Just The Nagging Doubt Remains

The Human League “Mirror Man” – After years of loving this song, I still can’t figure out its angle on this “mirror man,” or, given the way it’s sung in the first person but then switches to an ambiguous chorus announcing the arrival of the “mirror man,” whether or not the singer is the “mirror man.” It seems that the singer is disassociating himself from the part of his mind that is eager to change, and he’s afraid that this makes him a bit of a sociopath, or that being so adaptable wipes out his sense of identity. Still, even though the character is chilly and aloof, the song signals some kind of remorse, hinting that maybe he does have some very good reason to feel guilty. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site with mp3s from Antibalas, RJD2, and Santa Maria.