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 trompe le monde (the song)

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two reelers Posted - 11/22/2004 : 00:46:07
okay, it's a fabolous song.

but i just noticed yet

"and the words are the letters of the words"

- a hint of FB towards his use of anagrams (okay, it's not an angaram, but you know what i mean - the SURFER, speedy marie, robert onion,...)

mybe trompe le monde contains also an ana-thingy

btw, anybody knows if this song was ever performed live ?



I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band
35   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
fbc Posted - 12/27/2011 : 06:55:10
=) try saying that with a sausage roll in your mouth. F*ck Santa. I want Frank down my chimney.
Mac E. Doobage Posted - 12/27/2011 : 05:28:26
Awwww, that's what I'm Bird dream of the Olympus Monnin' abizznout!
fbc Posted - 12/26/2011 : 10:29:29
20 years of Nevermind celebrations over here with a rerelease etc etc and here I sit listening to Trompe Le Monde released the same year.

Happy Anniversary, Trompe Le Monde!


Today I fell back in love with this song.
Ziggy Posted - 04/26/2007 : 17:10:06
It was the first Pixies record that I bought, as a matter of fact.
MHokkane Posted - 04/26/2007 : 15:43:20
I just gave this CD to my cousin who has never heard the pixies and he LOVES it! Irrelevent to the conversation, but it goes to show the pixies are timeless!!
mikaelp75 Posted - 04/26/2007 : 05:20:39
Thanks to this thread I no longer think "this song is twice ocurred/and now its time to go/away on holiday" means that Frank thought it was time to break up the band because they were repeating themselves.

Here are some farfetched thoughts:

"and the words/are the letters of the words/said/electrically played"
First I thought that meant that the sounds and chords carried the message rather than the literal meaning of the words, but I tried to think of other possibilities. Somewhere in the back of my head was what Frank said about writing songs, how it was his little way of playing God. You start out with nothing and sit down and create this universe. If the quote above refers to the letters of the word LIFE written on the girl in the first verse's shirt spelled out, and keeping in mind Frank often mixes Spanish (which I don't speak) and English, a very cryptic message would be El I/Eye Hefe E. Hefe=The Boss/Master in Spanish I think, and sounds like the way they pronounce F. E=the energy of the world as in E=mc2? The letter I sounds like Eye, the likeness of the planet/world with the eyeballs on the cover was noted elsewhere.

The girl in the first verse would be Frank's muse (who returns in Letter to Memphis), and I like the idea of a time travel "free freeway". I also think the Gloria theory makes sense in this respect.

I was hoping that through this I would eventually find support for a theory that the song was somehow saying that "I am fooling myself and everybody that this song/what I do has meaning above the personal gratification of creating and then playing it loud", but I can't. Ah well. Still one of my favourite Pixies songs.
50 Pence Posted - 04/26/2007 : 05:18:51
Trompe le Monde....fool the world.....he has fooled you into running round in circles

Blats
that means soda Posted - 04/25/2007 : 18:30:57
Well I hear the Perry Mason similarity with trompe, its pretty clear.

And about that line, this song is twice occured, while it's true the song repeats its verse's melody twice, I always thought the line refered to the song occuring first in the physical space and then a second time in your brain as your ears and neurones recreate the sounds around.

anyway....

Montreal, October 1st 2002
MikeW Posted - 01/06/2007 : 20:27:15
I never did like nirvana or the peppers but that sounds correct.
rockmusic84 Posted - 01/06/2007 : 18:34:21
Hey,
Just wanted to say what a neat thread this is! I never really looked at "Trompe" as a concept album, although many of the songs are tied together by a common theme (UFO's, aliens, space, etc...) I've always enjoyed strange and cryptic lyrics, and Frank's chock-full of them!!!

Just curious if anyone knew, weren't "Trompe" and "Nevermind" released on the same day? I believe they were both released in early October of '91. In fact, a friend of mine (who was in college at that time) said that "Nevermind", "BloodSugarSexMagik" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and "Ceremony" by The Cult were all released at or around the same time period (must've been great to be an alt-rock fan that autumn!!!).

Join The Cult of U-MASS - IT'S EDUCATIONAL!!!
Carl Posted - 01/02/2007 : 11:23:56
Hmmm, can't say I really hear that much of a similarity, but it's intriguing none the less. MikeW, where did you hear the bullhorn story?
pixiestu Posted - 01/02/2007 : 03:47:03
quote:
Originally posted by DruggedBunny


Here's a theory I've had for a while: Frank sings The Perry Mason Theme in Space (I Believe In), and I tried to find a copy for a long time. On finally hearing it, I did an aural double-take:

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/perrymasonintro.mp3

Is it just me that hears the start of Trompe le Monde here? Is the Trompe intro a tribute to the Perry intro, with a similar call-and-response opening? For reference...

