Here Comes Your Man (Review)

Built around an unforgettably simplistic guitar riff, Here Comes Your Man is a sunny track that sits somewhere between The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Kinks. In fact, the strummed open chord at the very beginning of the song is strikingly similar to that heard at the start of A Hard Day's Night.

Framed by easy going, lush acoustic guitars, the song is backed by a very danceable beat and the playful jangling of a tambourine. Vocally, Francis gives one of his best performances on this track. The inclusion of Kim Deal's carefree voice gives the song a unique feel, creating a fun male/female duet at times. Santiago contributes cheeky, squeaky clean guitar breaks which add to the track's catchiness.

Black Francis wrote Here Comes Your Man when he was around the age of 15, which gives the song a sweet naivety. Initially, it was recorded for the band's demo tape in 1987, but never made it onto the early albums. Reportedly, Francis was embarrassed about the song, but in 1989 producer Gil Norton heard the demo and liked it so much that he insisted it appear on the Doolittle LP. The result is one of the most light hearted and welcoming Pixies songs ever committed to tape.

Lyrically, Here Comes Your Man could, upon first listen, be taken as a simple relationship-based song. However, Francis claims that the lyrics were written about Californian earthquakes. Lines such as, "Big shake on the box car moving, big shake to the land that's falling down," conjure imagery of natural destruction. Juxtaposed with the upbeat nature of the track, there is something quite comical and absurd about the way Francis chooses to address the topic of uncontrollable loss.

The amount of happiness and joy that Here Comes Your Man brings to the listener is far more overwhelming than an Act of God. Ultimately, the Pixies save the day, with the listener emerging triumphant and smiling!

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

— MK

The Pixies are one of those bands that manage to appeal to an extremely diverse cross section of society. As time passes, they claim an even greater entitlement to their reputation as one of the coolest American indie/alternative bands in history. Referenced openly by contemporary acts such as Placebo and Nirvana, and featured in the soundtracks to groundbreaking films such as Fight Club, this Boston band formed in Massachusetts in 1986. Members Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and David Lovering succumbed to a spiraling demise of post 80s excess in 1993. The group disbanded for a time, before reuniting in 2004.

Here Comes Your Man (Lyrics)

Outside there's a box car waiting 
Outside the family stew 
Out by the fire breathing 
Outside we wait 'til face turns blue 
I know the nervous walking 
I know the dirty beard hangs 
Out by the box car waiting 
Take me away to nowhere plains

There is a wait so long 
(So long, so long) 
You'll never wait so long

Here comes your man 
Here comes your man 
Here comes your man

Big shake on the box car moving 
Big shake to the land that's falling down 
Is a wind makes a palm stop blowing 
A big, big stone fall and break my crown 
There is a wait so long 
(So long, so long) 
You'll never wait so long

Here comes your man 
Here comes your man 
Here comes your man 
Here comes your man

Yeah, yeah 
Yeah, yeah

There is a wait so long 
(So long, so long) 
You'll never wait so long

Here comes your man 
Here comes your man 
Here comes your man 
Here comes your man....

Contact Information:

The Pixies 
pixiesmusic.com 
facebook.com/pixiesofficial

Here Comes Your Man (Viral Parody)