Vanishing Mind

Album: Algiers (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song takes on the topic of Alzheimer's disease and dementia - something Calexico songwriters Joey Burns and John Convertino both had to deal with. Convertino's mother had Alzheimer's and died from the disease; Burns' grandmother was afflicted with dementia and didn't recognize him on her deathbed.

    The last track on the Algiers album, Convertino got the idea for the song after reading an article about death row inmates in California who have dementia or Alzheimer's. The article explained how other inmates are called upon to help out in these cases. This led to the theme of the song, which is about caring for others regardless of circumstance.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.