On April 17, 1989, the "Pixies" released their second studio album, "Doolittle".
This time we chose to tell you one fact about each of the album's 15 songs in chronological order:
1. If you've heard "Debaser" numerous times and wondered what the hell Black Francis is shouting in the chorus, then these are the words “I am un chien! Anda-luuu-sia! ”, Reminiscent of the 1929 short film Un Chien Andalou. Francis was greatly influenced by surrealism during his studies, especially that of Salvador Dalí to whom this film refers. The words "Slicing Up Eyeballs" from the song also refer to one of the first scenes from that short film.
The song "Tame" includes heavy sighs and breaths and it refers to a girl with "Cinderella's hips". Some believe it was written about a "prostitute" but Black Francis claims he wrote it about the rich and spoiled college kids who think they deserve everything. The song is based on only three chords.
3. The song "Wave of Mutilation" was described by Francis as a song about Japanese businessmen who commit suicide and murder all their family members while driving their car from the pier into the sea, just because they failed in their business. This is reflected in the lyrics of the song: "Drive My Car Into the Ocean".
4. Each song on the inside cover of the album received a photo of an abstract or surreal image depicting it. The song "I Bleed" received a photo of a picture called - "As Loud As Hell" and shows an old bell with human teeth scattered on it, as the words "it shakes my teeth" from the song.
5. Francis began writing the song "Here Comes Your Man" when he was 15. The song was included in the band's first demo recordings which were handed over to the record company. However, when the band signed a recording contract Francis abandoned the song because he was just ashamed of it. It turned out that the song skipped the first EP "Come on Pilgrim", missed the "Surfer Rosa" album, and also would not have entered this album, had it not been for the insistence of producer Gil Norton. This is one of the band's most catchy and mainstream songs. Joey Santiago plays a 12-string guitar here.
6. Francis is known to be very influenced by the Bible. So the song "Dead" is based on the biblical story of David and Batsheva and opens with the words "You Crazy Baby Bathsheba". Even "Uriah the Hittite" is mentioned there.
7. Francis relates that the song "Monkey Gone to Heaven" was written following the way he understood Hebrew numerology. When man, so he claims is marked as number 5 in numerology, Satan as number 6, and God as number 7. These digits also appear on the album cover. This is the only song by the Pixies that includes strings and the first song in which the band is assisted by guest musicians.
8. The song "Mr. Grieves" includes the name of the album "Doolittle" in its lyrics. Mr. Gribbs is the "death" character invented by Francis and the words "Nuclear Winter" imply that he wins in the end.
9. If you were wondering who "Crackity Jones" is, then he was Francis' crazy and gay partner while living in Puerto Rico. It's the shortest and fastest song on the album that just flies at a rate of 150 RPM.
10. The song "La La Love You" is a kind of love song. Why "kind of"? Because the words "first base, second base, third base, home run" speak of ... "Happy Ending". Whoever sings the song is drummer David Lovering, Francis insisted on letting him sing one song from the album similar to the Beatles tradition with Ringo Starr.
11. It is indeed the 11th song on the album but it is called "No. 13 Baby". As it is well known, thirteen is not a good fortune in Christianity but very good luck for stoners. "M" is the 13th letter in English and 13 was the code name for marijuana.
12. The song "There Goes My Gun" was intended by Francis to be much faster, something in the style of "Hüsker Dü". But on the advice of producer Gil Norton, Francis agreed to slow it down. It was an exceptional case since most of Norton's advice to Francis was not accepted. For example, Norton offered Francis to lengthen some of the songs that stood in the 2-minute zone. In response, Francis took Norton to a record store and presented him with Buddy Holly's hit album in which most of the songs did not cross the 2-minute barrier.
13. The song "Hey" is a seduction song with an obsession with "prostitution". According to Francis was influenced by stories he heard from his parents about the time when they were young and daring. A live version of the song was released even before the album in 1988 as a gift to Sounds magazine readers.
14. The song "Silver" is the only one on the album co-written by bassist Kim Deal. The one who plays bass on the song is drummer David Lavring, with Kim playing slide guitar. This is the only case in the history of the "Pixies" with this lineup.
15. The song that seals the album "Gouge Away" is influenced by the story of Samson and Delilah. The word Gouged refers to Samson's eyes that were uprooted.
Similar to the previous album "Surfer Rosa", this album is without a doubt one of the most influential albums on alternative music during the nineties. The album is of course also on the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine. The band replaces producer Steve Albini with producer Gil Norton, who helps them achieve a less raw and rough sound, in an attempt to expose the band to a wider audience.
It is sublime to understand how such an influential album sold only 100,000 copies in the first half since its release, and how by 2015 it had sold only 800,000 copies in the US.
So that you do not end up with bad taste, we will end with two quotes that may explain to you how big this band is and how much influence it had on other artists:
Let's Start with David Bowie:
“I never could get over the fact that The Pixies formed, worked, and separated without America taking them to its heart or even recognizing their existence for the most part”
And here's what Kurt Cobain had to say:
“When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band – or at least in a Pixies cover band”
For Listening: Spotify.