| "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 | ||||
"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" 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]
"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 ]
The 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]
All songs written by Black Francis, except where otherwise noted.
| Chart (1990–91) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 62 |
| US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [7] | 11 |
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