Over their career, the group has been very influential on American electropop and freestyle artists from both their music and their strident, colorful visuals, being best known for their 1988 self-titled album. The band was formed in Minneapolis in the early 80s, and they performed avant-garde electronic music with flourishes of hip-hop. In 1983, they independently released two albums, 'The InSoc EP' and 'Creatures Of Influence'. Two years later, they released "Running", their first single, which became a hit popular in New York City's Latino nightclubs and "put them on the map". That song, a 7-minute effort that touched on contemporary techno, was written and sung by Murat Konar, who left the band soon after. Their growing success led them from their native Minneapolis to NYC, and the ensuing revenues and contacts, as well as the addition of Amanda Kramer to the lineup, led them to record their proper debut album.
Their first major release album. 1988's 'Information Society', received critical acclaim, giving the group breakout commercial success as the album hiked up to #25 on the Billboard 200. In addition to "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" (which hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart), the album also had other hits in "Walking Away" (#9 on that chart) and a cover of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me" (#12 on the Hot Dance Music chart). The disc was one of the few to use CD+G, which included digital graphics on the compact disc version in addition to the music. The audio samples from Star Trek were authorized for use on the album partially thanks to the efforts of Adam Nimoy, a fan of the band and son of Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy.
The second release, Hack (1990), wasn't as successful, but had small hits with Think and How Long but still managed to sell quite well in the fall of 1990.
Kurt was also the owner of the heavily-modified The Road Warrior-inspired art car named "Vector" featured on the cover of Hack. The car sported a functioning ranging laser, among other unusual features. Vector was eventually given to a friend at Burning Man in the mid-1990s.
The third release, Peace & Love, Inc. (1992), proved to be more powerful and critically acclaimed, although their label failed to do much to promote them. Their first single Peace & Love, Inc. reached #1 on the 'Billboard Dance Chart'. A music video was produced for the track, but MTV declined to play it. The album is also notable for being perhaps the first album ever produced to contain a track of modem tones, which when played into a telephone connected to a computer resulted in a bonus text message from the band.
The fourth album, Don't Be Afraid (1997), written and performed by Kurt Harland alone and produced by Steven Seibold, was more industrial-driven. Cleopatra Records released the album, but - like Tommy Boy Records - did little to promote it. Harland's love of computer-related materials continued to be evident, as the album included a CD-ROM filled with bonus material, not yet a common occurrence in 1997.
There was also a carefully-orchestrated digital scavenger hunt culminating in the discovery of a bonus track called White Roses. The scavenger hunt began with decoding a modem's signal recorded at the end of the audio CD, resulting in a text message from Kurt which pointed the way to a website where the search began. There is also a cover included of Gary Numan's Are 'Friends' Electric?. Also included is Ozar Midrashim, a track which was later used as the main theme for the videogame Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver.
During the course of those four albums and about a dozen remix singles from them, Information Society's sound went from more electronic pop music to a darker industrial type, though they will always be remembered for their first hit song and the cardboard guitars they wielded in its music video.
However, in 2006 Paul Robb and James Cassidy announced their intention to re-form Information Society, and began working on a new album. They also performed live at several venues across the US with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist. The Ep "Oscillator" was released in early 2007 followed by the album Synthesizer in late 2007. Christopher Anton provided the vocals on Oscillator, and Synthesizer and was the co-writer on several of the tracks as well.
http://informationsociety.us/
What's On Your Mind / Pure Energy
Information Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I want to know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on you mind
Here i am in silence,
I find myself along again
All alone with you
I can see behind your eyes,
The things that i don't know
If you hide away from me,
How can our love grow?
I want to know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I want to know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind
I know i could break you down,
But what good would it do?
I could surely never know
That what you say is true
Here i am in silence,
It's a game i have to play
You and i in silence
With nothing else to say
I want to know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I want to know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind
I want to know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I want to know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind
I want to know
What you're thinking
There are some things you can't hide
I want to know
What you're feeling
Tell me what's on your mind
The lyrics of "What's On Your Mind" by Information Society are about the desire for communication and honesty in a relationship. The singer is expressing their frustration and confusion in trying to navigate a situation where someone they care about is holding back their thoughts and emotions. They want to understand the other person on a deeper level and create a stronger connection, but they feel like they are playing a game of silence, where neither of them can fully open up.
The first verse sets the scene of the singer being alone with the person they are addressing, and noticing there is something they are not saying. In the second verse, they express their frustration with the situation, questioning if their love can grow if the other person continues to hide their thoughts and feelings. The chorus emphasizes the singer's desire to know what's going on in the other person's mind, and how important this is for the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to know
The singer desires to learn information
What you're thinking
The singer specifically wants to know the thoughts and opinions of the listener
There are some things you can't hide
The singer recognizes that some thoughts and emotions cannot be concealed
I want to know
The artist reiterates their desire for knowledge
What you're feeling
The artist also desires to understand the emotions of the listener
Tell me what's on your mind
The singer asks the listener to openly communicate their thoughts and feelings
Here i am in silence,
The singer is currently not speaking
Looking round without a clue
The artist is unsure and lacks knowledge or understanding
I find myself along again
The artist is once again without company
All alone with you
Despite being in each other's presence, the artist feels disconnected from the listener
I can see behind your eyes,
The singer believes that they can perceive hidden thoughts or emotions from the listener's expression
The things that i don't know
Despite their belief, the artist recognizes that there is still much they do not understand about the listener
If you hide away from me,
The singer implies that the listener may be keeping secrets or not fully expressing themselves
How can our love grow?
The singer believes that honest communication is integral to their relationship's growth
I know i could break you down,
The singer suggests that they have the power to persuade the listener to open up
But what good would it do?
However, the artist acknowledges that using manipulation is not beneficial for either party
I could surely never know
The artist recognizes the limitations of their understanding
That what you say is true
The singer is not entirely confident in the veracity of the listener's communication
It's a game i have to play
The singer likens their situation to a game or a social performance
You and i in silence
The artist and listener are both not speaking
With nothing else to say
The artist indicates a lack of communication or conversation topics between them
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KURT LARSON, PAUL JASON ROBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@instanthellmurderer
Who listening in 2023?
@ralphchunksoup4234
Ive always like good music
@juanbadbreedracinggarcia6608
I do😁👍🏻💯
@renaeharris5111
Love it, even today at 55
@561ENTERPRISE
This Guy.
@liqwidskye
Me!
@colorchaser
I have a theory about the 80s: It's like the top of the rollercoaster where songwriting and technology converged for the first time. The result was this explosion of creativity. Access to drums machines by Roger Linn and others + sampling technology like the Emu and Akai. To me the 80's are the absolute apex of human musical freedom. For the first time we were allowed to make the music in our heads and it was glorious. For that brief moment, it made human life more colorful and alive in ways that we're still trying to re-create.
@CBlargh
I think you're right. There were synthetic sounds prior to the 80's, but they really stand out, like Giorgio Moroder/Donna Summer and of course Kraftwerk. It wasn't until the beginning of the decade that people really started experimenting with it... and now, it's just so ubiquitous, kids don't even know there was a different way of doing things once.
@JohnSmith-ys4nl
@@CBlargh And now AI will be making all music soon. No humans needed.
@CBlargh
@@JohnSmith-ys4nl Don't get me started on AI... It's way worse than many people realise. o_O