"Hey, is
that a photograph of you and R.E.M. ?"
"Yes,
that's me in the corner"
Like U2,
R.E.M accompanied my adult life, from the jingle jangle guitars of the early
years, to their world dominion of early 1990s and the decline of the three-piece
in later years.
After years
of relentless touring, the "Out of Time" sessions marked a pause and revaluation
for R.EM. Peter Buck cast aside his trademark guitar, and picked up a mandolin.
There seemed a desire for increased fame and sales - how else to explain the
outlier that is "Shiny Happy People" ?
It was Buck's
mandolin experimentation that led to the memorable riff for their most famous
song "Losing My Religion". The title leads to a common misconception, but it comes from a southern American expression for losing your temper or being
tired of something (although the religious imagery in the video confused the
issue).
For once,
Michael Stipe provided more clarity regarding the lyrics, describing it as a song
of obsession ("Trying to keep
an eye on you"), unrequited love ("the distance in your eyes"),
regret ("Oh no, I've said too
much"), failed hopes ("that was just a dream") and
secrecy (maybe for a sexuality?).
It sounds so
catchy with such a great melody, the mandolin and acoustic guitar are the key
focus assisted by some strings, but the underrated drumming and minimal bass
were always so important to the R.E.M sound.
Stipe's
vocals, recorded in a single take, are as quirky and distinctive as normal but
lose the mumbling of the early years. His opening "Ohhhhh life", the
elongating of "spot light" and the second "fool" are particular
delights.
"Losing
My Religion" was a huge hit, top 5
in the USA, winning Grammys and heavy MTV rotation due to its artistic video. Initially
it had seemed an unlikely hit single, as it clocks in at well over 4 minutes,
predominately in a minor key and an unconventional song structure.
It is a great
tribute to R.E.M.'s ability to create idiosyncratic
and abstract work that could still appeal to millions of people.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwtdhWltSIg
Hear Next -
"Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" are the
most accessible R.E.M. albums.
** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b