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/trompeintro.mp3



Wow, I definitley hear it. It's almost the same!

"The arc of triumph"
MikeW Posted - 01/01/2007 : 22:06:16
Maybe Frank can shed some light into this rumor: I heard that Frank had purchased the bull-horn during the Bossanova sessions and that sometime during the Trompe sessions he through it against a brick wall or something and smashed it to pieces. The engineer or whoever was working the session taped it back together with duct tape and got it to work for the trompe sessions.
matto Posted - 01/01/2007 : 21:07:44
quote:
Originally posted by DruggedBunny

quote:

the washington state reference refers to the bull horn that radio shack use to sell. it had a sample of the washington state fight song on there, which is also in Trompe after he says "from washington state".


I knew there was a Washington State Fight Song, but didn't know about the Radio Shack bullhorn reference... cool!

Here's a theory I've had for a while: Frank sings The Perry Mason Theme in Space (I Believe In), and I tried to find a copy for a long time. On finally hearing it, I did an aural double-take:

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/perrymasonintro.mp3

Is it just me that hears the start of Trompe le Monde here? Is the Trompe intro a tribute to the Perry intro, with a similar call-and-response opening? For reference...

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/trompeintro.mp3





good catch!!!

sminki pinki
DruggedBunny Posted - 01/01/2007 : 14:20:56
quote:

the washington state reference refers to the bull horn that radio shack use to sell. it had a sample of the washington state fight song on there, which is also in Trompe after he says "from washington state".


I knew there was a Washington State Fight Song, but didn't know about the Radio Shack bullhorn reference... cool!

Here's a theory I've had for a while: Frank sings The Perry Mason Theme in Space (I Believe In), and I tried to find a copy for a long time. On finally hearing it, I did an aural double-take:

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/perrymasonintro.mp3

Is it just me that hears the start of Trompe le Monde here? Is the Trompe intro a tribute to the Perry intro, with a similar call-and-response opening? For reference...

http://www.hi-toro.com/misc/trompeintro.mp3

floop Posted - 12/31/2006 : 14:41:27
would I lie to you Carl?
Carl Posted - 12/31/2006 : 14:10:11
Really?! That's interesting.

Merry Christmas!
floop Posted - 12/31/2006 : 10:22:50
quote:
Originally posted by candle

"We went to the store / and got something great / that samples this song / from Washington State."

That seems straightforward enough. What songs from Washington State were recognisable and important enough in 1991 that they would be sampled by someone else? Wasn't Nirvana around at that point? Perhaps Frank went out and bought a copy of 'Call It What You Want' by 'Credit To The Nation', which samples the beginning of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'? And perhaps this is the record he is hoping will "go"; and perhaps it was named by some guy named Joe; and certainly a song which begins with a sample from something else is "fooling the world".

Or, since it hadn't been released or probably even written by the time TLM came out, perhaps not.

Oh well.



(sorry if this has been answered already)

the Washington State refers to the Washington State Fight song. in an interview back around Tromp era Frank said that line was about going to radio shack and getting one of those megaphone/loudspeakers. the song is literally what is played (sampled) from the megaphone..

check out any megaphone / loudspeaker and it's on there



at least that's what your mom said
floop Posted - 12/31/2006 : 10:16:33
quote:
Originally posted by Gino

quote:
Originally posted by frnck blck

quote:
Originally posted by Gino

I agree BUT Charles explained in interview circa 92 that it was an expression... (even in the Rapido show I believe). He got that wrong.



Yes. I stand corrected. It is not an expression in French. I meant to say that it was a play on the expression, which is also an expression in English, at least in a discussion of painting. The title was a suggestion of the Pixies manager, Ken Goes.

fbf



Aren't you talking about Trompe l'oeil?
It's an expression about painting.



Frank said in an interview a long time ago that it was a play on that expression, "trompe l'oeil"



at least that's what your mom said
Frog in the Sand Posted - 12/31/2006 : 09:31:32
In fact there's a popular French expression, "tromper son monde", which means something like "to fool / deceive the others" (often to seduce or reassure them). For instance, politicians "trompent leur monde" by looking cooler or more competent than they really are.

-----
BLACKOLERO le only Frank Black / Pixies site 100% in français
tisasawath Posted - 12/31/2006 : 01:18:47
quote:
Originally posted by jediroller

Sorry to disagree, but it does. Just because it's not an expression doesn't mean that these words don't exist and can't be used in that combination. They do mean "Fool the world".

It's like saying that "Dog in the sand" doesn't mean anything in English because it's not a proverb.

