Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric is one of the greatest singles to come out of the punk era. Even if it’s not typically punk.
It first appeared on the label sampler A Bunch Of Stiff Records in April 1977, though Wreckless Eric (aka Eric Goulden) actually wrote it back in 1974.
It’s also impossible to categorise, and it’s not immediately recognisable as punk. Its lo-fi DIY vibe certainly puts it in that category, as does Eric’s untrained voice, but it’s also a wonderfully romantic love song in the most traditional sense.
You can imagine the words being sung by Sam Cooke or Nat King Cole, singing with the same passion – though they might not have had the same opening verse:
“When I was a young boy
My mama said to me
‘There’s only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti'”
The simple arrangement is perfect, too: Eric’s chugging guitar, Nick Lowe on bass guitar, Steve Goulding of Graham Parker & The Rumour on drums. It was eventually released as a single on Stiff in August 1977, backed by a wrong-side-of-the-tracks love song, Semaphore Signals.
It was followed by another achingly beautiful song in the same vein called Reconnez Cherie, blending Franglais with a cod-reggae rhythm, and other lo-fi masterpieces like I Wish It Would Rain – and he’s still at it.
Whole Wide World has been covered countless times, including a version by The Monkees when they made a reunion album; once by Elvis Costello, of whom Eric said succinctly: “I wasn’t a fan of Elvis Costello, particularly”; and also by Green Day, about whom Eric was far more enthusiastic, describing it as “the most punk rock version ever.”
Eric, who comes from Sussex, started playing music while at art school in Hull in the mid-1970s, and turned to songwriting after seeing Ian Dury’s band Kilburn & The High Roads, determined to emulate their honest approach to music.
In the late 1980s he moved to France with his American wife and fellow musician, Amy Rigby. His autobiography, published in 1998, is entitled: “A Dysfunctional Success – The Wreckless Eric Manual.”
And here’s a bit of pointless pop trivia: “Wreckless” Eric Goulden is a cousin of the actress Gemma Arterton.