Music and the Fictive Dream- "Where is My Mind?" by Pixies (Fight Club)

The song I chose to focus on for my blog comes from one of my most favorite movies of all time which is Fight Club. If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. The song is called Where is My Mind? by the Pixies.

Biography

The Pixies were a really popular band in the 90's that started in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts ("Pixies (band)). Pixies was considered to be "one of the most influential American alternative rock bands" (Purcell). Their music has a grungy, chaotic, alternative, rock sound to it all together. The history to how this song was born is that it is actually based off a high school trip the founder, Black Francis, took to the Bahamas and was scuba diving (Houghton). In the song you can hear in the lyrics where it is mentioned the Caribbean's and a fish trying to talk to him. Please enjoy the song below. 

Where is My Mind? Composed by "Black Francis" (Charles Thompson), Nov. 1987, United States.

Role of this Work

Below I have provided the end scene in Fight Club which is where the song I am focusing on is featured. Like I said previously, please go watch this movie (if you haven't) because the next part of my blog will make more sense as I will be breaking both the first rule and the second rule of Fight Club: Don't talk about fight club. 

The main character is a man who suffers from insomnia and other mental disorders then ends up meeting "Tyler Durden" on a plane while on a business trip. The two men partner up, move in together,  and start their own anti-establishment organization. A woman named Marla Singer has entered the picture which is her holding the mans hand in the video. While the main character doesn't particularly like her, Tyler Durden loves her. The plot twist of this movie is that the main character is actually "Tyler Durden". He is both characters in one and only he could see "Tyler Durden" which was a more eccentric, cooler version of himself. According to The People, Ideas, and Things Journal, in  "Schizophrenia: A Beautiful Fight", the movie Fight Club is used as an example of a film/literature depicting schizophrenia within an individual. 

This is where the song Where is My Mind? by Pixies ties everything together because throughout the entire movie you are fully convinced that Tyler Durden and the other man are two separate people, just like how the main character is full convinced as well. The entirety of the movie, both the main character and the audience are seeing and hearing the same thing, so everything must be real? At the end of this movie, the main character acknowledges the fact that "Tyler Durden" is only a figment of his imagination and is trying to escape from himself. To add the song Where is My Mind? as the ending song is such a great cinematic move. 

Where is My Mind by Pixies: Ending scene of the movie 'Fight Club'

Social Commentary

By placing this song at the end of this movie, it really has a more deeper meaning besides being a good background song for the end credits. It is not till towards the end of the movie where Tyler Durden realizes he is not well mentally due to recognizing he is hallucinating. He recognizes how his unstable mental health has lead himself and others down a dangerous path. As the song is playing, Tyler and Marla quietly watch building crumble which is like an analogy for his mental health. Everything is slowly falling away. This song is very symbolic when it comes to capturing the complexity of Tyler's mental disorders. The lyrics and the chaotic yet dreamlike song symbolizes the movie as well. I couldn't imagine the director using anything because "I don't think that any other song has become more synonymous with a film than "Where is My Mind?" with Fight Club" (Diaz). The intro of this song pairs nicely when Tyler Durden tells Marla, "You met me at a very strange time in my life". This is where the song displays the question Tyler Durden is now asking himself which is "where is my mind?". 

My Opinion

As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, I really admire the movie Fight Club. I honestly believe that the mixture of the final dialogue and the song combined is one of the best endings I have ever saw. The intro of the song creates this hauntingly beautiful timbre that matches the scene of buildings collapsing but also the theme of self-destruction within mental illnesses. The guitar has such a way of drawing you into a dreamy state, like when Tyler and Marla were just staring in the silence. The melody is another element that makes sense for its placement within the film because of it's lyrics. Personally, I struggle with my own mental illnesses and when the first verse said "With your feet in the air and your head on the ground", that immediately made something click in my brain like "wait, this feels familiar". Then the song continues through the first verse and then the chorus which is "your head will collapse, if there's nothing in it. And you'll ask yourself. Where is my mind?". This part of the song made me feel seen. As I was creating this blog, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic because of the feelings that come up when I very first watched Fight Club. This movie is so bittersweet because I believe this is a reminder that sometimes you have to lose yourself in order to find yourself. 

Work Cited

Berkelhammer, Julia., Cockerham, Angel., et al. "Schizophrenia: A Beautiful Fight". The PIT Journal., 2010, https://pitjournal.unc.edu/2023/01/24/schizophrenia-a-beautiful-fight/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026. 

Diaz, F. "Think Tank Tuesday: The Usage of Music In Film". Student Union Sports, 25 Oct. 2022. https://studentunionsports.com/think-tank-tuesday-the-usage-of-music-in-film/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhere%20Is%20My%20Mind?%E2%80%9D,strange%20time%20in%20my%20life.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.

