MIA's cover of The Pixies' "Where is My Mind" is a great example of a cover song with the artist's own creative twist. Each artist are two different and distinct genres but this song has crossed over these boarders because of its link to cinema and it is an excellent song in my opinion. The Pixies' nonsensical lyrics are just vague enough to have their own interpretations for each individual. It's inspiration was from scuba trips that frontman Black Francis experience during a trip to the Caribbean but it could also have tie-ins with a drugged out lifestyle. MIA took a more political twist to the song. She raps about wars in Africa and how the kids in the slums of major cities get by. She definitely has a more direct approach lyrically but her slurred distorted syllables are hard to make out and you could easily hear her words wrong. The only lyrics that are similar in both songs is the first verse of "Where is My Mind" which is used as MIA's chorus.
Both songs have a prominent and recognizable bass part but the timbre matches each artist's genre. MIA goes for a more hip-hop, dance feel with a deep bass synth and a faster tempo than the Pixies, whose sound is a more of an alternative grunge groove. Because of their different genre's, these songs have different emotional value. The Pixies give the song a hypnotic and creepy feel and do a good job of creating tension before the chorus. It has a similar style to Radiohead's "Creep". MIA on the other hand tries to make it more "poppy" with hip-hop drums that drive the rhythm. It has less of that hypnotic feel but it makes you want to move to the beat. Since these songs are similar in that they are covers, they have almost the exact same organization but MIA's verses are longer.
My favorite version of both of these songs is it's original by the Pixies. It is a timeless classic that I'm sure will be covered more in the future. I love the dreary tempo as it pulsates throughout the song and the vocals give it a spooky quality.
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