Here Comes Your Man
"Here Comes Your Man" | ||||
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Single by Pixies | ||||
from the album Doolittle | ||||
B-side |
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Released | June 1, 1989 | |||
Recorded | October 31 – November 23, 1988 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:21 | |||
Label | 4AD, Elektra | |||
Songwriter(s) | Black Francis | |||
Producer(s) | Gil Norton | |||
Pixies singles chronology | ||||
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"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 1989.
Written by Black Francis as a teenager, "Here Comes Your Man" was recorded for the band's 1987
Background and recording
Black Francis recalled that he wrote "Here Comes Your Man" around the time he was age 14 or 15.
Francis reflected in 2004 that, during the recording of the group's second album Doolittle, he felt embarrassed by "Here Comes Your Man", but since producer Gil Norton really liked the song, the songwriter "threw him a bone".[7] Norton recorded the band performing the song's backing track when Black Francis was not available. The song featured a different arrangement from previous recordings of the track, and Black Francis added another verse to it.[11]
Composition
"Here Comes Your Man" opens with the
In an interview with NME, Francis commented on the meaning of the song:[14]
It's about
hobos traveling on the trains, who die in the California Earthquake, peeing their pants. Before earthquakes, everything gets very calm — animals stop talking and birds stop chirping and there's no wind. It's very ominous. I've been through a few earthquakes, actually, 'cause I grew up in California. I was only in one big one, in 1971. I was very young and I slept through it. I've been awake through lots of small ones at school and at home. It's very exciting actually — a very comical thing. It's like the earth is shaking, and what can you do? Nothing.
The word "boxcar" was apparently a starting point for the song's lyrics, and Francis has suggested that this was in part inspired by the song "Carnival of Sorts (Box Car)" by R.E.M.: "I probably liked the word 'boxcar' because I heard it on the R.E.M. song, from their first record."[15]
Video and imagery
A music video to promote the single, co-directed by Neil Pollock and Jonathan Bekemeier, shows the band playing its instruments through a distorted
Release and reception
"Here Comes Your Man" was released as a single in June 1989, and the song's music video received some airplay on
Joey Santiago later recalled: "The tour manager asked, 'Hey, Arsenio Hall wants you to come on the show.' We said, 'Well, what do they want to hear?' He said, 'Here Comes Your Man.' No way. We told them we would love to go on, only if we did the song 'Tame'. And they said, 'No, thank you.'"[13]
In popular culture
The song makes an appearance in the 2009
The song was featured in a
Track listing
All songs written by Black Francis.
- "Here Comes Your Man" – 3:00
- "Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)" – 3:00
- "Into the White" – 4:42
- "Bailey's Walk" – 2:23
Charts
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
54 | |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[22] | 3 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[23] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn. (2005). ISBN 0-312-34007-9.
- Sisario, Ben. (2006). Doolittle. Continuum, 33⅓ series. ISBN 0-8264-1774-4.
Notes
- ^ a b Frank, Ganz, p. 67
- ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Pixies Songs". Rolling Stone. 9 October 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
...the Boston quartet's rapid-fire jumps...to rom-com ready pop hits ("Here Comes Your Man," "La La Love You")...
- ^ Scapelliti, Christopher (1998). "The Pixies". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 876.
- ^ a b Frank, Ganz, p. 148
- ^ "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ a b Spitz, Marc. "Life to the Pixies". Spin. September 2004.
- ^ Frank, Ganz, p. 82
- ^ Sisario, p. 44
- ^ Sisario, p. 88–9
- ^ Frank, Ganz, p. 142–3
- ^ Sisario, pp. 82, 90
- ^ a b c Sisario, p. 91
- ^ "Talking with the Animals". NME. April 22, 1989.
- ^ Sisario, p. 88
- ^ Goldman, Marlene. "The Pixies: Here And There And Everywhere". Alternative Press. September 1989.
- ^ Sisario, p. 64
- ^ Frank, Ganz, p. 143
- ^ Doolittle - Pixies: Awards. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on May 31, 2012.
- ^ "Watch the Newest Ads on TV from Citi, Google, Modelo and More". AdAge. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Pixies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Pixies Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Pixies – Here Comes Your Man". Music Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Pixies – Here Comes Your Man". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 19, 2021.