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Velouria

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"Velouria"
Single by Pixies
from the album Bossanova
A-side"Velouria"
B-side
ReleasedJuly 16, 1990 (1990-07-16)
Recorded1989–1990, Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, California, United States and Hansa Ton, Berlin, Germany
Genre
Length3:42
Label4AD/Elektra
Songwriter(s)Black Francis
Producer(s)Gil Norton
Pixies singles chronology
"Here Comes Your Man"
(1989) 		"Velouria"
(1990) 		"Dig for Fire"
(1990)
"Velouria"

"Velouria" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis. "Velouria" was released as the lead single from Bossanova in July 1990 and became the band's first Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom. The song features extensive use of theremin. It was featured on the influential 1990 Madchester compilation album Happy Daze.

Lyrics

Black Francis said of the lyrics to the song in an interview with SongFacts, "It's folklore based; the Rosicrucians of 1920s San Jose California had some pretty interesting ideas."[1] The lyrics allude to the mythical lost continent of Lemuria and the Rosicrucians' belief that its survivors lived beneath Mount Shasta.[1]

Composition

The song has been labeled as punk rock and surf rock by critics.[2]

Video

As "Velouria" was climbing up the UK Top 40, the band was offered a spot on Top of the Pops. However, a BBC rule stated that only singles with videos could be performed on the show. To counter this, a cheap video was made with the band being filmed running down a quarry.[3]

In the video, 23 seconds of footage (the time needed for the band members to reach the camera) is slowed in order to last for the duration of the song.[4] However, the effort in filming the video was in vain; Pixies did not play "Velouria" on Top of the Pops while the single was in the charts.[5]

In media

"Velouria" is played in the AMC show Halt and Catch Fire during season 3, episode 9, 'NIM'.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Black Francis, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Velouria" 3:40
2."Make Believe" 1:54
3."I've Been Waiting for You"Neil Young2:45
4."The Thing" 1:58

Covers

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 28
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9] 4

References

  1. ^ a b c Prato, Greg (March 11, 2015). "Frank Black Interview". SongFacts. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "Pixies - "Bossanova"". Sputnik Music. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Josh Frank; Caryn Ganz (2005). Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. Virgin Books. p. 140. ISBN 0-312-34007-9.
  4. ^ Jean-Michel Biel, Christophe Gourraud. "The Pixies in Video". Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  5. ^ Andy Barding (June 7, 2004). "The Pixies and Me". Archived from the original on November 24, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2006.
  6. ^ "Halt and Catch Fire Brings Us Back to the 90s Through Music". October 2017.
  7. ^ Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of The Pixies at AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  8. ^ "Pixies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Pixies Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
Sources
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