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Debaser

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For another use, see Debaser (rap group).

"Debaser"
Cover of the Debaser: Studio single.
Single by Pixies
from the album Doolittle
A-side"Debaser"
B-side"Bone Machine", "Gigantic", "Isla de Encanta"
ReleasedJuly 21, 1997 (1997-07-21)
StudioDowntown Recorders (Boston, Massachusetts)
GenreAlternative rock
Length2:52
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Black Francis
Producer(s)Gil Norton
Pixies singles chronology
"Head On"
(1991) 		"Debaser"
(1997) 		"Bam Thwok"
(2004)
Audio sample
Music video
"Debaser" on YouTube

"Debaser" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 as the opening track on their album Doolittle and later as a promotional single following the dissolution of the band.[1]

Releases

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The band's 1991 "Head On" single includes a live version of "Debaser" recorded in Chicago on August 9, 1989. The album version of the song was later released as a single in 1997 to promote the Death to the Pixies compilation.[1] A live recording from December 16, 2004, in New York City appears on "Hey" – Live Pixies 2004–2005.

A version of this song was also used in the game DJ Hero 2, remixed with The Prodigy's song "Invaders Must Die"; this mix is available as downloadable content for the game.

Lyrics and meaning

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The lyrics of "Debaser" are based on Un Chien Andalou, a 1929 short film by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. The film includes a scene in which a woman's eye is apparently cut open by a razor, which is referenced in the lyric "slicin' up eyeballs." According to frontman and songwriter Black Francis:

I wish Buñuel were 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?[2]

The title "Debaser" references the fact that Un Chien Andalou "debases" contemporary morality and standards of art: "I guess it means: one who debases. A debaser. It was an attempt to introduce a new word into the lexicon, but I don’t think it’s been successful, else I would have heard about it."[3]

In the earliest version of the song, the line "un chien andalusia" was originally "Shed, Apollonia!", a reference to a scene from Purple Rain.[4]

Track listing

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Debaser – Demo

  1. "Debaser" (Demo) – 2:59
  2. "No. 13 Baby" (Demo) – 3:10

Debaser – Live

  1. "Debaser" (Live in Chicago, August 10, 1989) – 2:44
  2. "Holiday Song" (Live in Chicago, August 10, 1989) – 2:10
  3. "Cactus" (Live in Chicago, August 10, 1989) – 2:27
  4. "Nimrod's Son" (Live in Chicago, August 10, 1989) – 3:08

Debaser – Studio

  1. "Debaser" – 2:52
  2. "Bone Machine" (Live in Netherlands, 1990) – 3:03
  3. "Gigantic" (Live in Netherlands, 1990) – 3:24
  4. "Isla de Encanta" (Live in Netherlands, 1990) – 1:44

Charts

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Chart (1997) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 23

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Franks, Alison (January 30, 2010). "Dusting 'Em Off: Pixies – Doolittle". Consequence. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "About Debaser". Retrieved December 13, 2014. – Black Francis, translated from a Spanish interview
  3. ^ Pelley, Rich (February 3, 2022). "Pixies frontman Black Francis: 'Kim Deal? We're always friends – but nothing is for ever'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Sisario, Ben (2006). Doolittle. 33⅓. New York: Continuum. p. 80. ISBN 0-8264-1774-4.
  5. ^ "Pixies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "British single certifications – Pixies – Debaser". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
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