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in: Songs, Mutations, 1998,
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Cold Brains

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Cold Brains is the first track and second single from Mutations.

Description[]

This song was originally written for a sequel album to One Foot in the Grave that never happened. Years later, Beck remembered the song and brought it back for Mutations. The entire time, the lyrics were basically the same, with the theme of the song being death, more specifically, death of inspiration, a writers block. He describes his brain cold, untouched, longing for inspiration. He has no thoughts, no mind, and describes inspiration as a field of green that he cannot get to. Even with a worm of hope, he still fails. In the last verse, it describes all the unsuccessful attempts quieting this bird of song, which is probably a reference to Beck himself, saying that it doesn't matter anymore, and that his fans will move on from him.

When asked about the songs bleakness, Beck said that he found the lyrics to be funny;

"I think of it as mostly playful, but then I think Leonard Cohen is a humorous song writer. In 'Cold Brains' when I say, 'The fields of green are obscene and I lay upon the gravel', there's just this demented auto-erotica that I think is hilarious. It's not meant to necessarily bring anybody down or bum anybody out."

Despite this, the song is obviously not a light-hearted song (it's very bleak). "I think there's a certain world-weariness to the record, but I just think of it as being part of the condition of our whole way of living. I don't know anybody who doesn't reach a point of exhaustion on a regular basis. We don't know how to live anymore." On this song, he describes what it's like to reach a point of exhaustion.

The B-Sides for the single vary depending on country: In Australia and the US, the B-Sides are Electric Music and the Summer People, Halo of Gold, while One of These Days and Diamond in the Sleaze are exclusive to the Australian version. Similarly, Diamond Bollocks and Runners Dial Zero are exclusive to the US version.

Lyrics[]

Cold brains unmoved,

Untouched, unglued, alone at last

No thoughts, no mind

To rot behind a trail of disasters

A final curse abandoned hearse

We ride disowned corroded to the bone

The fields of green are bent obscene

I lay upon the gravel

A worm of hope, a hangman's rope

Pulls me one way or the other

A final curse abandoned hearse

We ride disowned corroded to the bone

A bird of song is heard no longer

In the evacuated heavens

The drain is drawn and drained and gone

And on and on, it doesn't matter

A final curse abandoned hearse

We ride disowned corroded to the bone

Track Listing[]

Australian single[]

  1. "Cold Brains" - 3:43
  2. "One of These Days" - 4:43
  3. "Diamond in the Sleaze" - 4:06
  4. "Halo of Gold" - 4:30
  5. "Electric Music and the Summer People" - 3:35

US Promo[]

  1. "Cold Brains" - 3:43
  2. "Electric Music and the Summer People" - 3:35
  3. "Halo of Gold" - 4:30
  4. "Runners Dial Zero" - 3:57
  5. "Diamond Bollocks - 6:00

Listen[]

Cold_Brains

Cold Brains

Tracks

B-Sides

Black Balloon • Diamond in the Sleaze • Electric Music and the Summer People • Halo of Gold • One of These Days • Runners Dial Zero

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