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Wave of Mutilation

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"Wave of Mutilation"
Song by Pixies
from the album Doolittle
ReleasedApril 17, 1989
RecordedOctober 31–November 23, 1988 at Downtown Recorders in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genre
Length2:04
Label4AD (UK)
Elektra Records (US)
Songwriter(s)Black Francis
Producer(s)Gil Norton

"Wave of Mutilation" is an alternative rock song by the American band Pixies, and is the third track on their 1989 album Doolittle. Written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis, the song was inspired by articles about Japanese businessmen committing murder-suicides by driving into the ocean. The song also references a lyric from the Charles Manson-penned "Cease to Exist," released by the Beach Boys as "Never Learn Not to Love."

In addition to appearing on Doolittle, an alternate version of the song featuring a different arrangement, known as the "UK Surf" version, was released as a B-side to "Here Comes Your Man." The song has since seen critical acclaim and is well regarded by fans. Both the original and "UK Surf" arrangements have appeared in the band's live setlist.

Background and lyrics

Written by Pixies frontman Black Francis, "Wave of Mutilation" was inspired by news coverage of murder-suicides occurring in Japan.[1] He explained:

Who's driving his car into the ocean? No one's going to be able to figure that out, but I was reading about Japanese businessmen doing murder-suicides with their families because they'd failed in business, and they were driving off the pier into the ocean. That's what was going on in 1989, you know, in the paper or whatever. Suicides are up in Japan.[1]

As to the song's title, Francis commented, "Why is it called 'Wave of Mutilation'? Well, I don't know, because a wave is powerful. It's not this soft, beautiful thing, but, like, this crushing thing that turns mountains into sand."[1] The song's "cease to resist" lyric was inspired by a line from the Beach Boys' "Never Learn Not to Love," a song that was written by Charles Manson as "Cease to Exist" but lyrically modified by members of the Beach Boys, who received songwriting credits.[2] Francis joked, "[T]hey couldn't have 'Cease to Exist' because it was all powerful suicide stuff!"[3]

"UK Surf" version

Starting in 1989, Pixies began performing a second, alternate version of "Wave of Mutilation" for encores.[4] This version features an slower, acoustic arrangement that, according to Pitchfork, "shows the band's surf-rock tendencies."[5] A studio version based on this arrangement, labeled as the "UK Surf version," was released as a B-side to "Here Comes Your Man" and has since appeared on Complete B-Sides, as well as the expanded reissue of Doolittle.[6] A live BBC recording of the version of the UK Surf arrangement appears on Pixies at the BBC.

Release

"Wave of Mutilation" was released as the third track on Doolittle in 1989. In addition to the release of the UK Surf version on the "Here Comes Your Man" single, the album recording has appeared on several compilation albums, including Death to the Pixies and Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies.

Critical reception

PopMatters described "Wave of Mutilation" as a "jaunty oceanic surge," while AllMusic wrote, "Pixies found the perfect match in the ability of Gil Norton's rock-solid sound production to balance the twist and turns of the band's typically brief tunes, such as 'Wave of Mutilation.'"[7] Salon named it one of the "sleek, tuneful ditties without a pinch of fat" on Doolittle.[8]

NME readers voted "Wave of Mutilation" seventh in its poll of best Pixies songs,[9] Rolling Stone readers ranked the song as the band's fourth best.[10] Diffuser.fm also listed it as the fourth best Pixies song, writing, "If you're going to drive your car into a watery plunge, the Pixies song 'Wave of Mutilation' is the appropriate soundtrack."[11] Guitar ranked the song as the band's 11th best guitar moment, highlighting guitarist Joey Santiago's "brief flurry of crying bends introduced in the final 30 seconds."[12]

Pixies drummer David Lovering stated of the song, "It's an easy song to play, but it’s very effective in the way it grabs people. It's got a very odd, arresting spirit. There's nothing else that sounds quite like it."[13]

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Sisario, Ben (8 March 2006). The Pixies' Doolittle. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4411-2141-7.
  2. ^ Kivel, Adam; Schonfeld, Zach (17 April 2019). "10 Stories Behind the Pixies' Doolittle". Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Talking with the Animals" (PDF). NME: 45. 22 April 1989.
  4. ^ Mendelssohn, John (15 December 2009). Gigantic: The Story Of Frank Black And The Pixies. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-116-5.
  5. ^ "Pixies: Complete B-Sides". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Pixies - Doolittle 25". Uncut. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  7. ^ Maginnis, Tom. "Wave of Mutilation by Pixies". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  8. ^ Sisario, Ben (30 September 2017). "Pixies' "Doolittle" and the long shadow of the White Album". Salon. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Your Favorite Pixies Songs". NME. 26 May 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Pixies Songs". Rolling Stone. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  11. ^ Kim, Dave (23 July 2012). "10 Best Pixies Songs". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Pixies' 20 greatest guitar moments, ranked". Guitar. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  13. ^ Bosso, Joe (18 July 2011). "Interview: Pixies' David Lovering talks Doolittle track-by-track". MusicRadar. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
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