Velouria

Black Francis wrote and sang it, and it was the lead single from Bossanova, released on 16 July 1990. It reached number 28 in the UK, their first top 40 single there, and number 4 on the US alternative chart. Francis has said it is folklore-based and that the Rosicrucians of 1920s San Jose had some pretty interesting ideas. It alludes to the lost continent of Lemuria and the belief that its survivors live beneath Mount Shasta. He said he met a girl in that part of California who was one of these Lemurians, and that he named the song for velour because she seemed covered in fur. Norton said Francis was also fascinated by UFOs.

The band brought in a theremin to excite Francis. Norton found the player, Robert F. Brunner, in a musicians' union book under theremin, where there were only about three names. The B-sides were a Neil Young cover sung by Deal, I've Been Waiting for You, and Make Believe, sung by Lovering and written about his obsession with Debbie Gibson.

With the single climbing the UK top 40, the band was offered a place on Top of the Pops, but the BBC allowed only singles with videos. The band ran toward a camera in a quarry outside Manchester for a video directed by Peter Fowler, and since they had only 23 seconds of footage the clip was slowed to cover the length of the song. They did not appear on the show. NME called the single a delightfully wiggy window to the world of Black Francis, and Blender called it their greatest love song after Gigantic.