"Debaser" was later released as a single in 1997 to promote the "Death to the Pixies" compilation. The single appeared in three forms: live, studio and demo.
The lyrics are based on a French surrealist film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí called Un chien andalou. The film notoriously opens with a scene in which a woman's eye is slit by a razor, which is referenced in the song lyric "Slicin' up eyeballs/I want you to know." According to Black Francis:
I wish Buñuel was still alive. He made this film about nothing in particular. The title itself is a nonsense. With my stupid, pseudo-scholar, naive, enthusiast, avant-garde-ish, amateurish way to watch Un chien andalou (twice), I thought: 'Yeah, I will make a song about it.' [He sings:] "Un chien andalou".... It sounds too French, so I will sing "un chien andalusia", it sounds good, no?'
The title "Debaser" references the fact that Un chien andalou debases morality and standards of art, according to Black Francis. In the earliest version of the song, the line "un chien andalusia" was originally "Shed, Appolonia!"--a reference to the co-star in the Prince film Purple Rain.
Rogue Wave recorded a cover of "Debaser" in 2007 for soundtrack of the TV show The OC; it appears on the compilation The OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks. A slower, piano-based, live acoustic version (which Zach Rogue prefers to the released version) can also be heard for free at the band's website.
Debaser is featured in the EA video game Skate 3.
Debaser
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slicin' up eyeballs, I want you to know
Girlie so groovy, I want you to know
Don't know about you
But I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
Wanna grow up to be
Be a debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Got me a movie, ha-ha-ha-ho
Slicin' up eyeballs, ha-ha-ha-ho
Girlie so groovy, ha-ha-ha-ho
Don't know about you
But I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
I am un chien andalusia
(Debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser (debaser)
Debaser
The Pixies' song "Debaser" contains lyrics that are surreal and playful, but with an edge of violence and danger. The opening lines "Got me a movie, I want you to know / Slicing up eyeballs, I want you to know" immediately grab the listener's attention with their shocking imagery. The lyrics continue with references to the surrealist film "Un Chien Andalou," with the repeated refrain "But I am un chien andalusia" and the declaration that the singer wants to "grow up to be a debaser."
The song seems to be about the power of art to shock and provoke, as well as the appeal of violence and transgression. The repeated use of the word "debaser" suggests a fascination with the destruction of norms and boundaries. The surreal imagery and playful tone of the lyrics also suggest a desire to subvert expectations and break free from tradition. However, there is also a sense of danger and aggression in the lyrics, with the slicing of eyeballs and the repeated refrain "Debaser" suggesting a willingness to take things too far and push buttons.
Overall, "Debaser" is a wild and provocative song that captures the Pixies' unique blend of punk, pop, and surrealist artistry.
Line by Line Meaning
Got me a movie
I have a story to tell
I want you to know
I want to share this story with you
Slicing up eyeballs
Showing the harsh reality of the world
Girlie so groovy
A woman who embodies the spirit of the times
Don't know about you
I'm not sure who you are or what you think
But I am un chien andalusia
But I am a surrealist artist like those of the 1920s movement in Spain
Wanna grow up to be
My aspiration is to become
Debaser
Someone who rebels against conventional norms
Ha ha ha ho
Expressing the absurdity and humor of this desire
Debaser
A repeated reminder of the goal
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Charles Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hikikomori_eu
My dissection & analysis of Surrealism, including Un Chien Andalou, rewarded me with an A grade in History of Art, which preceded the release of The Pixies Debaser by approximately 2 years.
So when Doolittle’s Debaser hit the airwaves in ‘89 it made perfect sense to me.
A Dali aficionado from the age of 15, I’d studied his art & read all of Dali’s written works by the age of 16 & saved up to buy my first Dali lithograph series, Saint George & His Dragon, which I bought when I was 18.
I pursued surrealism with vigour experimenting extensively with LSD during the so-called British Second Summer of Love, days & nights melding into One.
Unshackled from The Great Cosmic Looking Glass of The Internet we were as free as the Romantic poets & writers, to live every minute of our lives like it was our last, without the compulsion to impress or influence anyone.
Good times.
@search895
Pixies is one of those bands you don't get tired of
@griffon8901
Maybe the only one, after all...
@quar_0
@Hunter Vonnegut it isn't
@valeriepascal7656
So true ! Never...
@zackzallie8735
Monkey gone to heaven
@andrewmllns
I had Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle all on vinyl.
I threw them all away.
Yes you can get tired of The Pixies.
@gaulicwarlord
The ending portion with Kim Deal’s voice over that guitar riff is one of the most heavenly pieces of music I have ever heard.
@deansacca781
Me too. I have a crush on her. Like probably a bunch o' dudes...and chicks....do :)
@3DGE.R4DiO
@@deansacca781 don't
@Globe14
For me, it is when the drums stop in the middle and we hear the crushing gravely tone of 'ahh ho ho ho'. That is something else
Not sure where it comes from but i love where it sends me