Frank Black is American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Charles Michael K… Read Full Bio ↴Frank Black is American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965). After releasing three albums with this name, he formed the band Frank Black and the Catholics. He returned to using the name Black Francis, the name he uses as vocalist of the Pixies, in 2007.

Lead songwriter and vocalist of the now reunited Pixies, Frank Black adopted a reversal of his former alias, Black Francis, and embarked on his solo career after the 1992 breakup of Pixies. He released his debut self-titled album, Frank Black in 1993. It contains his biggest rock radio hit, Los Angeles (#4 US Modern Rock). A year later came the critically acclaimed Teenager of the Year.

Frank Black's solo career covers a much more diverse range of styles and genres compared to his time with The Pixies. His works have feature a much more melodic touch, yet his lyrics are still often spiced with his quirky and inventive touch.

Frank Black regularly posts and responds to questions on the forums of his official fan site, frankblack.net, under the alias "frnck blck".

He began recording and touring as Black Francis in 2007, with the album Bluefinger, an album about the late Dutch musician and painter Herman Brood, and the mini album Svn Fngrs in 2008. On this tour he abandoned encores in favour of precores; a free mini gig at a public location earlier in the day. The gigs proper featured only current songs, the precores being more flexible.

Black Francis released NonStopErotik in March 2010.

The Pixies, minus original bassist Kim Deal, reunited for a United States and world tour in 2014 and have subsequently released three additional studio albums: Indie Cindy (2014), Head Carrier (2016) and Beneath the Eyrie (2019).

Speedy Marie
Frank Black Lyrics

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Had a bit part
An endless reel
It always played in slo-mo
But now it's fast
A spinning wheel
I know the dynamo
My heart is cast

Speedy Marie
Ahead of the now
She's better built that's how
She's built for speed
Speedy Marie
Speedy Marie

Oh, yes indeed
I said to me
And so I sing this romaunt
It's not enough
My liberty
There is a thing I want
I need
I love

Speedy Marie
Ahead of the now
She's better built that's how
She's built for speed
Speedy Marie
Speedy Marie

Juxtaposed in each moment's sight
Everything that I ever saw
And my one delight
Nothing can strike me in such awe
Mouth intricate shapes the voice that speaks
Always it will soothe
Rarer none are the precious cheeks
Is the size of each sculpted tooth
Each lip and each eye

Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought
And softest neck where always do I
Lay my clumsy thoughts

She is that most lovely art
Happy are my mind, and my soul, and my heart.

Overall Meaning

In "Speedy Marie" by Frank Black, he sings about a woman named Speedy Marie who has, in his eyes, outgrown her previous role in life and is now moving too fast for his perception. The song is a tribute to the woman's strength and character as Black sings, "She's better built that's how, she's built for speed." Black acknowledges that he wants something more than his current freedom and longs for the love of Speedy Marie. He sings, "There is a thing I want, I need, I love."

Black's words paint a vivid picture of Speedy Marie's beauty, using intricate descriptions such as "Rarer none are the precious cheeks, Is the size of each sculpted tooth" and "Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought and softest neck where always do I lay my clumsy thoughts." He closes the song by saying how happy he is in his mind, soul, and heart because of Speedy Marie's beauty and spirit.

Line by Line Meaning

Had a bit part
I used to be a minor character

An endless reel
My life felt like an unchanging movie

It always played in slo-mo
Nothing exciting ever happened

But now it's fast
But things have changed for the better

A spinning wheel
My life is in constant motion

I know the dynamo
I have the energy to keep it going

My heart is cast
I am committed to this new way of life

Speedy Marie
The person I am in love with

Ahead of the now
She is always ahead of the game

She's better built that's how
She is stronger and more capable

She's built for speed
She is quick and efficient