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"Where Is My Mind?" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, originally released as the seventh track on their 1988 debut album, Surfer Rosa.

After receiving initial success upon release, the song saw renewed popularity after being featured in the 1999 film Fight Club. It is one of the band's signature songs and has inspired a multitude of covers while several arrangements of the song have been used in various film, television, and video game soundtracks. The song was ranked at No. 493 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2021 list.

Background

The song was written by frontman Black Francis while he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, inspired by his experiences while scuba diving in the Caribbean. He later said he had "this very small fish trying to chase me. I don't know why—I don't know too much about fish behavior."

Guitarist Joey Santiago composed the song's guitar line. He recalled of his part, "This was actually the first thing I tried. A lazy arpeggio that instantly sounded strong and hooky."

Cover versions

• Nada Surf covered the song on the 1999 Pixies tribute album Where Is My Mind?: A Tribute to the Pixies.
• Tkay Maidza's 2021 cover version was used in a 2023 Apple AirPods commercial, as well as the final episode of the Donald Glover limited series Swarm. This version is also included in the 2022 racing video game Need for Speed Unbound.
• Preteen Nandi Bushell recorded the song in 2021, earning praise from the Pixies.
• Kelly Clarkson covered the song in 2021 on her "Kellyoke" segment.
• Members of the punk bands Touché Amoré, PUP, Vein.fm, and Twitching Tongues joined wrestler Orange Cassidy for a 2021 punk cover.
• Trampled by Turtles covered the song from their 2013 live-album Live at First Avenue.
• German band Heldmaschine covered it as a bonus track on their 2023 album Flächenbrand.
• James Blunt has covered the song in live performances and included it on his 2006 live CD/DVD Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions.
• Maxence Cyrin covered it on piano in his 2009 album Novö Piano.
• Placebo covered the song in their 2003 compilation album Covers.
• The M.I.A. song, 20 Dollar makes extensive use of the music and lyrics of Where Is my Mind?.
• Australian rock band End of Fashion were criticized for the similarities between the guitar riff from "Where Is My Mind?" and the one used in their 2005 song "O Yeah".

Legacy

"Where Is My Mind?" was voted number 29 in the "Hottest 100 of All Time" music poll conducted by Australian radio station Triple J in 2009.

Inclusion in media and events

The song first saw increased popularity after featuring in the 1999 film Fight Club, in which it plays during the final scene. On April 13, 2004, NASA used "Where Is My Mind?" to wake up the team working on the Spirit Mars rover, in honor of its software transplant. Its popularity lead to the Pixies' live performance of the song at Coachella in 2004 to be heavily pirated online. In March 2021, the song began being used as the entrance music for professional wrestlers Orange Cassidy and Best Friends after it was licensed by All Elite Wrestling: it was replaced with the Jefferson Starship song "Jane" in 2022 but was restored in 2024. In 2023, the song's opening lyric inadvertently caused certain Android phones to turn off set alarms.

The song featured in the Criminal Minds episode "Sex, Birth, Death", which aired on November 29, 2006, while a xylophone-only cover of the song was used in the episode "The Lesson", which aired on December 5, 2012. The cover version by Allison Scagliotti appears in the Warehouse 13 episode "Don't Hate the Player", which aired on August 15, 2011. An all-kazoo cover of the song was used in The Tick episode "Where's My Mind", which aired on August 25, 2017.

The original version of the song also featured in the films Gaz Bar Blues (2003), Mr. Nobody (2009), Knock Knock (2015), and the teaser trailer for Thunderbolts* (2025). Cover versions of the song have also widely been used in film: those by Yoav and Storm Large feature in Sucker Punch (2011) and Big Ass Spider! (2013), respectively. Safari Riot and Grayson Sanders’ version of the song is used in Malignant (2021). The song's piano cover by Maxence Cyrin has seen the widest use: it has been featured in the television series The Leftovers (alongside the original version) and Mr. Robot, in the film It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), and in the "Man Behind The Treasure" promotional material for the video game Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016).

The song's widespread use in film and television has been criticized as a narrative trope for informing audiences that characters suffer from multiple personalities or cannot distinguish reality.

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

1. Rollingstone (2021). "493. The Pixies, 'Where Is My Mind?'. 1988". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
2. Biel, Jean-Michel; Gourraud, Christophe. "Pixies Titles/Names". Alec Eiffel. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
3. Scott, Danny (2022-10-21). "Joey Santiago on his top 5 Pixies guitar performances: "The only rule we had was to try and get away from the 12-bar blues framework. I love the blues, I love AC/DC, but music is allowed to do different things"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
4. "Review - Where Is My Mind? A Tribute To The Pixies". Orlando Weekly. 1999-10-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
5. "AirPods Pro noise cancellation featured in new 'Quiet the Noise' ad". AppleInsider. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
6. Kaufman, Spencer (2021-04-07). "10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Gets Pixies' Seal of Approval for Her "Where Is My Mind?" Cover: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
7. Kaufman, Gil (2021-11-30). "Kelly Clarkson Takes Pixies' 'Where is My Mind?' to Power Pop Pinnacle on 'Kellyoke'". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
8. Young, James David (2021-07-27). "Touché Amoré, PUP and more team up for punk cover of the Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?'". NME. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
9. Jonathon Miller, rockus.com Archived October 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
10. "Countdown | Hottest 100 - Of All Time | triple j". Abc.net.au. 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
11. Greene, Andy (4 January 2013). "Flashback: The Pixies Reunite At Coachella". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
12. Beaumont, Mark (21 September 2016). "Inside The Cult Of Pixies: Why They're More Than Just A Band - NME". NME. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
13. Colin Fries (2010-04-20). "CHRONOLOGY OF WAKEUP CALLS" (PDF). NASA History Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
14. "BitTorrent Bundle - Pixies". BitTorrent Bundles. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
15. Minsker, Evan (March 25, 2021). "Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" Is Orange Cassidy's New AEW Entrance Theme". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
16. Defelice, Robert (May 26, 2024). "Orange Cassidy Resumes Using Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?' And Beats Trent Beretta At AEW Double Or Nothing". Fightful. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
17. Thomas, Dallas (2 May 2023). "You can blame this Pixies song for Assistant canceling your alarm". Android Police. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
18. "Music from The Tick S1E02". Tunefind.
19. "Soundtrack Staples: Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?'". STACK | JB Hi-Fi. 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2020-07-25., Criminal Minds, the 4400.
20. Young, Kai (23 September 2024). "What Song Is In Marvel's Thunderbolts* Trailer?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
21. Saraiya, Sonia (29 December 2015). "Best TV of 2015: The best pop-music cues, from "Where Is My Mind" to Fleetwood Mac". Salon. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
22. Sarkar, Samit (1 July 2016). "Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?' comes to Rock Band 4 next week". Polygon. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
23. Mxy (2022-02-27). "How 'Where Is My Mind' Became Hollywood's Laziest Trope". Cracked.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
24. "Pixies – {{{song}}}" (in French). Les classement single.
25. Zywietz, Tobias. "CLUK Update 22.03.2014 (wk11)". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
26. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
27. "Canadian single certifications – Pixies – Where Is My Mind". Music Canada. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
28. "Italian single certifications – Pixies – Where Is My Mind" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
29. "Spanish single certifications – Pixies – Where Is My Mind?". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
30. "British single certifications – Pixies – Where Is My Mind". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 24, 2022.

External links

• Pixies "Where Is My Mind" lyrics

• Pixies (band) songs
• 1988 songs
• Songs written by Black Francis
• Song recordings produced by Steve Albini