"State of Mind" is a protest song by Scottish neo-progressive rock singer Fish, released as his first solo single about a year after his departure from Marillion and preceding the release of his first solo albumVigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. It is also the first-ever record Fish did outside Marillion except for his 1986 collaboration with Tony Banks on the single "Shortcut to Somewhere" from the Banks album Soundtracks.
Song information
The a-side track is a slow to mid-tempo rock song with strong bass and percussion elements and some Celtic folk elements. Lyrically, the song articulates the general political discontent in the late Thatcher years. In terms of music, lyrics and general mood, it is perhaps closest to the Marillion song "Sugar Mice". The b-side "The Voyeur " is a harder, although mainly keyboard-based rock song, somewhat similar to Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey"; and "Intruder", the lyrics criticise "TV voyeurism". "The Voyeur" was also included as a bonus track on the CD version of Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. Fish co-wrote both tracks with keyboardist Mickey Simmonds, the dominant musical composer on his debut solo album. Guitarist Hal Lindes has additional credits on "State of Mind". Drums are played by John Keeble, best known for his membership of 1980s pop group Spandau Ballet.
Cover art
The cover was designed by Mark Wilkinson, who had created all of Marillion's artwork until Fish's departure, and has continued to work with Fish since then. The cover shows close-ups of the faces of the couple that also features on the cover of Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors with an hourglass between them. The back-cover features an illustration of an atomic explosion inside the hourglass. The single was also the first to feature the circular "Fish" logo designed by Wilkinson, which has been used on all solo releases since then
"State of Mind" was the first of five UK top 40 singles by Fish. On 28 October 1989, the it entered the UK singles charts at position 32, which would remain its highest position. The following week, it dropped to 36; in the third and final week, it was at 58. In terms of peak chart position, this was Fish's third most successful single.
