: REALLY ? BUT REALLY REALLY ?

[SilverFoxSPK]

i heear there are alot of black people down there

[hairymarx]

Echoes of Television.

[headforthetropics]

@hairymarx echoes of television!?! get your head out of your rectum, please

[hairymarx]

@headforthetropics Fuck off.

[wetmidget]

i love this song so much. I love that tommorow never knows style loop going on. perfection.

[xyaqua]

41N 93W is in a pasture, south of the road, with cattle in it. i chickened out in asking the farmhouse to the north if i could go in and find the exact spot- it's a couple hundred yards south.

But it was a lot of fun finding it. Been meaning to do it for years. Next time i'm flying in the area i'll swing by and get some aerial photos and videos.

This song has been with me for almost 3 decades, and it's still one of my top ten favorites ever.

[misssooshi]

@xyaqua WOW. You went there. I can't get it out of my head either after three decades.

[TheGameKat]

@xyaqua you went! too cool! i just google-earthed it

[v1switch]

South central Iowa is where the Map ref is.

[TheZakHill]

@v1switch That's what google maps says

[TheElvenqueen]

what is there at 41°N 93°W ??

[Nooschwander]

@TheElvenqueen it's Centerville, Iowa - my hometown :)

[rexasul]

Good lyrics. Not much else...

[doktorsawade]

@rexasul

what are you talking about, my friend? a great toe-tapper, i always thought...

[KatesPinkZeppelin]

chorus..... toon won today

[markSTINKS]

Fantastic pop/punk. The chorus is catchier than every single X-Factor bollocks rolled into one...

'Interrupting my train of thoughts ...' Genius.

[rossdigitalfire]

Proud to be an Iowan born and raised. Seriously, the My Bloody Valentine cover is also excellent.

[planesovertheskyline]

@rossdigitalfire I think the MBV version is one of the best things they ever did. And the last.

[66trucker]

@planesovertheskyline Yeah. I really wish MBV would hurry up with their supposed new album.

[CONSIDERABLYMORE1]

by a contry mile, my favourite wire song.

[grahamlaur]

ah the days when the chorus to a pop song could be obtuse, instead of simply banal...

[ClueSign]

@grahamlaur Beautifully said.

[TheMrsDash]

reading riverplate's hateful comment--I suppose he/she ran out of racial and ethnic jokes--sad thing to post

[simonbath]

mainlined pop

[filmpage]

wow I'd never appreciated this when it first came out, so glad to have heard it again thanks

[UnusualTastes]

I don't get what a field in Iowa has to do with this song. They probably have never even been to Iowa- I know I haven't. Are they just messing with us? Cool song either way.

[horseloverfatjr]

Absolutely sublime. Easily one of the most important bands in the history of rock music.

[hundhun17]

this band were so fucking awesome in the late 70's. They were way better than all the other Post Punk bands from around 1979 in my opinion.

They are probably in the top 5 most influential British bands ever and im not using that lightly.

[dvargashell]

my heart is somewhere between me head and groin

[clayguy33]

nice to see 40,000, but it should be 4 mil

[thesparrow5674]

This is perfection.

[livershot]

I love the abstract landscape art of the cover

[TheGameKat]

@livershot It's not abstract, Iowa actually looks like that

[xyaqua]

No fucking words can possibly intuate this god-genius song.  Look for a photo soon, and an aerial shot next year.

Wire is under-rated, perhaps the most underrated ever.

[Giselle62]

singing along "the area's where the water flows"

[Jerdna3]

This is like the perfect pop song.

[tremer88]

they were so ahead of their time

[BostonFastJack]

3 Plus minutes of pure perfection IMHO.

Excellent.

[bumhaskins]

music like this gives me hope.

[ezrhino100]

wire is truly transcendental. it's mysterious without being drugged out. sharp, jagged and inventive. i feel like i am in a space ship observing the world from the miky way. it twists turns and makes you think about thoughts and the limits of the universe.

[tremer88]

so ahead of their time

[curiosofsigns]

chorus!

[navroful]

God these guys could do 'it' sometimes.

[BostonFastJack]

Great!

[crnel]

A spot in Iowa on highway 34 between Chariton and Albia.

[inputmodule]

41N 93W is Monroe, Iowa

hahaha!

