Duotang formed in Winnipeg in the summer of 1995, by two young gentlemen wh… Read Full Bio ↴Duotang formed in Winnipeg in the summer of 1995, by two young gentlemen who shared a penchant for red wine on good days, and Labatt Blue on the rest. They also shared a great love for sixties bands such as The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks and such. Rod Slaughter (today, he plays in Novillero) played bass and Sean Allum played drums, in different bands. They got together late at night at the warehouse their respective band’s shared, and played sixties songs until dawn. No one else would ever want to join in, so Rod became the singer.

One night, armed with a borrowed 8-track and locked inside their warehouse with friend Cam Loeppky, they proceeded to record a demo tape of original songs. Their friends (Sinisa and Darcy) loved it, but no one else cared.

One fall night in 1995, they played a festival in Winnipeg. A certain Mr. Peter Jenner, the infamous manager of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Clash, and recently Billy Bragg, was in attendance. "These lads are pretty good," he was heard saying.

Then things started to happen. A local show with the wonderful Smugglers that summer eventually led to our joining the Mint Records family in March of 1996.

Their first album Smash the Ships and Raise the Beams (recorded by Darryl Neudorf in Vancouver) was released in September, 1996, and eventually climbed to #2 on the Canadian College charts. They toured Canada numerous times, and down through the States in early 1997. They even made it to Europe with Huevos Rancheros in early 1998.

A second album The Cons and the Pros (recorded by Brendann McGuire in Toronto) was released in May of 1998, and climbed to #1 on the Canadian College charts. That summer they toured Canada with The Weakerthans and Plumtree. Angus Kirkpatrick joined them on second bass for their next tour in the fall of 1998, during which they played with the Archers of Loaf in Toronto and Montreal. In the spring of 1999, they (including Angus) returned to Europe with The Hi-Fives for a fun-filled, six-week tour.

Change Your Mind
Duotang Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Distrust can go too far
It comes with little warning
Smallest seeds will grow
And if I ever do
Just what you thought I'd do
Somehow let me know

And so I stand accused

Things I've been said to do
They don't even know
And judging by your changing views
They found a new recruit
They just won't let it go

I really want to change your mind
Really want to change your mind
But I won't waste my time
'Cause a chosen few decide
What I can and can't deny

I'm not saying I was right
It's not always black or white
Passes far behind
So I continue to despise
The hypocrites that criticize
Everything they find

I really want to change your mind
Really want to change your mind
But I won't waste my time
'Cause a chosen few decide
What I can and can't deny

Oooh, and everything has changed
Just like they wanted it to
Oooh, and everything has changed

Distrust can go too far
It comes with little warning
Smallest seeds will grow
And I continue to despise
The hypocrites that criticize
They just won't let it go

I really want to change your mind
Really want to change your mind
But I won't waste my time
'Cause a chosen few decide
When I'm wrong and when I'm right

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Overall Meaning

The song "Change Your Mind" by Duotang eloquently describes the frustration and annoyance that comes with being misunderstood or falsely accused. The vocalist describes how distrust can snowball and grow rapidly, taking over relationships and clouding judgment. It appears that the singer has been blamed for doing something that they didn't do, and has had trouble convincing the other person of their innocence. The ending lines express the singer's discontent with the "hypocrites that criticize" and their inability to let go of the issue.

What is particularly striking about the song is its repetition of the phrase "I really want to change your mind". It highlights the singer's desire to reconcile and clear up any misunderstandings, but the following line suggests that they will not "waste [their] time" on people who are unwilling to listen. The song's chorus also criticizes those who have the power to dictate what is right and wrong, which may speak to larger power structures that disproportionately affect marginalized peoples.

Line by Line Meaning

Distrust can go too far
Excessive distrust can harm relationships

It comes with little warning
People often don't express their distrust until it's too late

Smallest seeds will grow
Problems can start small but escalate over time

And if I ever do
If I make a mistake

Just what you thought I'd do
If I do something you expected me to do

Somehow let me know
Please communicate with me so I can learn from my mistakes

And so I stand accused
People have blamed me

Things I've been said to do
Accusations against me

They don't even know
They don't have all the facts

And judging by your changing views
Your opinion of me has changed

They found a new recruit
They've replaced me

They just won't let it go
They won't forgive or forget

I really want to change your mind
I want to make you see things differently

But I won't waste my time
I won't try if it's futile

'Cause a chosen few decide
Those in charge have the final say

What I can and can't deny
What I'm allowed to refute or accept

I'm not saying I was right
I'm not claiming I'm innocent

It's not always black or white
There are often gray areas

Passes far behind
The incident happened long ago

So I continue to despise
I still hate

The hypocrites that criticize
Those who falsely judge others

Everything they find
Anything and everything about someone

Oooh, and everything has changed
Things are different now

Just like they wanted it to
As they planned and hoped

I really want to change your mind
I want to influence your opinion

But I won't waste my time
I won't try if it's futile

'Cause a chosen few decide
Those in charge have the final say

When I'm wrong and when I'm right
When I'm at fault and when I'm not

Ba ba ba
Vocal sounds for the chorus instrumental section