“In a World Possessed by the Human Mind” by The Tragically Hip

"In a World Possessed by the Human Mind" led the way for Man Machine Poem as its first single in April 2016, ahead of the album that became the Tragically Hip's thirteenth and final studio record, and the last one released before Gord Downie's death. It's hard not to hear it as a farewell: before the album came out, the band revealed that Downie had brain cancer, found in December 2015. But the band and critics alike warned against that reading, because these songs were written and recorded before the diagnosis.

Dave Hamelin, who produced the album with Kevin Drew, is the credited producer here, and Nyles Spencer recorded it. The writing credit goes to all five: Downie, who sings it, guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.