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.
The Holiday Song
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And let me tell you a story
About the boy who fell from glory
And how he was a wicked son
This ain't no holiday
But it always turn out this way
Here I am, with my hand
He took his sister from his head
And then painted her on the sheets
And then rolled her up in grass and trees
And they kissed 'til they were dead
This ain't no holiday
But it always turns out this way
Here I am, with my hand
Well, sit right down my evil son
And let me tell you a story
About the boy who fell from glory
And how he was a wicked son
This ain't no holiday, oh no
But it always turns out this way
Here I am, with my hand
This ain't no holiday
But it always turns out this way
Here I am, with my hand
"The Holiday Song" by Pixies is a dark and twisted tale of a boy who fell from grace. The song starts with the singer addressing his son, telling him a story about the fall of the boy. The use of the word 'wicked' adds a sense of evil and immorality to the story. The boy's descent is not only symbolized by his moral decline but also by his sister's sexual impregnation. The lyrics become grotesque as they describe their intimacy on grass and trees, and their kiss leading to their death.
The tone of the song is melancholic, and the singer seems to be grieving the loss of the boy in question. The lyrics indicate a sense of helplessness and acceptance of how things always turn out this way. As the song progresses, the singer addresses his son again and tells him the same story, but this time he uses the word 'evil' to describe him. The use of this word adds a layer of guilt and likely suggests that the singer feels responsible for his son's actions, and it is the same pattern repeating itself. Overall, "The Holiday Song" is an allegorical depiction of the cyclical nature of sin and how it can destroy families.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, sit right down my wicked son
The singer is addressing someone as a 'wicked son' and inviting them to listen to a story.
And let me tell you a story
The singer is about to share a story with the listener that has some important meaning.
About the boy who fell from glory
The story is about a boy who was once in a position of honor but lost it.
And how he was a wicked son
The singer will explain how this boy became wicked and lost his former glory.
This ain't no holiday
The situation being described is not a joyful holiday but something else.
But it always turns out this way
Despite not being a holiday, the situation always ends up being unpleasant.
Here I am with my hand
The singer is present in the situation, possibly indicating that they are a participant or witness.
He took his sister from his head
The boy in the story had an incestuous relationship with his sister, perhaps only in his imagination.
And impregnated her on the sheets
The boy might have had sexual fantasies about his sister and acted on them in his mind or in reality.
And they rolled her up in grass and trees
After the incestuous act, they might have hidden the evidence or buried their shame.
And they kissed until they were dead
The relationship between the siblings might have been passionate and destructive, like a fatal addiction.
This ain't no holiday right now
The singer emphasizes that the situation is not a holiday, reinforcing the dark and disturbing nature of the story.
But it always turns out this way
Once again, the singer suggests that similar situations invariably lead to bad outcomes.
Here I am with my hand
The singer is intimately involved in the situation, either as a participant or as an observer.
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