Mind Over Matter

What “Mind Over Matter” means

The song feels like a brief, tense reflection on attraction, vulnerability, and self-conscious change. The repeated focus on “love” and the speaker being physically shaken suggests intense feeling, but that feeling is mixed with uncertainty and emotional instability rather than confidence. The repeated word “changed” points to some shift in the speaker’s identity or situation, as if the relationship or emotional experience has altered how he sees himself. The phrase about being “entitled to speaking about her” can be read as a troubled assertion of claim or voice, suggesting jealousy, possessiveness, or a need to justify speaking about someone who matters deeply to him. The emotional movement seems to go from raw desire to guarded observation, with the speaker repeatedly watching and bracing himself. Images of lowered arms and seasons changing suggest surrender, vulnerability, and the passage of time. The final sense of being “a young man” connects the song to youth and self-discovery, implying that these feelings are part of an emerging identity. This is an interpretation of the lyrics themselves rather than documented artist intent, since the text provided is too fragmentary to support a definitive authorial statement.

About Young the Giant

Young the Giant is an American indie rock band formed in California, known for anthemic guitar rock and Saharan-influenced rhythms in some earlier work. This song belongs to the era of their second album, when they were moving from breakthrough status into a more polished, mainstream rock phase.

The original recording of Mind Over Matter appears on Young the Giant’s second album, Mind Over Matter, first released in 2014. The In The Open version is a separate performance video and should not be treated as the original studio release. The album later received a 10th anniversary deluxe reissue with demos and an acoustic track. Young the Giant’s own later description of the album says it centered on mental health and overcoming obstacles, which helps frame the title track as part of a more introspective period for the band. The In The Open video was filmed outdoors on Angeles Crest Highway in Southern California, giving the song a stripped, roadside performance setting that contrasts with the studio album version and highlights the song’s live, reflective feel.

• Ready As I’ll Ever BeWoofyRei
• Wish You Were HerePink Floyd
• Slave To The RhythmMichael Jackson
• Money2021 London Cast of Cabaret
• Love YourselfJustin Bieber
• Red LightsMiley Cyrus