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Cover of Surfer Rosa by The Pixies
Cover: Surfer Rosa

Song · The Pixies

“Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies

From the album Surfer Rosa (1988)

“Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies appears on 83 radio countdowns from 23 stations between 1988 and 2026. It was first released in 1988 on the album Surfer Rosa. Its best result is #5 on the KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #495 alternative song of 2005 and #112 alternative song of all time.

83countdowns
23stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
2top 10 finishes
1988–2026years charted

Watch

Pixies - Where Is My Mind? (Official Lyric Video)

Video from YouTube (PixiesOfficial). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Where Is My Mind?" is the seventh track on Surfer Rosa, the 1988 debut album by the Pixies, and it has turned into the song the band is best known for. Black Francis wrote it, sings it and plays electric guitar, with Joey Santiago on the other guitar, Kim Deal on bass and backing vocals, and Dave Lovering on drums. Steve Albini produced and engineered, and he keeps everything raw and close to the bone.

It's a strange, woozy little thing. The guitars spiral like a lazy siren, the drums come down hard and dry, and Deal's ghostly backing vocal hovers over everything like a voice from the next room. Francis sounds half awake and half unhinged, and the whole song seems to float a few inches off the ground, dreamy and unsettling at once.

It did well enough when it came out, but its second life began in 1999, when it was featured in the film Fight Club. After that it spread everywhere: a pile of cover versions, and various arrangements turning up on film, TV and video game soundtracks. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 493 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021.

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#StationCountdownof
1988 30 John Peel (BBC Radio 1) John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1988 50
2005 43 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 486 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 50 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
1999 115 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (1999) 150
2000 477 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 83 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2000) 100
2001 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1628 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 47 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2001) 100
2002 336 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 14 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2002) 100
2002 1184 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 236 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 12 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2003) 100
2003 1799 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 363 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 464 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 806 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2004 11 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2004) 100
2005 35 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 441 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 12 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2005) 100
2005 28 The Edge KEDJ Top 103 on Independent Radio 103
2005 34 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 162 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 32 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 15 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2006) 100
2006 37 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 240 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 19 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2007) 100
2007 142 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 178 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2008 21 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2008) 100
2009 428 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 182 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 18 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2009) 100
2009 868 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 29 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (2009) 100
2009 335 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 195 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 23 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2010) 100
2011 203 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2011 21 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2011) 100
2012 130 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 23 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2012) 100
2012 548 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 205 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 33 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2013) 100
2014 205 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 33 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2014) 100
2014 321 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 26 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2015) 100
2016 50 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2016) 100
2017 41 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2017) 100
2018 48 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2018) 100
2018 49 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 193 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 5 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2019 50 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2019) 100
2019 193 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 464 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 43 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2020) 100
2021 23 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 50 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2021) 100
2021 21 KISW KISW 25 Greatest Soundtrack Songs in Rock 25
2022 51 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2022) 100
2022 271 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 332 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 7 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 75 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 414 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 64 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2023) 100
2023 50 ALT 104.5 ALT 104.5 Top 104 of ALT Time 104
2023 40 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 68 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2024) 100
2024 207 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 65 Studio Brussel Studio Brussel De Tijdloze 100 (2025) 100
2026 80 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 464 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 373 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917

Also listed as: Where Is My Mind; Where Is My Mnd?; Where is my Mind?; Where is My Mind; Where is My Mind?.

Charting alongside it in 2005

Best songs of 2005 →
  1. 1Best of YouFoo Fighters
  2. 2Feel Good Inc.Gorillaz
  3. 3Beverly HillsWeezer
  4. 4The Hand That FeedsNine Inch Nails
  5. 5HolidayGreen Day
  6. 6Speed of SoundColdplay

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