Album · Camper Van Beethoven
Key Lime Pie by Camper Van Beethoven
Key Lime Pie is an album by Camper Van Beethoven, released in 1989. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 42 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, on 35 lists with a best position of #28.
Key Lime Pie, Camper Van Beethoven's 1989 album on Virgin, turned out to be their last before the band fell apart the following year. Dennis Herring produced, just as he had on Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart, and the result is a sleeker, moodier side of this band of jokers.
The old anything-goes mix of punk, folk, country and ska is still there, but the songs, sung by David Lowery, have a darker, more reflective streak, and the arrangements feel rich and considered. The big surprise was a cover: their take on Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men" hit number one on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. Internal tensions finished them off in 1990; Lowery went on to form Cracker, and the band wouldn't reunite until 1999.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Key Lime Pie on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pictures of Matchstick Men | 35 | #28 | – | 1989–2024 | |
| 2 | All Her Favorite Fruit | 7 | #809 | – | 1999–2005 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.