"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 the UK Independent Chart, spending 29 weeks o ...

''. 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 rele ...

and no. 25 in New Zealand.

Release

The track appeared in

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

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 Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

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 (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

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 fam ...

said in ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'': "''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 formed in London in 1987. Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) began by releasing h ...

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 me ...

, Chris Cacavas, and

the Last Shadow Puppets The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Miles Kane (The Rascals, solo artist), James Ford (Simian, Simian Mobile Disco, music producer), and Zach Dawes (Mini Mansions). The band released th ...

on their 2016 EP '' The Dream Synopsis''. 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 in North West England. The arena is often used for ...

on 10 July 2016 saw them joined by

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English 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 since performed with numerous ...

, 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, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

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. Despite his surname being spelled 'Scanlon' he was wrongly credited as 'Craig Scanlan' on every record h ...

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) 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-Ta ...

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 The Fall (band) songs Songs written by Mark E. Smith Songs written by Craig Scanlon Songs written by Marc Riley