Debaser

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". "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

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

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:[2]

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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?

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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

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

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

Certifications

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References

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". – Black Francis, translated from a Spanish interview
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ "Pixies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2017.

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