History Music / ThePixies

* CoverVersion: "Head On" by Music/TheJesusAndMaryChain, "I've Been Waiting For You" and "Winterlong," both by Music/NeilYoung, "Evil Hearted You" by Music/TheYardbirds ([[TranslatedCoverVersion en Español!]]), "In Heaven" from the film ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'', the theme from the videogame ''VideoGame/{{NARC}}''. With the exception of "Head On", every other cover they did was a B-side.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Music/TalkingHeads meets Music/VelvetUnderground infused with surf rock, punk, and a dash of vaguely Spanish guitar (topped off with a little something called [[TropeMakers the next twenty years of rock music]]).

* ContemptibleCover: ''Surfer Rosa'', with its topless flamenco dancer, though it's pretty tasteful by the standards of this trope.
** The cover for the "Gigantic" single takes it up a level, with a naked baby.

* FemaleRockersPlayBass: Kim Deal, their bassist, was the only female member during her tenure. After she left to join Music/TheBreeders[[note]]an all-female group[[/note]], they replaced her with another female bassist.

Pixies' recording career started in 1987 with the release of the ''Come on Pilgrim'' EP on British label Creator/FourADRecords. They released four more albums on the same label (with Creator/ElektraRecords handling them in the US, starting with ''Music/{{Doolittle}}'') until officially disbanding in 1993 due to exhaustion after supporting Music/{{U2}} on the Zoo TV tour and intra-band tension, mostly over Francis [[IAmTheBand marginalizing the others' contributions]] (especially Deal's). Francis changed his name to Frank Black and started a solo career, Deal found success with Music/TheBreeders, Santiago worked in soundtracks and his band Music/TheMartinis and Lovering alternated drumming with a hobby as a magician. The band reunited in 2004, took a hiatus in 2007, re-reunited in 2009 and is still touring today. In 2013, the group (with the exception of Kim, who officially left halfway through the year) released their first new material in over 20 years: the single ''Bagboy'' and the EP aptly titled ''[=EP1=]''. An ''[=EP2=]'' and ''[=EP3=]'' followed in 2014, and the three [=EPs=] were compiled into the band's first album in 23 years: ''Indie Cindy''.

* {{Mondegreen}}: The cover art of "Gigantic" nods to a potential one for the chorus, by showing an image of a baby next to an image of a glove. ("A baby glove"?)

* BaldOfAwesome: Francis. And Santiago. And Lovering. Actually, Deal's the only one with hair by this point, and as of now she's out of the band.

* BreakupBreakout: Francis went on to an acclaimed solo career, and Kim founded Music/TheBreeders.

* NoBudget: "Velouria"'s infamous music video. To have the song play on the UK's Top of the Pops to promote it while it was charting, it either needed a music video, or for them to fly to London and mime to a backing track in the studio. Not actually having money or time on hand to make a full video, the band just decided "screw it" and filmed 23 seconds of footage of them running towards a camera from across a quarry and stretched it out to the full length of the song.

* PlayingAgainstType: The band was unusually loud compared to the other acts 4AD was known for, such as Music/CocteauTwins and Music/DeadCanDance. The Pixies were also one of 4AD's first American acts.

* LyricalColdOpen: Used occasionally, such as on "Ed Is Dead", "Tony's Theme" and "Hey".

He bought me a soda and he tried to molest me in the parking lot. Yup-yup-yup!"

* ''Music/SurferRosa'' (1988): Their raw {{Grunge}} album, produced by Music/SteveAlbini, with probably the largest predominance of more "comedic"/light-hearted tunes in their catalogue, like the goofy "Tony's Theme", the BilingualBonus "Oh My Golly!" (which contains the TitleDrop) or the comic malevolence of "Something Against You". Source of the band's first single, "Gigantic", notable for being written and sung mainly by Kim Deal (before Francis' ego kicked in), and the {{word salad|Lyrics}}y meditation on fish behaviour "Where Is My Mind?", which somehow became very popular for movie soundtracks. More recently, Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling bought the rights to the latter song for use as Wrestling/OrangeCassidy's entrance music.

The band's members are guitarist/vocalist Black Francis, bassist/vocalist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering. Their musical style is distinguished by its fusion of SurfRock melodies with PunkRock aesthetics and (later on) PsychedelicRock influences, being capable of both earworminess and [[CarefulWithThatAxe brutal aggression]].

** One of the more hilarious ones is mishearing the first line of "Cactus", which happens to contain the phrase "cement floor" but due to the quiet opening is very easy to mishear as "semen floor".

* ''Music/SurferRosa'' (1988): Their raw {{Grunge}} album, produced by Music/SteveAlbini, with probably the largest predominance of more "comedic"/light-hearted tunes in their catalogue, like the goofy "Tony's Theme", the BilingualBonus "Oh My Golly!" (which contains the TitleDrop) or the comic malevolence of "Something Against You". Source of the band's first single, "Gigantic", notable for being written and sung mainly by Kim Deal (before Francis' ego kicked in), and the {{word salad|Lyrics}}y meditation on fish behaviour "Where Is My Mind?", which somehow became very popular for movie soundtracks.

Another highly influential 1980s AlternativeRock band that reached a moderate level of popularity but enjoyed widespread critical acclaim. [[BigNameFan Famous fans]] include: [[Music/ModestMouse Isaac Brock]], Music/KurtCobain, Music/DavidBowie, Music/{{Radiohead}}, Music/PJHarvey, Music/{{Weezer}}, [[Music/{{U2}} Bono]], and [[Music/TheSmashingPumpkins Billy Corgan]], among others.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A "13" tattoo, as worn by the "No. 13 Baby" is a reference to the letter "M" and implies the wearers fondness for marijuana.

* YourCheatingHeart; From "Bone Machine":
-->''You're into Japanese fast food\\
And I drop you off with your Japanese lover\\
And you're going to the beach all day\\
You're so pretty when you're unfaithful to me\\
[[SuddenlyShouting YOU'RE SO PRETTY WHEN YOU'RE UNFAITHFUL TO ME!]]''

* TheBandMinusTheFace: Kim Deal officially left the band in 2013, to concentrate on Music/TheBreeders' anniversary tour for ''Last Splash''. Notably, this time it was done with much less acrimony, with Lovering mentioning in an interview that the position is always open for her to return, and the band remained officially composed of Francis, Lovering and Santiago, with Kim Shattuck (of The Muffs) being only a touring bassist instead of an official member.
** As of now Paz Lenchantin has taken her place.

** Francis admitted "Dig for Fire" was basically a tribute to the Music/TalkingHeads.

** "Monkey Gone to Heaven" can be interpreted as being about this tendency of the human race, given our apparently unwillingness to course-correct on climate change:

Kim Deal also sang the duet, "You And Your Sister" with Tanya Donelly (Music/TheBreeders) on the album ''Music/{{Blood}}'' (1991) by Music/ThisMortalCoil.

The band's members are guitarist/vocalist Black Francis, bassist/vocalist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering. Their musical style is distinguished by its fusion of SurfRock melodies with PunkRock aesthetics and (later on) PsychedelicRock influences, being capable of both [[EarWorm earworminess]] and [[CarefulWithThatAxe brutal aggression]].

* EyeScream: "Gouge Away", "Debaser".
** The latter song is both EarWorm and NightmareFuel with Francis' animalistic, yowling delivery.

* InTheStyleOf: Francis admitted "Dig for Fire" was basically a tribute to the Music/TalkingHeads.