• 1986-1992 2004-

  Black FrancisVocals, guitar1986-

  Jerry SantiagoGuitar1986-

  Kim DealBass, vocals1986-2013

  Dave LoveringDrums1986-

  Kim ShattuckBass2013

  Paz LenchatinBass2013-2024
• Black Francis' real name is Charles Thompson. When The Pixies broke up, he used the name Frank Black.
• Many of their songs were slow in the verses, but would explode with the chorus. They were a major influence on Nirvana.
• At some of their shows, they played the songs in alphabetical order. In others, they would start with the encore and play "backwards."
• Kim Deal formed The Breeders as a side project in 1990.
• The Pixies were slightly ahead of their time. Grunge bands that they influenced had lots of success and radio play just after they broke up.
• In 1992, they opened for U2 on the Zoo TV tour. They were not well received by fans waiting to see the headliners.
• Francis, an astronomy lover, decided to either travel to New Zealand to observe Halley's Comet or form a band. He chose the band.
• Santiago comes from one of the wealthiest families in the Philippines.
• Deal responded to an ad put out by Francis in the Boston Phoenix looking for a bassist who liked both Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary. She brought her friend, Lovering, with her.
  
  "Most of those adverts were guys going, 'Looking for blonde singer aged 19-22. Hair must be between shoulder length and mid-back,' or, 'Looking for drummer with a PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE'," Deal explained to NME. "So, 'Looking for someone into Peter, Paul and Mary and Hüsker Dü. No chops' caught my eye. I thought it was funny."
• On their first two albums, Deal is referred to as Mrs. John Murphy.
• Joey Santiago and Black Francis shared a dorm room at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• David Lovering has a talent for science and magic, which he sometimes combines into a quite compelling show.
• The band regrouped in 2004 and released a single, "Bam Thwok," featuring Kim Deal on vocals. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Jarrett - Somewhere, Canada
• Kim Deal didn't know how to play bass when she joined the band; she didn't even own one. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• The group arrived at its name after Joey Santiago selected the word "pixies" randomly from a dictionary. He liked its definition of "mischievous little elves."
• After Dave Lovering's friend Grant-Lee Phillips took him to a magic convention in the late 1990s, the drummer was inspired to take up a magic career. As the Scientific Phenomentalist, Lovering performs science and physics experiments on stage.
• Many Pixies songs are under two minutes long, and very few run more than 3:30. "I think just about everybody play their songs too long," Frank Black said.
• Francis' favorite hobby is painting. He told The Sun he enjoys working on his artwork because there are no other people involved. "I don't have to answer to anyone. I can do it for hours and hours. I can listen to music or not listen to music. I can be alone and I can do it all day every day," the singer explained. "If this music thing doesn't pan out, or if I take a sabbatical, I would totally just do painting."

Comments: 6

• Eggs Bennedict from Columbus, Papixies rock hard and are original. toronto reunion show rocked out even though weezer to me was a strange choice for an opener
  
  long live pixies
• Vini from Reno, NvFrank Black's Solo work has a lot of anagrams and on "Robert Onion" with The Catholics Every First Letter of a Line spells out a whole sentence! First word Robert
• Dane from Murrieta, Cathey really try to influence the fact that they are Pixies, not the The Pixies. Although, The Pixies, is definitely more commonly used.
• C.j. from Tunkhannock, Pai just saw the pixies on saturday-- it was rather awesome/psychadelic
• Scott Evans from Bradford, FinlandThe Dandy Warhols pay tribute to bassist Kim Deal on their 1997 album, 'Come Down', with a song titled 'Cool as Kim Deal'
• Richard from Alva, Okin the middle of the song "cactus," they spell out the name of the band "p-i-x-i-e-s," and by using the first letter of each line in the lyrics in "ana," you can spell out the word "surfer."

More Songfacts:

Everything ZenBush

After Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale coupled up in 1996, Rossdale's Bush bandmates referred to their hit song "Everything Zen" as "Everything Gwen."

Watching The DetectivesElvis Costello

Lyrically, Elvis Costello's "Watching The Detectives" was inspired by American detective shows; musically, it was inspired by The Clash.

Enter SandmanMetallica

The original "Enter Sandman" lyric was about crib death, with the "sandman" killing a baby.

That Don't Impress Me MuchShania Twain

Brad Pitt and Elvis both get mentions in the 1997 Shania Twain hit "That Don't Impress Me Much."

White as SnowU2

Bono came up with the idea of focusing on a soldier's last thoughts as he dies from his wounds in the U2 song "White As Snow" after reading William Golding's 1956 novel Pincher Martin.

Lady MarmaladeLabelle

"Lady Marmalade" is the only song to hit #1 twice in both the UK and US.

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.