Album
Bossanova
Bossanova is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, following Surfer Rosa in 1988 and Doolittle in 1989. It came out on 13 August 1990, released by 4AD in the UK and by Elektra in the US, where the major label handled distribution because 4AD was independent. Its sound mixes alternative rock, indie rock and a strong streak of surf rock.
It was a bigger hit in Britain than at home, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 70 on the Billboard 200. Two singles came from it: "Velouria" and "Dig for Fire", which reached numbers four and eleven respectively on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. Both are a good way in, and the record sits neatly between the band's late-1980s breakthrough and the follow-up, Trompe le Monde, in 1991.
Bossanova: tracklist, credits and charts
14 tracks · 39:46Tracklist
- 1Cecilia AnnSteve Hoffman and Frosty Horton2:06
- 2Rock MusicBlack Francis1:52
- 3VelouriaBlack Francis3:40
- 4AllisonBlack Francis1:18
- 5Is She WeirdBlack Francis3:01
- 6AnaBlack Francis2:09
- 7All Over the WorldBlack Francis5:27
- 8Dig for FireBlack Francis3:02
- 9Down to the WellBlack Francis2:29
- 10The HappeningBlack Francis4:19
- 11Blown AwayBlack Francis2:20
- 12Hang WireBlack Francis2:01
- 13Stormy WeatherBlack Francis3:27
- 14HavalinaBlack Francis2:34
- Produced by
- Gil Norton
- Recorded at
- Cherokee (Hollywood), Aire L.A. (Glendale, Calif.), Silverlake (Hollywood), Hansa Tonstudio (Berlin), Master Control (Burbank, Calif.)
- Recorded
- 1989–1990
- Mixed by
- Steve Haigler
- Engineered by
- Al Clay
- Labels
- Elektra, 4AD
- Length
- 39:46
Line-up
- Black Francis · electric guitar, vocals
- Kim Deal · electric bass guitar, vocals
- Dave Lovering · drums (drum set)
- Joey Santiago · electric guitar
- Robert F. Brunner · theremin · guest
Singles
- “Velouria” · 16 July 1990
- “Dig for Fire” · 5 November 1990
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1990 | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1990 | 70 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2026 | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1990 | 17 |
| German Albums · 1990 | 27 |
| Dutch Albums · 1990 | 30 |
| Swedish Albums · 1990 | 45 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1990 | 68 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 1997 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
75.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
6.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
75k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
14k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 13 August
Every year →
More from Pixies
Full discography →
Come On Pilgrim
1987
Surfer Rosa
1988
Doolittle
1989
Trompe le Monde
1991
Death to the Pixies
1997
Pixies at the BBC
1998
Complete ‘B’ Sides
2001
Pixies
2002
Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies
2004
Minotaur
2009
EP1
2013
EP2
2014
EP3
2014
Indie Cindy
2014
Head Carrier
2016
Beneath the Eyrie
2019
Beneath the Eyrie Demos, Pt. 1
2020
Beneath the Eyrie Demos, Pt. 2
2020
Doggerel
2022
The Night the Zombies Came
2024
The best of 1990
All of 1990 →
The Razors Edge
AC/DC · 1990
The Rolling Stones Роллинг Стоунз / Халина 1990
Роллинг Стоунз / Халина
The Rolling Stones · 1990
The Rolling Stones Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite) 1990
Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite)
The Rolling Stones · 1990
Rust in Peace
Megadeth · 1990
Cowboys From Hell
Pantera · 1990
Facelift
Alice in Chains · 1990
Painkiller
Judas Priest · 1990
No Prayer for the Dying
Iron Maiden · 1990
39/Smooth
Green Day · 1990
1985-03-15: Kabuki Theater, San Francisco, CA, USA
Metallica · 1990
Seasons in the Abyss
Slayer · 1990
Live at Pompeii
Pink Floyd · 1990
More on Elektra
The label →
Ride the Lightning
Metallica · 1984
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
News of the World
Queen · 1977
The Game
Queen · 1980
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen · 1974
Jazz
Queen · 1978
A Day at the Races
Queen · 1976
Stiff Upper Lip
AC/DC · 2000
Reinventing the Steel
Pantera · 2000
Dr. Feelgood
Mötley Crüe · 1989
Greatest Hits
Queen · 1981
Shout at the Devil
Mötley Crüe · 1983
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 13 August 1990 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 13 August 1990 | |
| Wikidata | 13 August 1990 | |
| US release | 1990 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 August 1990 | earliest UK or European date |
25 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | GB | 4AD | 5014436001024 | other |
| — | AU | 4AD | 5021456092871 | other |
| 1990 | US | Elektra | 075596096324 | other |
| 1990 | AU | Liberation Records | 9399603042526 | other |
| 1990 | US | Columbia House | 0208314107253 | other |
| 1990 | US | Elektra | 0759960963176 | other |
| 1990 | NL | 4AD | 5413356011029 | other |
| 1990 | DE | 4AD | 4005902117524 | other |
| 1990 | CA | Vertigo | 042284655323 | other |
| 1990 | BR | Stiletto | other | |
| August 1990 | FR | Virgin | 077778695226 | other |
| August 1990 | BR | Stiletto | other | |
| 13 August 1990 | GB | 4AD | 5014436001048 | original |
| 13 August 1990 | GB | 4AD | 5014436001024 | original |
| 13 August 1990 | DE | Rough Trade | 4005902117517 | original |
| 13 August 1990 | GB | 4AD | 5014436001000 | original |
| 2 February 1998 | GB | 4AD | 5014436001024 | other |
| 2002 | ZA | 4AD | 6001208008731 | other |
| 20 May 2003 | US | 4AD | 652637010022 | other |
| 14 October 2008 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 821797203562 | other |
| 19 October 2010 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 821797131117 | other |
| 10 August 2020 | XW | 4AD | other | |
| 2021 | GB | 4AD | 652637010022 | other |
| 11 September 2026 | — | 4AD | 191400090323 | other |
| 11 September 2026 | XW | [no label] | 191400090378 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 4000×4000 | native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |