GREEN: YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Michael Stipe has often said that this song is more about childhood than anything else.  If there's one kid who knew a lot about traveling at a young age it was Stipe whose father was in the military and had to relocate occasionally.  This song is also one of the few times that Stipe uses an identifying pronoun with 'she.'  On most songs he is deliberately avoiding a label of male and female, but here he is straightforward which identifies the character as a child viewing a parental figure. 
  I used to have a t-shirt for this song from the tour.  The shirt was simply the R.E.M. and Green logos with 'You Are The Everything' in the center.  True to the band's form, the title of the song was upside down so when the wearer of the shirt looked down it was referring to them. 



YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Sometimes I feel like I can’t even sing
(Say, say, the light)
I’m very scared for this world
I’m very scared for me
(Say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here’s a scene
You’re in the back seat laying down
(Say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To the sound of the travel and the engine
(Say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
You feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn’t end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The stars are the greatest thing you’ve ever seen
And they’re there for you
For you alone you are the everything

I think about this world a lot and I cry
(Say, say, the light)
And I’ve seen the films and the eyes
But I’m in this kitchen
(Say, say, the light)
Everything is beautiful
(Say, say, the light)
And she is so beautiful
She is so young and old
(Say, say, the light)
I look at her and I see the beauty
Of the light of music
The voices talking somewhere in the house
Late spring and you’re drifting off to sleep
With your teeth in your mouth
You are here with me
You are here with me
You have been here and you are everything

Sometimes I feel like I can’t even sing
(Say, say, the light)
I’m very scared for this world
I’m very scared for me
(Say, say, the light)
Eviscerate your memory
Here’s a scene
You’re in the back seat laying down
(Say, say, the light)
The windows wrap around
To the sound of the travel and the engine
(Say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
You feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn’t end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The greatest thing you’ve ever seen
And they’re there for you
For you alone you are the everything
For you alone you are the everything

  I'm not sure if Warner Bros. expected Peter Buck to put his electric down for their debut with a major label, but it makes sense.  The band was already feeling tied to their instruments.  Little did Buck know that this song was the beginning of tying him to the mandolin, and even though it is the next albums 'Losing My Religion' that really sets it off, this album boasts three mandolin driven tracks and background on a fourth.  This track has no guitar at all, but I have added chords.  It's fun to tune the 'b' string on the guitar down to 'a' and play the chords (with fingering alterations) above the 12th fret.  Sounds darn close to a mandolin.  When playing live, Mills would pick up an accordion, Berry the bass.
  In general, Buck strums the opening and first part of the verse, and picks the notes out more for the second part of the verse and chorus.

YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING

Intro/ Middle Bridge (Am)

e|-0---0-0-0-0---|

A|-0---0-0-0-0---|

D|-2---0-2-0-2---|

G|-5---0-5-0-5---|

Verse (G-D)

e|-3---5-3-2---|

A|-2---2-2-0---|

D|-0---0-0-0---|

G|-0---0-0-2---|

(C-G)

e|-0---3---|

A|-3---2---|

D|-2---0---|

G|-0---0---|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-0-1-0-0-0-|

A|-0-0-0-5-0-|

D|-----------|

G|-----------|

Chorus (D)

e|-5-5-5-3-5--0-1-0----|

A|-0-0-0-0-0-5-----5-0-|

D|---------------------|

G|---------------------|

End Am

GREEN: GET UP

Earlier in the blog, I brought up how R.E.M. does a great job of picking second songs for albums.  'Get Up' is no exception.  The song is a perfect gateway to the rest of the album in a way that 'Pop Song 89' is not ... in fact the first song is a bit of a red herring.  The first song of 'Green' seems to say get ready for a bunch of pop songs, whereas 'Get Up' darkly explores the blurred line between dreams and reality.  The track sets up an album that is extremely dark and moody and angry.  The next couple of tracks attempt to stifle that tendency, but by the time 'I Remember California' rolls around we are back into a somber state of mind.
  So according to this song, what is the bigger mistake: Living too much in the dream world, or not enough?  Imagination is important, but so is dealing with what is actually going on around us and not living in a blissfully innocent state.  This song and 'Stand' seem to be a literal call to people of the world to do something about anything. 
  A note about the middle bridge.  At one point in recording, Bill Berry had a dream that the band needed '12 music boxes all going at once' for the song's bridge.  Afterward he felt that it 'worked pretty good.'  As far as the lyric 'laying pine' I assume this is Stipe's play on 'sawing logs' to refer to sleeping.



GET UP

Sleep delays my life
(Get up, get up)
Where does time go?
(Get up, get up, get up)
I don’t know, oh
Sleep, sleep, sleepy head
(Get up, get up, get up)
Wake it up, up
(Get up, get up)
You’ve got all your life
(Way up ahead)
(Get up, get up, get up)

Dreams they complicate my life-a
(Dreams they complement my life)
Dreamtime-a

I’ve seen you laying pine
(Get up, get up)
I’ve seen you laying pine-a
(Get up, get up)
Life is rough, ough
(Get up, get up, get up)
I’ve seen you lay it down
(Get up)
(Down)
With the loving kind
(Get up, get up)
I know life is hard, hard
(Where now to turn?)
Where? Now. Where to turn? Where to turn?

Dreams they complicate my life-a
(Dreams they complement my life)

Dreamtime-a

Dreams they complicate my life-a
(Dreams they complement my life)
This time with no escape, I wake up.
(Get up, get up)
(Dreamtime-a)
Get up, get up
(Dreamtime-a)
Get up
(Dreamtime-a)
Get up, get up, get up, get up

This is a fairly simple song musically.  Fun little chord changes, some feedback, some slide and you can really rock out to it.  The slide below is extremely light as with the last album.  Also, Buck these days does not barre any chords, and plays most of the verse up at the second fret ...
GET UP

Intro/ Chorus

e|-0---0----0---3---5---|

B|-0---0----0---3---5---|

G|-9---8----9---4---6---|

D|-9---9---10---5---7---|

A|-7---9---10---5---7---|

E|-0---7----8---3---5---|

e|-0---0----0---3---6---|

B|-0---0----0---3---6---|

G|-9---8----9---4---7---|

D|-9---9---10---5---8---|

A|-7---9---10---5---8---|

E|-0---7----8---3---6---|

Slide on Second Half of Chorus

e|---------------------|

B|---------------------|

G|-7>9-----3>5---------|

D|-7>9-7>9-3>5-3>5>8---|

A|-----7>9-----3>5>8---|

E|---------------------|

Verse

e|-xx-55-xx-55-xx-55-xx-33-55-xx-55-xx-55-33---|

B|-xx-55-xx-55-xx-55-xx-33-77-xx-77-xx-77-33---|

G|-xx-66-xx-66-xx-66-xx-44-77-xx-77-xx-77-44---|

D|-xx-77-xx-77-xx-77-xx-55-77-xx-77-xx-77-55---|

A|-xx-77-xx-77-xx-77-xx-55-55----55----55-55---|

E|-xx-55-xx-55-xx-55-xx-33-55----55----55-33---|

Middle Bridge

(All Feedback)

e|---------|

B|---7--7--|

G|---7--7--|

D|-7--7----|

A|-7--7----|

E|---------|

End

Hold Bb

A

GREEN: POP SONG 89

In 1992, the R.E.M. fan letter reported that the Hal Leonard company was going to release guitar versions of 'Automatic For The People,' 'Out Of Time,' and "Green.'  I greedily purchase the Automatic and OOT books, but Green never came out.  Perhaps because the album is so full of mandolin it does not translate well, or maybe the band or company reneged.  In any case, these next 11 posts are dedicated to me as a youth waiting for the release of that damn 'Green' book.
  Pop Song 89 is just was it says it is.  A pop song for 1989 (I wonder if the band would rename the title if they realized that they were dating themselves?).  There are no hidden agendas, political or otherwise, and perhaps it is just that idea that makes it the perfect first song on the band's major label debut.  It is their version of the pop song and it is catchy, but not the sellout most fans expected.  Lyrically it is extremely straightforward and I'm sure Warner Bros. was very pleased with that.  In fact the lyrics are so simple they are arrogant ... who would think of making a song out of such a mundane thing as a boring repetitive conversation we all have?  Plus, the addition of an imaginary friend suggests a different kind of character ... or perhaps a child. 
  The video was directed by Stipe and features three topless women with the topless Stipe, all in harlequin pants and Stipe in the foreground.  The video starts with the phrase 'This is it' and simply has the four people dancing, the women seemingly disgusted when Stipe looks back at them.  There are some fun bits with a watch, pushing the camera, and rolling around on the floor.  MTV told Stipe he had to edit the video, so he put black bars over the female nipples and his own saying 'a nipple is a nipple.'



POP SONG 89
Hello, I saw you, I know you, I knew you
I think I can remember your name, name
Hello, I’m sorry, I lost myself
I think I thought you were someone else

Should we talk about the weather?
Hi, hi, hi
Should we talk about the government?
Hi, hi, hi
Hi

Hello, how are you? I know you, I knew you
I think I can remember your name, name
Hello, I’m sorry I lost myself
I think I thought you were someone else

Should we talk about the weather?
Hi, hi, hi
Should we talk about the government?
Hi, hi, hi
Hi

Hello, my friend, are you visible today?
You know I never knew that it could be so strange, strange
Hello, I’m sorry, I lost myself
I think I thought you were someone else

Should we talk about the weather?
Hi, hi, hi
Should we talk about the government?
Hi, hi, hi
Hi

Hi, hi
Hi, hi, hi
Hi, hi
Hi, hi, hi
Hi, hi
Hi, hi, hi

More of the same from Buck land.  A catchy riff and some jaunty chords.  At first I thought there were more power chords as that is what he now plays live, but on the original recording he plays straight chords with the power chords being in bridge and the 'B' in the chorus.  I added the little flourish in the verse to mimic the bass, but he doesn't actually play it ...

POP SONG 89

Verse

e|-0---2---0---2-2-0---|

B|-2---3---2---3-2-0---|

G|-2---2---2---2-2-0---|

D|-2---0---2---0-0-0---|

A|-0-------0-----------|

E|-0-------0-----------|

Riff

e|-8--------------------------|

B|--5-------------------------|

G|---7-7-5-5-7-7>9-7-7-9h-0---|

D|-----------------------9----|

A|----------------------------|

E|----------------------------|

Chorus

e|-0-0-0-3-3-3-2-2-0-0-0-0---|

B|-0--0--3--3--3--3--0--0----|

G|-1-----0-----2-----4-------|

D|-2-----0-----0-----4-------|

A|-2-----2-----------2-------|

E|-0-----3-----------0-------|

Break

e|-0---0---0---0---0-------|

B|-0---0---0---0---0-7b!---|

G|-4---9---4---9---7-------|

D|-4---9---4---9---7-------|

A|-2---7---2---7---5-------|

E|-0---0---0---0---0-------|

Intro to GREEN

'Green is everything that you want, youth, maturity, growth, strength.  And also it's

money, and the other kind of nasty, grubby things.'

-Peter Buck

  With the release of 'Document,' R.E.M. officially finished their initial record contract obligation with IRS records.  They naturally looked elsewhere just to see what would be offered.  Did they think something as amazingly huge as Warner Bros would come along?  Perhaps, but a change like that meant changes for a band whose comfort level was extremely high.  The band liked being with IRS.  They could do whatever they wanted.  The positives of Warner however, outweighed the negative.  Larger distribution, larger tours, more money, more studio time, and of course a huge signing bonus that transformed each member of the band into millionaires or very nearly.  The band liked the deal, but insisted on producing, owning, and turning in their albums on their own terms.  Their ideal was to record the record, deal with the artwork, guide the music videos and the tours and simply hand it in to Warner like homework.  Warner was totally cool with that.

  So, in 1988 the band parted ways with IRS, leaving behind the compilation 'Eponymous' as a thank you to IRS and signed a deal with Warner that high estimates put at 10 million dollars.  To put that in perspective, Michael Stipe is 28 years old, and the rest of the band is right around 30.  These are young guys who now have to deliver five albums (this deal becomes important later on) for a major record label or be thrown to the wolves.  As is characteristic of the band, they decided that the best path would be to get out of their comfort level and switch up the instruments they played and what instruments they used.  Is it strange that a rock band sign a huge deal that guarantees arena tours and pull out ... a mandolin?  Sure.  But this is the land of R.E.M. a place where to be challenged is to be interesting.  Bill wrote 'Hairshirt' on mandolin, Peter played drums on '11,' Michael was writing lyrics during songwriting instead of after, Mike has an accordion.  Get back in the studio and find your guitars!

  Well, they did that too.  The original idea for the album was to have an acoustic side and an electric side, still evidenced by the album sides with the titles 'air' and 'metal' respectively, this fell by the wayside but the seeds were sown.  This album also provided the band with enormous success.  Two number 1 modern rock singles: 'Orange Crush' and 'Stand,' and a ranking of 12 on the US Billboard charts.  Simply put, the band delivered to Warner and vice versa.  R.E.M. made the music and distribution made the album and guaranteed the future of the group.  But is the album good?  Well, of course it is but ...

  This is where I come in to the story.  I was in middle school and listening to a mix of dance, hip-hop, and hard rock ... eclectic I know, very MTV gen right?  Then 'Stand' happened.  One listen and that was it.  The video was a bunch of yahoos dancing around in a studio, shown with alternating shots of the world around us.  The song is so simple it is brilliant, much like 'Pop Song 89.'  Did the band dumb it down for the world a little with these song releases?  Perhaps, but they more than balance it out for the rest of the album.  This is also where I blew it as far as the band is concerned ... I bought the single for 'Stand' with 'Memphis Train Blues' on the flip side, which I also listened to religiously.  Why did I not buy the entire album for another 2 years and then at the insistence of a friend?  There is no telling.  Perhaps the moment was eclipsed by the following releases: GNR 'Appetite for Destruction,' Bon Jovi 'New Jersey,' U2 'Rattle and Hum,' and especially Def Leppard 'Hysteria' a cassette I had to buy twice because I wore it out.  Plus, Bobby Brown, Paula Abdul, Aerosmith ... it was a crazy year!