[randomeddie]

quite possibly the greatest/oddest pop song ever written...

[patchesdf]

I looked up these coordinates on google maps, and it lands you right smack in the middle of Bumblefuck Iowa.

[thafons]

CHORUS!

[pimpnerd88]

This song is timeless. It could be released today, and the critics would fall over themselves explaining how awesome it is

[kickfostermac]

Can you imagine how cool this sounded in 1979?

[governmentflu81]

@kickfostermac It was great then and still is today

[kickfostermac]

@governmentflu81 It still is good I agree.I'm just saying can you imagine how cool this sounded in 1979?

[MrJamesrnolan]

When I first experienced this song on L.A. radio (played on Richard Meltzers' Hep Cats from Hell as well as KXLU) it was a revelation. Perusing the lyrics it struck me as one of the most intelligent songs ever recorded by anybody--intelligent not in a pompous, arty way that speaks down to you but intelligent in that Wire believes you are as smart as they are and you will be capable of understanding it the more you listen. The psychedelic flourishes that adorn the song are perfect as well.

[inputmodule]

wonder if they know how much their songs influenced the future of music...

wire was brilliant, detached, cerebral and KILLED WITH A FUCKING POP HOOK

no one does that now

tell me if i'm wrong

[PAULLONDEN]

Cartologist.............nice job.

Yeah... Africa was carved up as a big pie.

Bears the scars to this day.

On the other hand,parts that weren't so ruthlessly cut up,(with natural borders)(Ethiopia) are just as miserable today.

It's one big frying pan out there.

But then....there has been more destruction here in €urope,we're fortunate to have experienced a few decades of relative peace.

Which eventualy will come to an end too.

Would be a nice tune to watch

Google Earth by

[PAULLONDEN]

btw....abstract smirking face on that LPcover ;-/'

[ZLUGGO]

Phenomenal tune!

[MrRealSandman]

Most underrated band ever. Every post punk group has drank on this fountain - from Joy Division to Simple Minds. And in a fair world they would be millionaires just by having recorded this gem. Marvelous song!

[xyaqua]

Best pop song ever. I will eventually post a video of 41 n 93west. it's in a freaking corn field. so unappreciated

[warmswarm]

Love this song, especially the guitar sound on the solo.. One of their best along with I Am The Fly, Outdoor Miner and Dot Dash. (^_^)

[MrRealSandman]

Excellent taste, mate. I am the fly and Outdoor miner have been playing in my stereo non-stop. Along with "i should have known better". Wire is brilliant, but this is an unfair world.

[MrSKINFLICK]

i was at the rockpalast live concert posted here,in summer 79.i hasted to catch the train to cologne,weather conditions almost brazilian summer night.when i arrived i saw all those funny"hippies",hard times then.wire were live inside the WDR studios a lot different from what you see through the cameras here,almost like a strange static japanese NO-theatre-scenenery.still it was something i´ll never ever forget.after the show i had the chance to chat with them because....

[MrSKINFLICK]

...i worked a bit for a fanzine. colin is one of the most sympathetic and erotic guys i´ve ever met inside that biz (and there aren´t many of them...). the whole "ambient"-scenery in the 90s owe a lot to him & the guys, not to forget other ingenious persons like andy partridge/xtc and lots of others. i´m very proud i was a part of that era. visit my channel and u will find lots of it. greetz to brasil.

[saintrobski]

@MrSKINFLICK Wire and XTC rule the waves, and their ideas are still being 'borrowed' to this day. Bands have to have a member called Colin to truly stand apart.

[MrSKINFLICK]

@saintrobski: Uuuh, there were also "a few" others if you check my electronic and new wave playlists from the 70s/80s. In the next minute i´ll send you a video of Map Ref. 41°N 93°W where you can see me in the crowd WIRE´s TV performance in WDR studios in Cologne, August 1979.

[MrKittridge]

And Blessed State of course.

[fintokd]

Up to the sun shall go,

Thy heart-ache in a riot of red,

Up to the sun shall go

Thy jaundice ..

(No geetars & abs brill.)

[taufactor]

41°N 93°W lies within the state of Iowa in the USA.

Curious...

