Slanted and Enchanted was distributed to critics as early as 1991, months before its official release; the original distribution did not feature the entire band, as several members joined during its production. The recording sessions were split between South Makepeace Studios in Brooklyn, New York (recorded December 24, 1990) and Louder Than You Think Studios in Stockton, California (recorded January 13–20, 1991).
The first single (EP), "Summer Babe" appeared in August 1991. It was the last release on Chicago's Drag City label before the band moved to Matador. It contained the B-sides "Mercy Snack (The Laundromat)" and "Baptist Blacktick" that were later included on the deluxe version of the album. A different mix of "Summer Babe," entitled "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," became the first track on the band's debut album. The song was also ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as number 286 in its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and as number 292 in the 2011 update of the list. "Trigger Cut" was first released in the UK by Big Cat Records on July 13, 1992, later released in the US by Matador the following month.
The title Slanted and Enchanted is taken from the title of a cartoon made by the late Silver Jews frontman David Berman. Its cover art was created by appropriating that of an existing album, Ferrante & Teicher's Keyboard Kapers. Slanted and Enchanted was officially released on 20 April 1992 to critical acclaim, originally reaching a peak of number 72 on the UK Albums Chart. As of 2007, the album had sold 150,000 copies.
In 2002, Matador released Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe, a compilation containing Slanted and Enchanted in its entirety, as well outtakes and other rarities from the same era.
Slanted and Enchanted received critical acclaim. In a contemporary review of the album, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was highly positive, writing that Pavement are "always good at both tune and noise" and that the music on Slanted and Enchanted yields "a message complex enough to offer hope ... that the lyrics will catch up". Erik Davis of Spin designated Slanted and Enchanted as the magazine's "Platter du Jour" for March 1992, describing the album as "so fine it occasionally seems too perfect."
Since its release Slanted and Enchanted has appeared on many critics' best-of lists and is frequently cited as being among the most influential indie rock albums of the 1990s. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited the album as "a left-field classic" and "one of the most influential records of the '90s". In 2002, Pitchfork awarded the album their maximum grade of 10.0/10.0 in a review of the album's reissue and ranked it as the fifth greatest album of the 1990s in 2003. Rolling Stone called Slanted and Enchanted "the quintessential indie rock album" and placed it on the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2017, Billboard called it a "slacker masterpiece" and "the definitive indie rock album".
Summer Babe
Pavement Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw your girlfriend and she was
Eating her fingers like they're just another meal
But she waits there in the levee washes
Mixin' cocktails with a plastic-tipped cigar
My eyes stick to all the shiny robes
She wear on the protein delta strip
In an abandoned house, but I will wait there
I'll be waitin' forever
I'm waitin', waitin', waitin', waitin'
Waitin', waitin', waitin', waitin', go
Minerals, ice deposit daily
Drop off the first shiny robe
I've got a lotta things I want to sell, but
Not here, babe
You took 'em all
Every time I sit around, I find I'm shot
Every time I sit around, I find I'm shot
Every time I turn around, my friend
Every time I sit around, my friend
Every time, every time, every time, every time
Every time, every time, every time
You're my
Summer babe
Summer babe
Summer babe
Summer babe
The lyrics to "Summer Babe" by Pavement are open to interpretation, but one common interpretation is that the singer is observing his girlfriend's friend who is visibly nervous or anxious (eating her fingers) and mixing cocktails with a plastic-tipped cigar. The singer describes the elegant outfits this person wears, but notes that they are in an abandoned house. Despite this, the singer will wait there forever for this person. The following lines reference ice deposits and mineral daily drops, suggesting that the person he is waiting for is worth the wait.
The repetition of the phrase "every time" at the end of the song seems to suggest that the singer is constantly dealing with feelings of being "shot" or hopeless, but his "summer babe" brings some light and joy into his life. The song overall has a vague and dreamy quality that leaves its interpretation up to the listener's imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
Ice baby
I see you, and I am frozen with awe
I saw your girlfriend and she was
Eating her fingers, like they're just another meal
But she waits there, in the levee wash
Mixin' cocktails with a plastic tipped cigar
Your girlfriend seems unphased by the world's harshness and seems to enjoy her own company regardless of location or attire
My eyes stick, to all the shiny robes
She wear on the protein delta strip
In abandoned house but I will wait there
I'll be waitin' forever
I cannot help but stare at the flashy clothing she wears while she goes on with a lifestyle I cannot understand, but I will never give up hope that we can be together someday
I'm waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin'
Waitin', go
I am waiting with eager anticipation for our love to finally be realized in this world, and I am ready to pursue it now
Minerals, ice deposits daily, drop off
The first shiny robe
I've got a lot of things I want sell, but
Not here, babe
Took 'em
I have accumulated many resources, but I am not interested in selling them here. Instead, I will take what I need and leave behind my possessions
Every time, I sit around, I find I'm shot
Every time, I sit around, I find I'm shot
Every time, I turn around, I find
Every time, I sit around, I find
Every time I become too comfortable with the life I have, I find myself feeling empty and unfulfilled, leading me to search for something more
Every time
Every time
Time
Every time
Every time
Every time
You're my
Every moment of my life, I am consumed by thoughts of you and how much I desire to be with you in this world
Summer babe
Summer babe
Summer babe
Summer babe
In my heart, you are the embodiment of summertime and all the beauty and joy it brings
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Scott Kannberg, Stephen Joseph Malkmus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind