Wire was the first instance in which art students found their way into the punk-rock scene and changed its coordinates. Angry, unwilling to explain themselves, and madly creative, Wire’s first records were the building blocks of post-punk and must help nominate Wire as one of the greatest alternative rock bands ever.

And while plenty of modern bands have taken inspiration, and some have outright swiped song ideas, Wire remains an acquired taste. That’s not to say that you won’t become a believer once you get past the initial barriers of dissonance and lyrical rage.

These are the 10 best songs by Wire.

The Greatest 10 Songs by Wire

10. “Ex Lion Tamer”

Punk-rock may have been revolutionary-minded. But in the wake of the success of Sex Pistols, most of their peers released records that sounded very similar to each other.

Not Wire! “Pink Flag” was released mere months following “Never Mind the Bollocks.” It sounded nothing like the Johnny Rotten-fronted band, and, arguably like no other band before it.

“Ex Lion Tamer” is clever, humorous and a rare melodic treat from a dark, dissonant-sounding debut album.

9. “Kidney Bingos”

Wire’s four musicians quarrelled and ended the band in the late 1970s. But they came back a decade later. Once they’d figured out that there were still no rules that applied to them, they restarted their musical experimentation.

The most shocking thing about “Kidney Bingos” is just how pleasant it all sounds. A bizarre jingle-jangle pop tune, “Kidney Bingos,” proved that there were plenty of reasons to keep this factory of wild ideas open for a while yet.

8. “Another The Letter”

Wire predicted a lot of the future pop-rock trends with their brilliant early records. For the most part, critics were grateful for the info, while casual rock fans stayed away.

“Another The Letter” is only 1 minute long. But with its trembling synths, unfriendly vocals and jagged guitar chords, you can hear the fight between post-punk and new-wave years before it actually happened.

7. “Mannequin”

Of all the early songs, “Mannequin” is the one that’s most similar in sound and lyrical content to the material of bands like The Buzzcocks or The Clash.

But whereas those bands were angry with individuals for being thick-headed, Wire’s art-rockers find them dull and unappealing.

“Mannequin” has become an anti-conformist anthem of sorts and one of the best songs by Wire.

6. “The 15th”

The band was so wildly creative and restless early on that they spent all of their energy and most of their ideas on three great albums made in the span of three years.

Each record showed progress. “The 15th,” a track from the “154” album, almost sounds like a mournful goth-rock ballad.

It was a great song. It made no sense for those looking for more familiar material. And, yes, it was the right choice to put it out in exactly this way. This is one of Wire’s best songs, in my opinion.

5. “Blogging”

What do Wire’s art-punks think about the modern age? Just what they thought of the 1970s. They stink, but in a fascinating way that requires further dissection.

“Blogging” is a 2015 song. It’s one of Wire’s best. And while, as you’d expect, the band assures us that our techn-obsessions won’t be enough to save us, the song also contains some of the band’s best lyrics.

4. “Outdoor Miner”

Wire never sold out. But maybe they ought to have considered it.

That’s not to say that the band shouldn’t have kept true to its goals of artistic integrity. However, “Outdoor Miner,” the band’s most successful single, proves that the band could tackle a pop hook quite competently.

And while lead guitarist Bruce Gilbert famously hated the song, in retrospect, it just makes Wire’s discography all the more intriguing.

3. “Three Girl Rhumba”

There were no rules anymore. And that suited a quartet formed out of former art students just as well.

For most bands, the lack of norms merely meant playing louder and faster. “Three Girl Rhumba” by Wire moves in zig-zags and mocks the rock n’ roll format along the way.

This Colin Newman composition is one of the best remembered of Wire’s “Pink Flag” debut. And while the band greatly influenced post-punk, it’s also a meditative song about loyalty.

2. “Two People In A Room”

The punk-rock bands sounded dangerous to a point. Listeners could always pull back and realise that, to some degree, Ramones and Sex Pistols were pretend tough guys.

Wire’s music rarely provided that kind of relief. “Two People In A Room” still feels like the soundtrack to an old, found-by-mistake snuff film.

The music’s aggressive, but also quite groovy. This is possibly the single most influential song on both post-punk and, especially, the 2000s post-punk revival bands like Interpol.

1. “I Am The Fly”

Wire never fit in. But that’s because the quartet designed their group this way.

Few records made listeners as uncomfortable as 1978’s classic “Chairs Missing.” Arguably, there are a few listens to an entire album which are as tension-inducing nowadays.

“I Am The Fly” ties the whole thing together with its minimalist, caveman punk punch. But the song also possesses humour and a hook, helping to make this Wire’s shining hour, and one of he greatest alternative music songs ever recorded.