  Looking back, it could be because of the amount I listened to it when I bought the album, but it is my second least listened to R.E.M. album ... sorry 'Around The Sun,' but you know what you are.  I am not the biggest fan of 'World Leader Pretend,' 'Turn you Inside-Out' is great live, but a little boring and 'I remember California' is just so dark it's frightening.  'The Wrong Child' is heartbreaking and I often skip it.  The album is solid, particularly as a whole and it flows very nicely, but I can't wrap my head around it.  Perhaps it's too visceral and personal at times, a bit too mysterious.  Whereas 'Murmur' was a mysterious album with interesting characters, this album is mysterious with dark characters and undertones.  There's something dangerous below the surface here and I don't want a part of it.  That said, I look forward to the next month or so as I delve deeper into each song.  So, tune up the mandolin ... we're going in.

First up: Pop Song 89!     

EPONYMOUS: ROMANCE

This is my last IRS posting.  Definitely the end of an era as the record company put out Eponymous as an attempt to reap some dough out of R.E.M.'s greatest hits.  It didn't save the company, but it does provide a concise retrospective of the band's work and includes some cool alternative versions of 'Radio Free Europe', 'Gardening At Night', 'Finest Worksong', and of course this song, the never before released 'Romance.'
  The song is perfect for a compilation like this because it clearly stands on its own.  It wouldn't seem to fit the feel of any of R.E.M.'s previous albums, even though it was one of the first songs they wrote as a band.  The track itself is also a little flat.  There's something about it that feels a little off ... maybe it's overproduced, maybe it's too repetitive and long.  However, in learning how to play the song, I have grown fond of it. 
  Lyrically, there is the standard Stipe imagery of childhood memories.  There are also some unintelligible lyrics which I have assigned words to.  'Oscinine' is a phrase pertaining to the songbird class 'Oscines.'  It seemed appropriate and sounds like what he is saying, however I hold to the theory that he might not be saying anything here.
  Below, check out the live version in Dublin where he is reading the lyrics off of a page from the internet.  He is clearly laughing at the absurdity of the translation.



ROMANCE
Nations hall
Pair parallel
Neighbors call
All in all in all in all in all

That's worth saving up for
Put our heads down on the desk
Oscinine it waits for rest
Easy come, easy go

Easy come
Easy go
Easy come
Easy go

Steel skin seal
Pair parallel
Neigh neighbors call
All in all in all in all in all

That's worth saving up for
Put our heads down on the desk
Oscinine it waits for rest
Easy come, easy go

Easy come
Easy go
Easy come
Easy go

Mass is yours
And call the shot
Keep it in a parking lot
With one romance
One romance

Easy come
Easy go
Easy come
Easy go

Neighbors call
Pair parallel
Late night nations fall
All in all in all in all in all

That's worth saving up for
Put our heads down on the desk
Oscinine it waits for rest
Easy come, easy go

Easy come
Easy go
Easy come
Easy go


  As I said above, this song is really fun to play.  It's another example of the power of YouTube as I just watched the above video and stole Peter Buck's hand movements ...

ROMANCE

Intro/Riff/Chorus

e|-0-0--0-0-0----------|

B|-4-5h-4-0-0-00000000-|

G|-4-4--4-0-2-22222222-|

D|----------2----------|

A|---------------------|

E|---------------------|

e|-0-0--0----0-0--0--0--|

B|-4-5h-4-0--0--0--0--0-|

G|-4-4--4--0-2---2--2---|

D|-----------2----------|

A|----------------------|

E|----------------------|

Verse

e|-0---0---0---0---0---|

B|-3---5---0---0---0---|

G|-4---6---9---9---9---|

D|-4---6---9---9---9---|

A|-2---4---7---6---0---|

E|---------0---0---0---|

Bridge to Chorus

e|-2---3-2---|

B|-3---3-3---|

G|-2---2-2---|

D|-0---0-0---|

A|-----------|

E|-----------|

Middle Bridge

e|----------------------------|

B|-3---000-0---000-3----------|

G|-0---000-2---000-0----------|

D|----------------------------|

A|----------------------------|

E|----------------------------|

Middle Bridge (2^nd Half/ Mirror to first)

e|----------------------------|

B|-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--|

G|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14--|

D|--------------------------------------------------|

A|--------------------------------------------x2----|

E|--------------------------------------------------|

End

e|-0-0--0-0---|

B|-4-5h-4-0---|

G|-4-4--4-----|

D|------------|

A|------------|

E|------------|