Song · Information Society
“What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” by Information Society
“What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” by Information Society appears on 16 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 1988 and 2023. Its best result is #4 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #12 alternative song of 1988, #1,956 alternative song of all time and #111 of the '80s.
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Information Society put out "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" as a single on Tommy Boy in 1988, a synth-pop jolt with Star Trek wired into its circuits: the "Pure Energy" tag is Leonard Nimoy's voice lifted from the episode "Errand of Mercy", with DeForest Kelley's Dr. McCoy in the intro and Richard Tatro's android Norman from "I, Mudd" in there too.
It started life as a 10-minute instrumental jam while the band was trying to make its first album, until Tommy Boy, sick of paying studio bills with nothing to show for them, leaned on the group for a hit. Paul Robb came up with a chorus that owed something to Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and to Duran Duran, then wrote the verses with Kurt Harland, keeping the words deliberately sparse in the manner of Gary Numan and Devo.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 59 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988 | 107 |
| 1988 | 4 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988 | 91 |
| 1988 | 14 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1988 | 106 |
| 1988 | 44 | WLIR / WDRE Long Island, NY | WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1988 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 78 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 1991 | 604 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1992 | 164 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1994 | 336 | Live 105 | Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) | 500 |
| 1996 | 370 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 458 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 822 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 2002 | 728 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 783 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 689 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2022 | 227 | X96 | X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time | 500 |
| 2023 | 898 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
Also listed as: What's on Your Mind?; What's On Your Mind?; What's on Your Mind; What's On Your Mind; What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)?; What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy).
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