"Totally Wired" is a song by the Fall. Released in September 1980, the single became one of their signature tracks. The track subsequently appeared on CD reissues of their album ''

Grotesque (After the Gramme) ''Grotesque (After the Gramme)'' is the third studio album by English band the Fall. Released on 17 November 1980, it was the band's first studio album on Rough Trade. The album reached number one on the UK Independent Chart, spending 29 wee ...

''. The track reached no. 2 in the

UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...

and no. 25 in New Zealand.

Release

The track appeared in

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

in both 1980 and 1981, reaching 21 and 56 respectively and number 34 on All Time Festive Fifty broadcast in 2000. Subsequently it appeared at #57 on the "100 Greatest Singles of the Post-Punk Era" published by Uncut in 2001, in Gary Mulholland's book ''This is Uncool – The 500 Greatest Singles since Punk and Disco'', published in 2003 , and in the Guide To the (500) Greatest Songs from Punk To the Present published by

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

published in 2014. In a dismissive review on its release,

Danny Baker Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Throughout his career he has largely presented for London's regional radio and television. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class fa ...

said in ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'': "''Totally Wired'' is ugly, and terribly produced – yes it ''does'' matter!" and "I can't see there's an audience for the Fall's constant verbal battering."

Influence

The song has been sampled by

the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...

on their album ''

1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?) ''1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)'' is the debut studio album by British electronic band the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs), later known as the KLF. ''1987'' was produced using extensive unauthorised samples that plagiarised a wide ...

'' and covered by

Terry Edwards Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards. Biography Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding mem ...

, Chris Cacavas, and

the Last Shadow Puppets The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Miles Kane ( the Little Flames, the Rascals), James Ford (Simian, Simian Mobile Disco), and Zach Dawes ( Mini Mansions). The Last Shadow Puppe ...

on their 2016 EP ''

The Dream Synopsis ''The Dream Synopsis'' is an extended play by English supergroup the Last Shadow Puppets, released on 2 December 2016 by Domino Recording Company. It was produced by Patrick Higgins in Hudson, New York and contains re-recordings of two songs ...

''. The Last Shadow Puppets' performance of the song at Manchester's

Castlefield Bowl The Castlefield Bowl (originally the Castlefield Events Arena and formerly the Castlefield Arena) is an outdoor events pavilion in the inner city conservation area of Castlefield in Manchester, England. Reinvigorated in 1993, the lead architec ...

on 10 July 2016 saw them joined by

Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...

, who had earlier admitted to being 'obsessed' with the song.

Track listings

All songs written and composed by the Fall (

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...

Craig Scanlon Craig Antony Scanlon (born 7 December 1960 in Manchester) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of the Fall between 1979 and 1995. During his tenure he was a stalwart member for 17 albums and co-wrote over 120 of the group's songs; s ...

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

and Paul Hanley). ; "Totally Wired" (7")

References

Sources

* Pringle, Steve. ''You Must Get Them All: The Fall On Record''. London: Route Publishing, 2022. {{Authority control 1980 singles 1980 songs Rough Trade Records singles The Fall (band) songs Songs written by Mark E. Smith Songs written by Craig Scanlon Songs written by Marc Riley