[jlToolfan]

i think this is actually a subtle political song. it's about how europe screwed africa over during decolonization, by creating artificial countries with arbitrary and irrational borders. it caused a lot of damage because some tribes wound up in the same countries w/ their enemies, while others got split up. "an unseen ruler defines an unrulable expanse.."

but then, i could be wrong. this is wire we're talking about, so maybe they just wrote a song about cartography for the heck of it.

[MrSKINFLICK]

...but please only subtle.....they had the ingenious idea to overcome all these concepts and just enjoy what they did...please.....

[vjs1958]

chorus

Interrupting my train of thought lines of longitude and latitude....

I can never play this song once, as soon as it's over I hit replay

[ilovepinkflag]

Who ever said WIRE were talking about the Earth?????

Real WIRE music listeners know what they they were talking about.

[ZLUGGO]

Art punk. Brilliant. Very productive combo.

[suspect485]

This is about Argentina?

[giantspeck]

One of those perfect songs.

[boinerman]

Love My Bloody Valentine's cover of this song

[xyaqua]

The classic studio version is still so awesome. a third a century later, what wawesome staying power. Wire's members are true artistic genuises, i'd follw them anywhere. Oh wait, i did! Their 47th album, Object 47, _still shows_ their genius creativity and musical artistry. What awesome staying power and longivity.

[yossarian9]

The world needs less songs about love and more songs about cartography.

[AshyLinnet]

So true!!

[riverplate0101]

Its true.  Especially in the U.S.A. they haven't the foggiest idea where Argentina is.

[ubetterfold1]

We just know it ends well short of the Falklands...

Loser.

[riverplate0101]

Wow!!! Unprovoked. And you come with that? I hope you are at least under 18, 'cause to go out of your way to write something like that in public view that has nothing to do with my comment should be embarrassing for you if you are older. Yikes!

[fintokd]

Welwell said, but de chickens are coming home again.

Ready for War Mr Cale, always a handy No. in your back pocket.

.

Ders oil in dem daar hills.

Subs on course..

She's gonna blow !! !!

[warmswarm]

Err ... fintokd .... I have not the slightest of clues as to what you are talking about. Do these remarks have anything at all to with WIRE or this SONG? (^_^)

[governmentflu81]

@riverplate0101 Its down by the south pole isn't it ?

[BostonFastJack]

@riverplate0101

Or Guam.

[BostonFastJack]

@BostonFastJack 

[BostonFastJack]

@BostonFastJack

Awesome.

[BostonFastJack]

@riverplate0101

Or the Bikini Islands...

[apollothemighty]

@riverplate0101 Hey, now! This American knows exactly where Argentina is. It's right between Constantinople and Siam. They subside on a diet of seal fat and they live in igloos. Also, Nike has several factories there, and thanks to James Madison's Containment Policy following the 6th World War, they ARE NOT commies. And the women there are hot.

[elementz1986]

@riverplate0101

I'm from the US and I know where Argentina is...what do I win? ;)

[ianisdeaad]

@elementz1986: a different country to live in...

[ianisdeaad]

@elementz1986: a different country to live in...

[elementz1986]

@ianisdeaad

I've always fancied living in Sweden as they are the least religiously devout country in Europe....also the women look nice.

[JurricaChiannaNycole]

@riverplate0101 Fuck you, i know where Argentina is. Just because a bunch of idiots in the media decided to trade brains for beauty, dosen't mean where all lazy bimbos.

[nonnoparmiro]

@JurricaChiannaNycole although you can't tell the difference between where and we're in your native language.

[ShemTheSham]

@yossarian9 - Like Gang of Four? I love their song Anthrax, listen close to the lyrics, and they make a good point of love songs being another piece of commercialized BULLSHIT!!! Except you know, anything Lou Reed wrote.

[cavvysaster]

@yossarian9 Surely you mean "...fewer songs about love..."

Grammar Boy strikes again.

[yossarian9]

@cavvysaster Confound you, Grammar Boy!

[oxpheart]

This,wellthis is something.2 people in a room is something else.

[62salv]

Great.....but the demo version on "behind the curtain" is superior!

[abehmiel]

I've listened to that version and it's great but as far as I'm concerned the wet guitar on the album version gets you much deeper.

[NinetiesYouth]

Send it to me!

[aeschhere]

Wow I would have thought it the Comsat Angels ta .

