Many well-respected indie artists only break into mainstream once. Beck will largely be remembered for his early single “Loser,” just like casual music fans will think of “Float On” when they reflect on Modest Mouse. Sadly, this is also true of legendary indie rock band Pavement, who really only hit the mainstream with their one super-infectious single, “Cut Your Hair.”
“Cut Your Hair” was pulled from what many consider to be Pavement’s magnum opus, an album called Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Released in 1994, Crooked Rain was a huge success for the band; it was more accessible than most previous Pavement records, received glowing reviews. And, it had an incredibly solid track listing of 12 nigh-perfect songs.
Pretty much any song from the album could’ve been made into a moderately successful single, but Crooked Rain’s fourth track, “Cut Your Hair,” was the band’s best shot at the big leagues. It had everything a rock song in the ’90s needed: a catchy chorus, a mostly traditional song structure (though there are a few surprises), a sweet but simple guitar solo and, of course, the casual meandering of singer Steven Malkmus’ trademark abstract and evocative imagery.
Pavement’s song hit it big, and ended up being a breakout success. The irony here is that Pavement’s one very popular song was an all-out attack on popular music. Lyrically, “Cut Your Hair” was a snide critique of ’90s music trends, decrying the importance of “image branding” and the way that lucrative, generic sounding bands were poisoning creativity in popular music.
What makes “Cut Your Hair” brilliant is that its attack on the industry was buried rather well.
While some lines hinted at the overall message pretty heavily, (“Songs mean a lot when songs are bought/And so are you”) most of the song uses a sort of veiled metaphor where haircuts and fashion are equated to selling out (“Darlin’ don’t you go and cut your hair/Do you think it’s gonna make him change?). It manages to keep the attack subversive, and is something easily missed by more casual listeners.
The song talks about an issue that is still relevant more than 15 years later, and will certainly be relatable to those jaded by chart topping pop music, but a song isn’t good just because of its message. “Cut Your Hair” is a fantastic song because it captures much of what made Pavement such an influential band: It takes risks, subverts expectations both lyrically and musically, wanders a little but isn’t pointless and is catchy as hell.
It’s a mixed bag that Pavement never really hit the big time. On one hand, the world deserves to know about the indie rock pioneers, but on the other, the band likely would not have meshed well with the mainstream music industry and its focus on style over substance.
In the end, “Cut Your Hair” did exactly what it needed to. It critiqued the industry, gained an audience big enough to have some impact, but didn’t tear apart the band by thrusting them into the limelight.
