Although quite popular on alternative rock radio in the United States due to heavy airplay of the singles "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man", they were never widely popular there, but found success in Europe, especially in the UK (where they managed three top 40 singles "Velouria", "Planet of Sound" and a re-release of "Debaser") and Belgium and the Netherlands, where they were heavily broadcasted by alternative public radio.
The band's style of alternative rock music is heavily influenced by punk and surf rock, and while highly melodic, is capable of being tremendously abrasive at the same time. Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer and has a distinctly desperate, yowling delivery. He has typically written cryptic songs about offbeat subjects, such as UFOs and surrealism. References to mental instability, violent Biblical imagery, and physical injury feature in many of the band's songs.
The group is frequently posited as the immediate forebear of the alternative rock boom of the 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them. Avowed fan Kurt Cobain's acknowledgement of the debt Nirvana owed to the Pixies, along with similar tributes by other alternative bands, ensured that the Pixies' legacy and influence grew substantially in the years following their demise.
In 1993, during an interview with BBC Radio 5, Black Francis announced that the band had split - something he had not told his bandmates. After the interview, he called Santiago, who in turn faxed Deal and Lovering the news the next morning. After the split, Black Francis inverted his stage name to Frank Black and embarked on a successful solo career, while Deal resumed her role in The Breeders with her identical twin sister Kelley. In 2004, the band reunited for a tour - documented in the film loudQUIETloud - and released a new single, "Bam Thwok" that summer. In 2007, Black Francis (now going by that name again) stated in an interview that the reunion was "done" even though the members remain in good terms with each other. In later interviews however, he began to mention that he might be willing to record another Pixies album. Nonetheless, Francis has returned to his solo career and Deal to the Breeders, both of which released albums and toured in 2008. Lovering and Santiago, meanwhile, set up their own project, a band called Everybody.
In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Doolittle, Pixies launched a tour in October 2009, on which they perform all the album's songs and B-sides. In the autumn of 2011 the "Lost Cities" tour continued the "Doolittle Tour" as they played many venues for the first time.
Break My Body
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll find me crashing through my mother's door
I am the ugly lover
You'll find us rolling on the dirty floor
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
I'm a belly dancer
I'll shake forever and I'll never care
I'm a building jumper
Roof to roof you'll see me flying in the air
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones, bones
Somebody got hurt
Somebody get hurt
Somebody got her
The Pixies’ “Break My Body” is a frenetic and chaotic song that captures a sense of rebelliousness, uncertainty and even a little bit of nihilism. The lead singer, Black Francis, paints the picture of a hard loser who crashes through his mother’s door and an ugly lover who can be found rolling on the dirty floor. The imagery is visceral, depicting a character with a disregard for societal norms and a willingness to embrace physical damage. The character claims to be a belly dancer, shaking forever and never caring, and a building jumper, flying through the air from rooftop to rooftop.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of a person who is seeking to break free from the constraints of everyday life, living in the moment and not worrying about the consequences. The repetition of “break my body, hold my bones” throughout the song accentuates this sense of urgency, capturing the idea that the character is willing to break their body to achieve a sense of freedom.
In a larger sense, the lyrics to “Break My Body” can be seen as a metaphor for the punk rock movement itself. Punk rock has often been understood as a movement that sought to break down the traditional notions of society, rejecting mainstream culture and embracing a sense of chaos and rebellion. The repeated phrase “somebody got hurt, somebody get hurt, somebody got her” at the end of the song further emphasizes this sense of destruction and rebellion.
Overall, “Break My Body” is a powerful and evocative song that captures a sense of youthful exuberance and a rebellion against the status quo. It is a fitting example of the raw energy and intensity of the early punk rock movement.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the hard looser
I am incapable of winning, constantly on the losing end.
You'll find me crashing through my mother's door
To cope with my problems, I resort to violent outbursts by entering my parent's home without permission.
I am the ugly lover
I am someone who is unattractive, yet desperately seeks love and affection.
You'll find us rolling on the dirty floor
In spite of our undesirable appearances, my lover and I engage in intimate physical activity regardless of the unclean surface we lie on.
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
I am asking someone to physically break my body and hold my bones.
I'm a belly dancer
I am capable of performing sensual dance movements with my abdominal muscles.
I'll shake forever and I'll never care
Even if it causes harm to myself, I will continue to perform my belly dancing out of pure enjoyment and disregard for the toll on my body.
I'm a building jumper
I possess the skill to jump from rooftop to rooftop of buildings.
Roof to roof you'll see me flying in the air
I am capable of impressively leaping through the sky from one building rooftop to another.
Somebody got hurt
Someone has experienced physical or emotional pain.
Somebody get hurt
I want someone to feel pain and I am willing to be the one to cause it.
Somebody got her
Someone has been captured or taken by force.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@antoniolanza1669
I'm the horny loser
You'll find me crashing through my mother's door
I am the ugly lover
You'll find us rolling on the dirty floor
chorus
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
verse
I'm a belly dancer
I'll shake forever and I'd never care
I'm a building jumper
Roof to roof, you see me flying in the air
chorus
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones, bones
outro
Somebody got hurt
Somebody get hurt
Somebody got hurt
Writer(s): Charles Thompson
@michaelhannon2877
This is the first Pixies song I ever heard. Circa 1998. I was hooked immediately.
@andrewcounts7136
You Picked A Banger!!!….👌
@federicovillalva6048
La banda de mi juventud Amo esta musica
@bluegregory6239
This record made the Pixies my favorite band then and forever, and I've listened to a helluva lot of music back to the late '50s. Not in person, of course.
@chestermarcol3831
My friend played this album for me (I was living in Germany at the time) circa 1988, and I honestly had never had such a visceral reaction to hearing a new band as I did then (and never have again)
They wormed into my brain that day, and have been there ever since. The closest thing (for me) I can think of, was when the Dead Kennedy's hit.
@chr_084__8
one of the best in my opinion
@5burowz
This song is immensely great.
@antoniolanza1669
I'm the horny loser
You'll find me crashing through my mother's door
I am the ugly lover
You'll find us rolling on the dirty floor
chorus
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
verse
I'm a belly dancer
I'll shake forever and I'd never care
I'm a building jumper
Roof to roof, you see me flying in the air
chorus
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones
Break my body, hold my bones, hold my bones, bones
outro
Somebody got hurt
Somebody get hurt
Somebody got hurt
Writer(s): Charles Thompson
@albanmahoudeau1779
WOLVERINE
@inthekingdom1996
I dont think Frank likes his bandmates to shine. Joey is ripping here