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.
Subbacultcha
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is something about this song
We did the clubs what ass
I was hoping to have her in the sack
I was looking handsome
She was looking like an erotic vulture
Every thing was fine down here
What you call it here, call it what you will here
Way down down down in this subbacultcha
Her warm white belly in the life I'd lived had seen nothing
Finer she shakes and she moves me or something
She's like jellyroll like sculpture
I was wearing eyeliner she was wearing eyeliner
It was so good down here saving for my scrapbook here
Way down down down in this subbacultcha
We haven't been found
We haven't been found
We haven't been found
We haven't been found
Now we live on the sea and relax and ride the tack
Drug running on this panamanian schooner
She walks the deck in a black dress
And me I dress up in black and we listen to the sea
And look at the sky in a poetic kind of way, what you call it
When you look at the sky in a poetic kind of way
You know when you grope for luna
We haven't been found
We haven't been found
We haven't been found
...
The song "Subbacultcha" by Pixies depicts a story of two individuals who had a memorable time together in a subculture scene. The song begins with the singer describing the indescribable by stating that the song is about something there, and something about this song. The next few lines talk about the duo going to clubs, where the singer was hoping to sleep with his companion while dressed sharply. The woman was dressed in black and looked like an erotic vulture. The lines suggest the animalistic and raw nature of their passion.
The song then shifts to a nostalgic mood where the singer reminisces about the past when he used to be with the woman. He describes her physical appearance, calling her warm white belly the finest thing he had ever seen. She moved him like a jelly roll or a sculpture. Then the duo decided to live by the sea where they indulged in drug running. The song ends with the duo enjoying their lives together by walking on the deck and looking at the poetic sky.
Overall, the song "Subbacultcha" is a representation of the underground and subculture scene. The lyrics talk about living life outside of the norm, exploring the taboo, and creating a newfound way of expression. The raw depiction of the story makes it an interesting song to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
This is a song about something there
The song is about a subject that has some significance
There is something about this song
This song has a unique and interesting quality
We did the clubs what ass
We went to nightclubs hoping to meet someone to hook up with
I was hoping to have her in the sack
I was hoping to have sex with her
I was looking handsome
I was dressed up nicely and felt attractive
She was looking like an erotic vulture
She was dressed provocatively and looked like a predator
I was all dressed in black she was all dressed up in black
We were both wearing black clothing
Every thing was fine down here
The situation was good
What you call it here, call it what you will here
It doesn't matter what this place is called
Way down down down in this subbacultcha
We are deep within an underground culture
Her warm white belly in the life I'd lived had seen nothing Finer she shakes and she moves me or something She's like jellyroll like sculpture
I had never seen anything more beautiful than her stomach. When she dances, it's mesmerizing like a work of art
I was wearing eyeliner she was wearing eyeliner
We both had applied eyeliner to our eyes
It was so good down here saving for my scrapbook here
This experience was so memorable that I wanted to preserve it in my scrapbook
We haven't been found
We have managed to stay hidden or unnoticed
Now we live on the sea and relax and ride the tack Drug running on this panamanian schooner
We now live on a boat and spend our time sailing and transporting drugs
She walks the deck in a black dress And me I dress up in black and we listen to the sea
We spend our time on the boat together, both dressed in black, enjoying the sounds of the sea
And look at the sky in a poetic kind of way, what you call it When you look at the sky in a poetic kind of way You know when you grope for luna
We admire the sky in a poetic way, referring to the moon as 'luna'
We haven't been found
We have managed to stay hidden or unnoticed
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