OUT OF TIME: LOSING MY RELIGION

I have said before on this blog that the precursor of this song was really "The Wrong Child" from the album Green.  I still believe that.  The mix of mandolin and 12 String is a miraculous thing, especially with the added rhythmic talents of Mike Mills and Bill Berry.  Buck picks up the mandolin here and puts his own spin on the rock song.  R.E.M.'s previous forays into mandolin territory were slower, more somber efforts, whereas "Religion" ups the ante a little.  The song is still emotional and dramatic, but it has an edge that makes it unique in the history of Rock.  Even the mandolin songs of Led Zeppelin did not hit the beat as hard as this song.
  This song does everything well and may well be Stipe's best love song, albeit unrequited and tortuously so.  What you don't get from the song live is how affecting the studio mix is.  The band by this time are old pros with an engineer behind them and layer the song with strings, multiple guitars and mandolins, handclaps, and subtly effective backing vocals.  The effect is haunting and stands out on the album.  This song, with it's video helping, launched the band to new heights and the song, strangely, became a great sing a long hit.  Why strange?  Well, there is no real chorus.  "That's me in the corner" is technically the verse.  The lyrics and structure of the song force you to pay attention to the entire track, there is no let up.  It makes sense in the context of this persons story.  I somehow picture someone alone in a bar hitting drink after drink, trying to work up the courage to talk to the object of their affection.  "I said too much, I haven't said enough."  It's a fine line isn't it?  Why try?  We put so much importance on the moment and on love that it often depresses us to the point of inaction.



LOSING MY RELIGION
Oh,
Life is bigger
It’s bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up

That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no I’ve said too much
I haven’t said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour
I’m choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up

Consider this, consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip
That brought me to my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I’ve said too much

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no I’ve said too much
I haven’t said enough

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream
Try, cry
Why try?
That was just a dream
Just a dream
Just a dream
Dream


  Below is the representation of the studio mix.  Live, Buck adds a few notes here and there and plays a lot of the fills up around the 7th fret, but I enjoy the ease of the high e note ... particularly in the chorus.  This song is fun to play when you have a mando and guitar really playing off each other.  Just a great song.

Losing My Religion

Intro/ Chorus

Mandolin

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

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

D|-------333030-------2-2-2-0-2-0-----0--|

G|-------555555-------5-5-5-5-5-5-x2--5--|

Guitar

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

B|-------1------------1--------------3-|

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

D|-------3------------2--------------0-|

A|-------3------------0--------------2-|

E|-------1------------0----x2--------3-|

Verse (x3)

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

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

D|--0-2-7-5-2-0-2---0-2-0-0-2---0-2-0-0----|

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

Guitar (x3)

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

B|------------1-----------0-----|

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

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

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

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

E|-1---3--|

A|-0---2--|

D|-0---0--|

G|-2---0--|

e|-5---3--|

B|-6---3--|

G|-7---4--|

D|-7---5--|

A|-5---5--|

E|-5---3--|

Middle Bridge

E|-0000000000000000-----0000-000--------------|

A|-7775555533300000 x3--7775-530--------------|

D|-------------------------------0-2-7-5-2-0--|

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

End

E|-0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000-|

A|-7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777753053030-|

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

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