Where Is My Mind?: The Pixies Song Born on a Caribbean Dive

In the mid-’80s, Charles Thompson was a student at the University of Massachusetts. Before he became Black Francis, Pixies’ frontman, he spent six months in Puerto Rico learning Spanish. And in those years, scuba diving in the Caribbean left him with a memory that would one day become a song.

He told the story himself: he was underwater when a tiny fish started following him and wouldn’t leave his side. That strange, slightly unsettling moment was the spark for “Where Is My Mind?”

In January 1986 he started Pixies in Boston with Joey Santiago, his college buddy. To find a bassist, they ran an ad looking for someone who loved both Hüsker Dü’s punk and Peter, Paul and Mary’s folk. Kim Deal answered. With David Lovering on drums, the lineup was complete.

The song came out in 1988 on Surfer Rosa, their first full-length album, recorded with producer Steve Albini. The guitar riff, that almost lazy-sounding arpeggio, is Joey Santiago’s: he said it was the first thing he tried, and it worked right away.

Back in the day, Pixies did better in Europe than at home. But their sound, whispered verses that explode into full-volume choruses, shaped an entire generation. Kurt Cobain even admitted in an interview that with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” he was trying to sound like Pixies.

The band split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They haven’t stopped since, with a few changes on bass: today Emma Richardson holds down that spot.

On March 29, 2027, Pixies play the Santander Arena in Santiago, celebrating 40 years as a band. And it’s a safe bet “Where Is My Mind?” will be one of the night’s biggest sing-alongs.