Pixies is an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massach… Read Full Bio ↴Pixies is an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1986. The band consists of Charles (Black Francis) Thompson IV (vocals, guitar; also known as ''Frank Black''), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (bass, vocals). Until 2013, the band also featured Kim Deal on bass and vocals. The band officially split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They went on hiatus in 2007, with each band member pursuing projects of their own, only to reunite in 2009, with the announcement of a new tour commencing in Europe that summer.

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.

Wave of Mutilation
Pixies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cease to resist, giving my goodbye
Drive my car into the ocean
You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away
On a wave of mutilation
A wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation
Wave
Wave

I've kissed mermaids, rode the El Nino
Walked the sand with the crustaceans
Could find my way to Mariana
On a wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation
Wave
Wave

Wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation
Wave of mutilation

Wave
Wave

Overall Meaning

In the opening lines of "Wave of Mutilation," lead singer Black Francis presents an image of someone who has given up completely, driving their car into the ocean as a form of suicide. But there's a twist--the singer is not really dead, but has instead found a way to sail away on a "wave of mutilation." Throughout the song, he repeats this phrase as if in a trance, his voice almost hypnotic as he describes the things he has seen and done while riding the waves: he's kissed mermaids, walked with crustaceans, and could even navigate his way to Mariana on this terrifying and beautiful force.

What is the "wave of mutilation?" The true meaning of the song is up for interpretation, but most fans agree that it describes the disorienting, dark power of the ocean. Like a wave that crashes and destroys everything in its path, this force can be beautiful and deadly at the same time. To ride it is to take a risk--but for the singer of the song, it seems worth it.

Line by Line Meaning

Cease to resist, giving my goodbye
I am accepting my fate and saying farewell

Drive my car into the ocean
I am committing suicide by driving my car into the sea

You'll think I'm dead, but I sail away
While it may appear that I am dead, I actually embark on a new journey

On a wave of mutilation
My new journey is a tumultuous and destructive one

A wave of mutilation
I am overwhelmed by the destructive forces of life and nature

Wave of mutilation
I am consumed by the chaos of existence

Wave
I am constantly caught up in the ebb and flow of life

I've kissed mermaids, rode the El Nino
I've experienced the magic and power of the natural world

Walked the sand with the crustaceans
I've been humbled by the smallness of my existence in the grand scheme of things

Could find my way to Mariana
I am capable of reaching the most remote and dangerous places on earth

Wave of mutilation
No matter where I go or what I do, the destructive forces of life will always be present