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Monkey Gone to Heaven
Pixies
Doolittle
Doolittle
RaitingSR
Supervision Recommended
Information
Released 1989
Genre Alternative
Language English
Source Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 2
Available November 18, 2008 (Pack)
(DLC)
Playable in
Rock Band
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 3
Rock Band Blitz
Difficulty
Band 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce
Basic Pro
Guitar 1FcircleUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce NoNo Part
Bass 1FcircleUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce NoNo Part
Drums 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce
Keys NoNo Part NoNo Part
Vocals 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce 0UFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlceUFCirlce
Details
Male singer
2-part Harmonies



Monkey Gone to Heaven is a song by Pixies which its cryptic lyrics which many have tried to interpret are, according to the band, meant to be surreal and meaningless, built around the title. A common speculation is that they are lyrics of an environmentalist stance. Legend has it that the title was changed from "Junkie Gone to Heaven" at the insistence of the record company. (Thanks, Brian - West Milford, NJ)

The first single from Doolittle, this song received lots of accolades from the mainstream press, including from Rolling Stone magazine who named it the #5 single of 1989 and later listed it as #410 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Doolittle album made many "best of" lists, but the Pixies went on hiatus after touring to promote the album, and never achieved great commercial success.

The number part is supposed to be from Hebrew scriptures. Man is 5 because we count in fives and tens because of our fingers, the devil is 6 because 666 is the number of the beast, and God is 7 because that's the heavenly number (there are many 7s in the Revelation: world created in one week, etc.).

In an interview with The Alternative Press, Frank Black said: "It's a reference from what I understand to be Hebrew numerology, and I don't know a lot about it or any of it really. I just remember someone telling me of the supposed fact that in the Hebrew language, especially in the Bible, you can find lots of references to man in the 5th and Satan in the 6th and God in the 7th. I didn't go to the library and figure it out."

This is the only Pixies song to use a string section and the first to use outside musicians: 2 cellists and 2 violinists. (Thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 3)

This song addresses three major environmental problems:

  1. Pollution ("sludge from New York and New Jersey)
  2. Ozone depletion ("hole in the sky") and
  3. The greenhouse effect ("and if the ground is not cold, everything is gonna burn").

Also, they contrast creation (gods) with manmade destruction (monkey).

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