An Open Mind

Writers - Tennant/Lowe
First released - 2019
Original album - (none)
Producer - Stuart Price
Subsequent albums -(none)
Other releases - Bonus track with the single "Dreamland"

Titled "Say Goodbye" in its earliest form and then becoming "One-Track Mind" before assuming its final title, this song is one of the bonus tracks accompanying the single "Dreamland," released on CD and in digital bundles in late October 2019. Produced by Stuart Price and recorded during the sessions for the album Hotspot, it boasts a bright, light, almost summery feel that lends a wistful air to the lyrics, which seem to be a personal reminiscence about a friendship characterized by a shared devotion to (and a somewhat conspiratorial attitude toward) pushing the boundaries of fashion, taste, and social convention. The very first line, "We walked in high heels over broken glass," establishes a recurring theme in the song: a conscious, almost studied iconoclasm that, depending on one's perspective, can be viewed as both admirable and offensive. This is underscored by the later assertion "There is beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty." As Neil sings:

We took two steps forward and one step back
That was our plan of attack

In other words, there's no progress, either in fashion or in social morés, without taking chances and challenging the status quo of what is "acceptable" and in "good taste." Neil's language ("We were all there for pleasure at the latest whatever") suggests that, at least from the perspective of the narrator and his friend, the precise character and nature of the ensuing changes didn't matter as much as the fact that they were simply different, something new. Sometimes there might be setbacks, but the overall movement was onward. But in order to take part in such a movement—either as an active participant or as an appreciative observer—one needs the titular open mind. That is the essential trait shared by the narrator and the friend to whom he appears to be singing: "Yes, we kept an open mind."

I may be wrong, but I can't help but feel that this song may have been inspired by the same old friendship of Neil's that had famously inspired several older songs: "It Couldn't Happen Here," "Your Funny Uncle," and, most notably, "Being Boring." In fact, Neil has stated that it's "sort of a rewrite of 'Being Boring.'" "An Open Mind" shares several images and references with the earlier song, including the line about high heels and, pointedly, the affirmation "We were never left behind"—a clear echo of the older song's "We were never being boring." Indeed, having an open mind would be a virtual prerequisite to not being boring.

Neil and Chris had originally intended to include "An Open Mind" on Hotspot, and they continued to hold the song in high regard, but they came to feel that its general "sound" didn't fit in with the album's other tracks. So they decided to exclude it from the final lineup, inserting "Burning the Heather" in its place.

Annotations

Chris has observed that, from a musical perspective, this track was inspired by the then-recent (April 2018) death of Avicii—the stage name of Swedish DJ/producer/songwriter Tim Bergling: "I was sort of channeling him, as a sort of elegy…."
"chequered past" – An English-lanquage idiom (which, when used in the United States, is usually spelled "checkered") that dates back at least to the early 1800s. Drawing metaphorically upon the alternating black and white squares of a checkerboard, it describes a "mixed" history marked by both good and bad deeds—though, more often than not, with emphasis on the bad. Someone with a chequered/checkered past may not be very trustworthy or reliable, but you can probably count on them to be somewhat unpredictable and, more importantly, quite interesting.
"bohemian life" – The word "bohemian" is generally used to refer to an unconventional lifestyle, especially if it tends toward more artistic pursuits. It dates back to the early nineteenth century, originating with the French word bohémien, which was commonly used to refer to Romani people (aka "gypsies"), who were erroneously thought to have migrated from the region of Bohemia in the western part of modern Czechia.
"fresh as debutantes" – A delightful simile that refers to upper-class young women making their first appearance in fashionable society. A male describing himself and his (presumably also male) friend in this way hints broadly and amusingly at their sexual orientation.

List cross-references

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