Show Me Show Me How You Do That Trick: Why The Pixies’ Love Song Still Haunts Us

It starts with a jagged, nervous guitar line and Black Francis’s yelp. Before you even hear the words show me show me how you do that trick, you already feel the manic energy of late-80s alternative rock. It’s "Love Song," the opening track of The Pixies' seminal 1989 album Doolittle. Actually, wait. Let’s get the record straight right now because memory is a funny thing. That iconic line—that specific, desperate plea for a magic trick—actually belongs to "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure.

But why do people constantly mix them up?

Maybe it’s because both songs define a specific era of "weirdo" romanticism. Both tracks deal with a sort of breathless, dizzying obsession that feels more like a fever dream than a Hallmark card. When Robert Smith sings those words, he isn't just asking for a card trick. He’s talking about the inexplicable sleight of hand that happens when you fall for someone so hard the world disappears. It’s about the "trick" of intimacy. It's the vanishing act of the self.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Hook

Robert Smith wrote those lyrics about a trip to Beachy Head with his future wife, Mary Poole. If you’ve ever seen the music video, you know the vibe: windy cliffs, oversized sweaters, and a sense of impending, beautiful doom. The line show me show me how you do that trick is the ultimate "in." It’s a demand. It’s an invitation. It’s the sound of someone completely surrendered to the mystery of another person.

Musically, the song is a masterclass in layering. Simon Gallup’s bassline isn’t just support; it’s the heartbeat. Then come the synthesizers, shimmering like light hitting water. By the time the vocals kick in, you’re already submerged.

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Interestingly, Smith has often noted that the song’s structure was inspired by the pop music he heard on the radio, but he wanted to inject it with something more hallucinatory. It worked. "Just Like Heaven" became their biggest American hit at the time, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. But its "chart position" tells only about 5% of the story. Its real legacy is how it became the blueprint for every "indie" love song that followed.

Why We Still Obsess Over That One Line

Language matters. "Show me how you do that trick" is a very specific way to describe affection. It implies that love is a performance, or perhaps a supernatural feat. It’s not "I love you" or "I miss you." It’s "How are you doing this to me?"

People relate to that. Honestly, most of us have felt that weird, slightly uncomfortable loss of control.

The Cultural Ripple Effect

You can’t talk about this song without talking about the covers. Everyone from Dinosaur Jr. to Katie Melua has tried to dismantle it. Dinosaur Jr.’s version is legendary because it turns the shimmering pop of the original into a wall of sludge and feedback, yet that opening line remains just as piercing. J Mascis famously said he recorded it for a compilation and Robert Smith actually told him it was his favorite cover of a Cure song. That’s a high bar.

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Then you have the cinematic impact. Think about Adventureland or any coming-of-age movie where a character feels "different." This song is the shortcut for that emotion. It’s the sound of being 19 and feeling everything too much.

The Technical "Trick" Behind the Sound

If you’re a musician, you know that "Just Like Heaven" isn't actually that complicated. It’s in A Major. It follows a pretty standard progression. So why does it sound like it’s descending from another planet?

1. The Phased Guitars: Use of the Boss BF-2 Flanger and the JC-120 amp gave it that "underwater" texture.
2. The Overlapping Melodies: There are at least three distinct melody lines happening before the singing starts.
3. The Drum Entry: Boris Williams doesn't just play a beat; he builds a gallop that feels like someone running toward a cliff.

It’s a "trick" of arrangement. Most pop songs introduce a hook and repeat it. The Cure introduces four hooks and lets them fight for your attention.

The Misattribution Mystery

Back to the Pixies for a second. Why do people search for show me show me how you do that trick and expect to find Frank Black? There’s a shared DNA between Doolittle and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Both albums came out in the late 80s. Both bands used the "quiet-loud-quiet" dynamic (though the Pixies mastered it).

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There’s also a lyrical surrealism they share. While Robert Smith was singing about "the deepest ocean," the Pixies were singing about "slicing up eyeballs." It was a dark, weird time for radio. If you grew up on 90s college radio or early MTV, these sounds bleed together. They represent the moment when "alternative" stopped being a niche and started being a language.

Navigating the Legacy in 2026

Even now, decades later, the song feels modern. It doesn't have that "dated" 80s sheen that makes some tracks feel like museum pieces. It feels alive. When you hear that opening line, it still feels like a secret being shared.

The "trick" Robert Smith was talking about wasn't just about a girl on a cliff. It was about the magic of songwriting itself—how you can take a few chords and a memory of a windy day and turn it into something that people will still be searching for forty years later.

If you're trying to capture that sound or understand its influence, look at the way modern "bedroom pop" artists use reverb. They’re all chasing that same ghostly intimacy. They’re all trying to figure out how to do that trick.

How to Apply the "Just Like Heaven" Philosophy to Your Own Creative Work:

• Lead with a Hook that Demands an Answer: Don't start with a statement; start with an invitation or a question. "Show me" is a powerful way to begin any narrative.
• Layer Your Textures: Whether you're writing, painting, or composing, don't give everything away in the first layer. Build a foundation, then add the shimmer.
• Embrace the Surreal: Real life is messy and often doesn't make sense. Use metaphors that lean into the "impossible" (like love being a magic trick) to strike a deeper emotional chord.
• Vary the Dynamics: Move between the intimate (the whisper) and the expansive (the wall of sound). Contrast is what keeps an audience engaged over the long term.

Study the transition from the instrumental intro to the first vocal line in the original 1987 recording. Notice how the drums drop out slightly to give the lyrics room to breathe. That’s the moment of impact. Use that same "breathing room" in your own projects to highlight your most important message.