Houghton, Cillea. "The Nautical Story Behind the Pixies' 'Where is My Mind?'". American Song Writer. 24 Jan. 2024. https://americansongwriter.com/the-nautical-story-behind-the-pixies-where-is-my-mind/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026. 

"Pixies (band)." Wikipedia, 7 Apr. 2026., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixies_(band) 

Purcell, Kerry. "The Pixies Biography". Boston Herald. 21 Sep. 2007., https://www.bostonherald.com/2007/09/21/the-pixies-biography/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026. 

Role of a Performer: Louis Armstrong

 Role of a Performer: Louis Armstrong 

                                                        Fig. 1: Louis Daniel Armstrong

For this blog, I am going to dive into the fascinating world of Louis Armstrong. As someone who has been playing the trumpet since the age of 9, Louis Armstrong is hands down one of my favorite trumpet players. To give some background to this iconic figure, Louis Armstrong could be described as a trumpet player that presented "a stage personality uncomfortably close to the lovable clown" (Collier 3). His presence must of been so joyful to be around. 

Well, Louis Armstrongs story begins in the heart of New Orleans. On the day of August 4th, 1901 a legend was born ("Lous Armstrong Biography"). Jazz is what Armstrong is most known for, he plays both the cornet and trumpet. When it comes to jazz, he "was the driving force in the development from traditional New Orleans ensemble playing to the prominent role of the jazz soloist" (Stein 1). Armstrong is clearly an icon when it comes to music because "he was becoming a phenomenon" (Kratz). By the time he was in his twenty's, his name was creating waves. 

              What A Wonderful World composed by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, 16 Aug. 1967, United States. 

Pitch

Within the piece of What A Wonderful World, while Armstrong's voice is in key F, it is a lower octave compared to the instruments in the background. His voice is lower sounding, such as in the beginning when he says "I see trees of GREEN", it is when he says "green" that the octave is raised. As it continues, it's like the octave starts to get lower and lower till the chorus. It is then heightened again. The background instruments are carrying a pitch that is very soft and higher octave. 

Melody

The melody of this song is so nostalgic for me. Every piece of the music can carry me away back to my childhood. The vocals and instruments complement each other very nicely to create this melody. The way Armstrong sings this song along with the lyrics could literally bring tears in my eyes especially when he sings "what a wonderful world" because it really is. Sometimes people don't look around and appreciate the beauty in which they are apart of in Mother Nature in this world. The pattern of the chorus goes along well with the instruments because it creates a pattern but the verses are just as impactful as the chorus. 

When The Saints Go Marching In composed by unknown, late 19th or early 20th century, United States.

Rhythm

I really enjoy this song because of the high-energy rhythm. It is so fast-paced but in the best way possible. This is a very lively swing. He could even play the rhythm of this song on his trumpet in a beautiful way. 

Form

The form of this song is very catchy because it repeats the chorus with a nice verse. It is when he signs "when the saints go marching in", this is where he has the crowd work and makes them repeat this. 

When I was in the first grade, my teacher would put on Louis Armstrong as we colored or read silently to ourselves. This was my first impression of him and even then, I was mesmerized. Armstrong's voice is very unique and distinct. I was nine years old when I learned how to play the trumpet because they ran out of saxophones and I had no other choice. I didn't expect myself to fall so deeply in love with playing (I continued playing the trumpet till I was fifteen years old). As I was watched and read about the impact Armstrong has made in his time, I was starting to get lonesome for the trumpet because of how well he plays. I am grateful I picked this performer because it reminds me how precious instrumental skills are such as Louis Armstrongs. 

Work Cited

Collier, James Lincoln, Louis Armstrong An American Genius. Oxford University Press Inc., 1983. Google Books.,  https://books.google.com/bookshl=en&lr=&id=7iznCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=louis+armstrong+biography&ots=0FH6XGsaJI&sig=sRwj2tUCV1sik6sjN0W-tbvSeRY#v=onepage&q=louis%20armstrong%20biography&f=false

Fig. [1], "Louis Armstrong". Wikipedia, 29 Mar. 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong

Kratz, Jessie. "Louis Armstrong: Harlem Renaissance Pioneer". National Archives, 14 Feb. 2024., https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2024/02/14/louis-armstrong-harlem-renaissance-pioneer/

"Louis Armstrong Biography." Louis Armstrong House, 2026, https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/biography/, accessed 4 Apr, 2026. 

Stein, Daniel. Music is My Life: Louis Armstrong., The University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor, 2012, Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FJdFDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=louis+armstrong+biography+&ots=elYvebfoHK&sig=AJGWkmwQ6SnkR7hi7jpTDSaFChQ#v=onepage&q=louis%20armstrong%20biography&f=false