"Where Is My Mind?" Pixies music essay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zP1IjgSO_E

Nicole Abinajem
One of the most influential rock bands of the late 80’s, the Pixies have not only had a lasting impact on the face of indie and modern rock, but they also impact the mind and spirit of every person that hears their music. Charles Michael Kitteridge Thompson IV began experimenting with music as a teenager in the garage of his L.A. house in the suburbs. However, after his mother and stepfather moved to New England, his focus switched from rock and roll to anthropology and astronomy. It was not until he studied abroad in Puerto Rico as a student of the University of Massachusetts that he made himself choose between two things: going to witness Halley’s Comet in New Zealand or forming a band. Thompson returned to Boston in 1986 and joined with his former college roommate, Joey Santiago, who had a deep passion for the guitar; he came from one of the richest families in the Philippines to play. The two musicians placed an ad in the newspaper for a bassist that was interested in Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul, and Mary, who are both regarded as influences of the Pixies. Kim Deal replied to the ad and introduced her drummer friend David Lovering to Thompson and Santiago. Inspired by Iggy Pop and his biological father, Thompson chose the stage name Black Francis. Finally, after Santiago randomly scanned through the dictionary, they chose the name Pixies and the band was formed.
Uneven, roaring guitars, distorted riffs, start-stop dynamics, harmonious pop hooks, interlaced male and female vocals, and thought-provoking, obscure lyrics are the most distinct qualities of the inventive alternative rock band. Taking on the stop-start dynamics and noisy guitar solos, Nirvana was formed out of the shadow of the Pixies. The Pixies creatively mixed indie, punk, classic, and surf rock by stepping out of the conventions and melding these different styles to fit their own. Although Black Francis’ lyrics are cryptic and often impenetrable, the music is direct and powerful. Pixies are often considered as the driving force that allowed indie rock to be brought into the mainstream.
The majority of the song “Where Is My Mind?” illustrates a wandering or daydreaming mind, a mind that is drifting. It describes the state one is in when they lose their common sense to their thoughts and let their mind fly. This loss of common sense or logic is implied by the lyrics, “your head will collapse, but there’s nothing in it…” The word collapse is not literal, but rather an explanation of the mind ridding itself of everyday thinking and letting itself free. The first line of the song, “with your feet on the air and your head on the ground” give the sense of looking at the world in a completely different perspective than one would normally. The idea of a drifting mind is implied again with the lyrics, “way out in the water, see it [the mind] swimming…” An image of floating with no real direction is implied with the word “swimming”. Another stanza proceeds to describe literally swimming in the Caribbean and the speaker being followed by a coy koi fish that is “trying to talk to him”. When asked about this, Black Francis replied, "That came from me snorkeling in the Caribbean and having this very small fish trying to chase me. I don't know why - I don't know too much about fish behavior" (from Select, October 1997). Paralleled by the lyrics discussing the coy koi fish chasing the speaker is the fact that such a simple happening can cause the mind to chase after that one thought for no certain reason. The obscure, random, and somewhat aimless lyrics reflect the true meaning of the song; the mind does not, or should not always follow a pattern of concrete reasoning and logic. Through the obscure lyrics, the Pixies suggest it is okay to let the mind wander. This idea is also portrayed by the eerie background singing of Kim Deal that generates an abstract sensation of searching for your mind.
“Where Is Your Mind?” is a masterpiece in more than one dimension. In one aspect, the Pixies were way ahead of their time with the sound of their music in the sense that the song sounded like modern rock decades ago and is still inspiring people today. However, it is not only through their music that the Pixies reached out to the public, but also through the message within their lyrics that they, either knowingly or unknowingly, portray to society. By delving into the all too common process of temporarily losing one’s mind, the Pixies give some sort of relief to all those who are looking for their own sense of direction. They indirectly tell them it is fine to drift and not really have a set path by understanding the experience themselves. Whether unacknowledged or purposely, the Pixies have certainly impacted the face of alternative rock forever and simultaneously impacted every person who has been touched by their music.

"Where Is My Mind?" -Pixies

Oh - stop
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself

Where is my mind [3x]

Way out in the water
See it swimmin'

I was swimmin' in the Caribbean
Animals were hiding behind the rocks
Except the little fish
But they told me, he swears
Tryin' to talk to me, coy koi.

Where is my mind [3x]

Way out in the water
See it swimmin' ?

With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
If there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself

Where is my mind [3x]

Oh
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Oh
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Oh
Oh

Hypnopaedia

Spread Love Like Violence




"Make Love Not War" is a simple message that implies a positive suggestion to live out of love, as opposed to violence. Too often does our society forget to love one another like brothers and sisters. If we all recognized the love we innately share for each other, violence would cease to taint the world we live in. Although this may be impossible because of human nature, a reminder is certainly worthwhile. The title of the video, Spread Love Like Violence, is reflected through the images shown. The phrase "Make Love Not War" is shown repetitively. The images are meant to instill into the mind of the viewer the idea of replacing violence in the world with love. The hypnopaedic phrases and ideas they depict are strongly reflected through these images. As a paradoxical statement, the expression Spread Love Like Violence serves to intrigue the viewer and inspire them to further contemplate the truth within the message of the video.