It's been suggested that it was a wordplay on "trompe-l'oeil", hence the eyeballs on the artwork. Don't know, maybe Simon Larbalestier could tell us if it was meant that way.


free music | Blackolero | Frank Black & Pixies Tributes



So...the world...is an eyeball.

I solved it! I solved it!


42!

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AAAAWWWWWRRRIIGGHHTTTTT !! !
Daisy Girl Posted - 12/30/2006 : 15:16:49
I think that if it was some huge secret meaning to the whole song that FB would have commented on it when he stopped in.
Gino Posted - 12/30/2006 : 07:45:34
quote:
Originally posted by frnck blck

quote:
Originally posted by Gino

I agree BUT Charles explained in interview circa 92 that it was an expression... (even in the Rapido show I believe). He got that wrong.



Yes. I stand corrected. It is not an expression in French. I meant to say that it was a play on the expression, which is also an expression in English, at least in a discussion of painting. The title was a suggestion of the Pixies manager, Ken Goes.

fbf



Aren't you talking about Trompe l'oeil?
It's an expression about painting.
everywordmeans Posted - 12/29/2006 : 22:19:27
Fuck that! HEy Frank! why don'tcha answer the question about the lyrics of this song? if they were just off-the-cuff scribblings let us know, or were there actual references/secrets embedded in them?
frnck blck Posted - 12/29/2006 : 19:54:40
quote:
Originally posted by Gino

I agree BUT Charles explained in interview circa 92 that it was an expression... (even in the Rapido show I believe). He got that wrong.



Yes. I stand corrected. It is not an expression in French. I meant to say that it was a play on the expression, which is also an expression in English, at least in a discussion of painting. The title was a suggestion of the Pixies manager, Ken Goes.

fbf
Gino Posted - 12/29/2006 : 09:38:24
I agree BUT Charles explained in interview circa 92 that it was an expression... (even in the Rapido show I believe). He got that wrong.
jediroller Posted - 12/29/2006 : 07:09:59
Sorry to disagree, but it does. Just because it's not an expression doesn't mean that these words don't exist and can't be used in that combination. They do mean "Fool the world".

It's like saying that "Dog in the sand" doesn't mean anything in English because it's not a proverb.

It's been suggested that it was a wordplay on "trompe-l'oeil", hence the eyeballs on the artwork. Don't know, maybe Simon Larbalestier could tell us if it was meant that way.


free music | Blackolero | Frank Black & Pixies Tributes
Gino Posted - 12/29/2006 : 06:52:07
Actually, Trompe le monde is a mistake. This expression doesn't exist in French.
Charles must have thought about the expression: Trompe la mort which indeed exists.
Trompe Le MOnde means nothing in french.
Ziggy Posted - 12/29/2006 : 04:18:07
It really riles me when people talk about 'the softer sound of Bossanova'. Sure, 'Ana' and 'Havalina' are pretty mellow, but on the other hand... 'Rock Music'? 'Velouria'? 'Hang Wire'? 'The Happening'? For heavens sake...
tisasawath Posted - 12/29/2006 : 00:40:54
"it too fails to reach the same level of brilliance..."??
what the fruit is he on about ?!?
you can't compare those, it's not an ordinal fookin' scale, it's an entirely different dimension...
I love bossa and tlm but I could/would never compare it against surfer or doolittle, it's as if I were at a dinner describing an excellent main course by comparing it to a delicious dessert or something... "well... it doesn't reach the sweetness... so I wouldn't order that..."

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AAAAWWWWWRRRIIGGHHTTTTT !! !
Carl Posted - 12/28/2006 : 10:29:32
Blog entry about TLM (the album!):

http://openyoureyestomusic.blogspot.com/2006/12/pixies-trompe-le-monde.html

Merry Christmas!
tisasawath Posted - 12/18/2006 : 06:19:40
and today's ~ana of the day~ is...

lemon drop meet


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AAAAWWWWWRRRIIGGHHTTTTT !! !
MikeW Posted - 12/16/2006 : 20:05:57
word are the letters of the words, said electrically played.

I think that refers to the chords, notes etc played on the guitar to play the actual songs. hence, the letters of the words are the chords and notes.
MikeW Posted - 12/16/2006 : 20:01:43
This is song is twice occured

I think that refers to the fact that there is a song called trompe le monde as well as the album being titled trompe le monde. so its twice occured....
MikeW Posted - 12/16/2006 : 19:59:29
go little record go, it is named by some guy named joe.

I think that refers to the the actual Pixies' records spinning on a turntable or a cd spinning, ya know?.... didnt Joey name the band Pixies? some guy named Joe....

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