"Wave of Mutilation" is an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

song by the American band

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas arou ...

, and is the third track on their 1989 album '' Doolittle''. Written and sung by the band's frontman

Black Francis Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Fo ...

, 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 Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...

-penned "Cease to Exist," released by

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

as "

Never Learn Not to Love "Never Learn Not to Love" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was issued as the B-side to their "Bluebirds over the Mountain" single on December 2, 1968. Credited to Dennis Wilson, the song was an altered version of ...

." 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 "Here Comes Your Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies, written and sung by the band's frontman Black Francis. Produced by Gil Norton, it was released as the second single from the group's second album '' Doolittle'' in June ...

." 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

, "Wave of Mutilation" was inspired by news coverage of murder-suicides occurring in Japan. He explained: 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." The song's "cease to resist" lyric was inspired by a line from

' "

," a song that was written by

as "Cease to Exist" but lyrically modified by members of the Beach Boys, who received songwriting credits. Francis joked, " ey couldn't have 'Cease to Exist' because it was all powerful suicide stuff!"

"UK Surf" version

Starting in 1989, Pixies began performing a second, alternate version of "Wave of Mutilation" for encores. This version features an slower, acoustic arrangement that, according to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'', "shows the band's surf-rock tendencies." A studio version based on this arrangement, labeled as the "UK Surf version," was released as a B-side to "

" and has since appeared on '' Complete B-Sides'', as well as the expanded reissue of ''Doolittle''. A live BBC recording of the version of the UK Surf arrangement appears on ''

Pixies at the BBC ''Pixies at the BBC'' is a compilation of BBC radio sessions by the American alternative rock band Pixies. Released by 4AD on July 6, 1998 in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records on July 14, 1998 in the United States—five years after the b ...

''.

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 ''Death to the Pixies'' was the first Pixies best-of compilation, released by 4AD in the UK on October 6, 1997, and 4AD/ Elektra the following day in the United States to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the band's debut. It covered the years ...

'' and '' Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies''.

Critical reception

''PopMatters'' described "Wave of Mutilation" as a "jaunty oceanic surge," while

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote, "Pixies found the perfect match in the ability of

Gil Norton Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Par ...

's rock-solid sound production to balance the twist and turns of the band's typically brief tunes, such as 'Wave of Mutilation. ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

'' named it one of the "sleek, tuneful ditties without a pinch of fat" on ''Doolittle''. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' readers voted "Wave of Mutilation" seventh in its poll of best Pixies songs, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' readers ranked the song as the band's fourth best. ''

Diffuser.fm Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' 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." ''Guitar'' ranked the song as the band's 11th best guitar moment, highlighting guitarist

Joey Santiago Joseph Alberto Santiago (born June 10, 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiag ...

's "brief flurry of crying bends introduced in the final 30 seconds." Pixies drummer

David Lovering David Lovering (born December 6, 1961) is an American musician and magician. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Pixies, which he joined in 1986. After the band's breakup in 1993, Lovering drummed with several other act ...

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."

References

{{authority control 1989 songs Pixies (band) songs Songs written by Black Francis Song recordings produced by Gil Norton