"Dig for Fire" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. The song appeared on their 1990 album Bossanova, and was released as a single in October 1990.
| "Dig for Fire" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Pixies | ||||
| from the album Bossanova | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | October 29, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 – 1990 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | 4AD/Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Black Francis | |||
| Producer(s) | Gil Norton, Chris Sheldon | |||
| Pixies singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
Background
edit"Dig for Fire" was one of the few songs on Bossanova that Francis had written prior to coming into the studio.[1] According to Pixies frontman Black Francis, the song was "a bad Talking Heads imitation."[2]
Producer Gil Norton said of the song, "'Dig for Fire' was the first time we used a drum machine. The bass drum on that is a drum machine and Dave [Lovering] played on top of it. That was the first time we'd ever used any sample-type sounds on the album.[1]
Release
edit"Dig for Fire" was released as the second single from Bossanova. Among the B-sides was a version of Neil Young's "Winterlong."[3] "Dig for Fire" reached number 11 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart[4] and number 62 in the UK.
The single version of "Dig for Fire" is mixed differently from the album version and also contains some overdubs.[citation needed]
Music video
editThe song was promoted with a music video that also featured another Bossanova track, the brief "Allison", a tribute to jazz musician Mose Allison. The combination of the two songs was a compromise, as Elektra wanted a video for "Dig for Fire," while Francis, in calling the song a "bad Talking Heads imitation," pushed for "Allison" instead.[5]
The video featured the band riding in motorcycle sidecars during "Dig for Fire," only to cut to the band performing "Allison" live on the field of Amsterdam's Olympisch Stadion.[5]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Black Francis, except where otherwise noted.
- "Dig for Fire" – 2:51
- "Velvety Instrumental Version" – 2:04
- "Winterlong" (Neil Young) – 3:07
- "Santo" – 2:16
Charts
edit| Chart (1990–91) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 62 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[7] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ a b Frank, Josh; Ganz, Caryn (1 April 2007). Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4299-0443-8.
- ^ Stern, Perry. "Surf's Up." Music Express, October 1990. http://aleceiffel.free.fr/surf.html (transcript) (accessed March 10, 2013)
- ^ Cowan, Andy (6 June 2023). B-Side: A Flipsided History of Pop. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-915316-14-1.
- ^ "Pixies - Awards". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Mendelssohn, John (15 December 2009). Gigantic: The Story Of Frank Black And The Pixies. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-116-5.
- ^ "Pixies: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Pixies Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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