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.
Make Believe
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The piano, she's really on
I don't want you to marry me
Make believe, you're Debbie G
Come look down on, who you are
She is love with a voice and a shape that's my guitar
I don't want you, you want me
Make believe, you're Debbie G
Make believe, you're Debbie G
The Pixies' song "Make Believe" is widely interpreted as being about a man who is struggling to move on from a past relationship with a woman named Debbie G. The first verse suggests that he is lost and struggling since Debbie G is gone, while the second verse describes her as "love with a voice and a shape that's my guitar." This comparison could perhaps suggest that the man feels a deep emotional connection to his music as well as to Debbie G. He then goes on to request that the woman he is with "make believe" that she is Debbie G - perhaps indicating that he is not really over her and that he is unable to move on with his life.
The use of the phrase "make believe" throughout the song could also suggest that the singer may be in denial about the end of his relationship with Debbie G or that he is seeking to escape from reality by imagining that someone else could replace her. The song leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but the main theme seems to be that of trying to deal with a broken heart and trying to move on in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been lost since she's gone
Without her, I feel hopeless and without direction.
The piano, she's really on
She excels at playing piano, it's her specialty.
I don't want you to marry me
I don't want commitment or a long term relationship.
Make believe, you're Debbie G
Pretend you are her so I can feel happy and whole again.
Come look down on, who you are
Reflect honestly on your true self and identity.
She is love with a voice and a shape that's my guitar
She embodies love and has a voice and physical form that resonates with me deeply, like my guitar.
I don't want you, you want me
I am not interested in a relationship with you, you desire me more than I desire you.
Make believe, you're Debbie G
Once again, please act like her so I can experience happiness and satisfaction.
Make believe, you're Debbie G
Reiterating the desire to pretend that you are her for emotional fulfillment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike D
on Nimrod's Son
It’s “shock the people” not chocolate people