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).
Whatever Happened to Pong?
Frank Black Lyrics
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Down at the bar
Taking money from guys
More used to the playing of cards
Paddle the paddle to the side to the side
To the side to the side to the paddle the paddle
Paddle the paddle the side to the side
Ball in the machine
Now virtually everyone's singing
A popular song
But I still believe in
In the excellent joy of the Pong
To the side to the side to the paddle the paddle
To the paddle the paddle the side to the side
To the side to the side to the paddle the paddle
Pong
Ball in the machine
Now if they take it HG Wells
Well, I'll be on the first flight
To a time before the Kong
Whatever happened to Pong?
Paddle the paddle to the side to the side
To the side to the side to the paddle the paddle
Paddle the paddle the side to the side
Pong
Ball in the machine
The lyrics of Frank Black's song "Whatever Happened to Pong?" are a nostalgic take on the eponymous electronic game of Pong. The song starts off with Black reminiscing about his younger days when he and his brother used to play the game at the bar and take money from guys who were more accustomed to playing cards. The rest of the song is a refrain that comprises only of variations on: "Paddle the paddle to the side to the side, to the side to the side to the paddle the paddle. Paddle the paddle the side to the side, Pong, ball in the machine," which is an ode to the simple yet addictive gameplay of Pong.
Black seems to draw a sharp contrast between the simple pleasure of Pong and the more complicated and less satisfying aspects of modern entertainment. He acknowledges that virtually everyone is singing along to a popular song, which can be seen as a reference to the often shallow and repetitive nature of contemporary music. Yet, despite this, Black still believes in the "excellent joy" of Pong, even going as far as saying that he would travel back in time to play Pong rather than any other game. The song ends on a questioning note: "Whatever happened to Pong?", perhaps suggesting that the passing of simple pleasures like Pong is indicative of the rapid pace of cultural change and technological advancement.
Line by Line Meaning
My brother and me used to play it
The singer and their brother used to play Pong together
Down at the bar
They used to play Pong at a bar
Taking money from guys
They would win money from people who were more accustomed to playing card games
More used to the playing of cards
The people they took money from were more experienced in playing card games than Pong
Paddle the paddle to the side to the side
Describes the physical motion of playing Pong
To the side to the side to the paddle the paddle
Continues to describe the motion of playing Pong
Paddle the paddle the side to the side
Continues to describe the motion of playing Pong
Pong
Refers to the game of Pong
Ball in the machine
Describes the gameplay of Pong involving a ball within a machine
Now virtually everyone's singing
Refers to the popularity of a current song
A popular song
Continues to refer to the popularity of the current song
But I still believe in
The artist still strongly values
In the excellent joy of the Pong
The singer still finds great enjoyment in playing Pong
Now if they take it HG Wells
If they invent time travel
Well, I'll be on the first flight
The singer would be the first to go back in time
To a time before the Kong
To a time before the creation of video game consoles, such as the Atari 2600
Whatever happened to Pong?
The artist laments the decline in popularity of Pong and wonders what caused it to lose favor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles F Jurgus
on Repo Man
This is actually a cover of an Iggy Pop song.