[ftwelve12]

This is honestly one of the best pop songs ever and I'm not inclined to get all hyperbolic about songs. I've probably listened to this over 500 times in the last 1-2 years and it's absolutely perfect. I feel about this song the way John Peel felt about Teenage Kicks

[dakaranandayo]

You are absolutely right. It sounds better with every year that passes.

[SpaceOdyssee]

Great song.

[Questpeace]

Man, I need to get this flippin' album.

[Jerdna3]

The singer sounds like a cross between Tom Verlaine and __________. Ah cant quite put my finger on it, help!

[cadenmccann2]

found this via mbv's excellent cover, very neat song...despite being an mbv diehard, i might have to opt for this as the better version

[NinetiesYouth]

Wonder what Joy Division and Wire thought of each other...

[lannykaster1]

should've been a huge hit single; it's so damn catchy!

[Jauly]

lol this is where from "new musik" drew the biggest influence :D

[TheDulwichOnion]

I agree with you maxpup.

MBV were good, but Wire were great.

[xyaqua]

When one refers to Wire in the plural, rather than the singular, yo know you are talking to a true wire fan!

[TheDulwichOnion]

Ok, point taken. A common mistake.

Good to see pedantry is alive and kicking.

[maxxpup]

I love MBV, but they don't hold a candle to Wire.

[leavingharvard]

The Dykehouse cover > MBV by far.

[brody074]

iowa FTW!

[Crono21]

Great song but i prefer MBV's cover of it.

[xyaqua]

I apologise for my flaming, but you are way off base,

Okay, wire sometime takes a while to appreciate. MBV has a good sound, but the voacals are buried. the lyric are awesome in this song! Ten best . ever.

I suppose you have to be in the business. cartography is a strange awesome job.

that a band venerates it is beyond cool,

Wire is truly the most underrated band ever.

[TerrierBram]

Looked up this on Google Earth, came by Albia.

Anyway, 40 Versions is also a very good song on this album. The whole album is actually a landmark.

[WoundedKite]

Isnt Albion an old term for Britain? Could that be significant?

[TijucaWeirdo]

One of wire's best.

[NinetiesYouth]

Wow, beautiful

[Emberland]

Being a huge MBV fan, I've got to admit that I prefer the cover version, but Wire are just generally kickass.

[elmphlemp]

this version is better and im a bigger mbv fan then wire fan

[Emberland]

Well, that settles that, then.

[grismun22]

HAHAHA! Funny...

[PlanetoftheAtheists]

the most underrated band in history, these guys were light years ahead of their time. So many bands were influenced by their cutting edge rythms

[zidaneo]

The chorus is simply grandiose. I love it

[andruchina]

Beautiful song. Can't decide which Wire song I like the best. I wonder where the Wire of the new millenium are. Bands who actually try to make something different.

[dj45rpm]

Probably the best Wire song ever (and considering how many classics they have that's really saying something)!

[98virago]

thanks for posting.i remember this from WAMU in washington dc.remember the overnight express.man a long time ago

[rayolacer]

i fuckin dig this song, anyone heard my bloody valentines cover of it?? its epic

[Iamanathlete]

Heard it ages ago and I've been trying to get a copy of it since.

[PlanetoftheAtheists]

there is a cd called "whore" i believe that has a bunch of bands doing covers of great Wire songs

[Cid410]

I love MBV, but I don't think their cover touches the original. Still good though.

[creamstripe]

Thanks. I used to have this record and played all the time (to my parents.) Long time ago.

So simple but original and beautiful.

[julosx]

I think "Outdoor Miner" by Lush is better than the original.

[xyaqua]

@rayolacer any cover is a tribute- and MBV is awesome. I've listened to this song probably a thousand times, so new stuff is enjoyable, but the original wire is always the best.

[jwbkmn]

thanks thanks thanks!!! one of my all time favorites. you also replicate how I often listened to it, staring at the album cover...

[PAULLONDEN]

WHAT CAN i TYPE.....¿

~~~«d~_~b»~~~

[marklungo]

Such an obscure title for such a lovely song! (BTW, from what I've heard, the location in the title is an open field in Iowa.)

[iorixs]

cool tune, do you have more?

[simonbath]

been waiting yonks for this one to get uploaded- thank you.