OUT OF TIME: BELONG

  In this edition of the R.E.M. blog post ... blogger has changed their format.  This could take some getting used to ... I can barely find my homepage.  Anyway, OUT OF TIME rolls on with a song that was road tested on their GREEN tour.  BELONG is a poem of sorts, a form of chain poetry that repeats the entire last line of one verse as the first of the next verse, at least until the last verse.  The spoken word form of the lyrics give an immediacy to the scene Michael Stipe is trying to paint.  What has happened to this woman?  There has been an epiphany, a release before the song begins and then she proceeds to share the moment with her child.  It is a beautiful moment, the creatures have gone, creatures that were ostensibly created by this woman, or at least held there with barricades.  Well, they can only last so long ...

BELONG

Her world collapsed early Sunday morning
She got up from the kitchen table
Folded the newspaper and silenced the radio
Those creatures jumped the barricades
And have headed for the sea, sea

Those creatures jumped the barricades
And have headed for the sea
She began to breathe
To breathe at the thought of this freedom
Stood and whispered to her child, “belong”
She held the child and whispered
With calm, calm, “belong”

She stood and whispered to her child, “belong”
She held the child and whispered
With calm, calm, “belong”

Those barricades can only hold for so long
Her world collapsed early Sunday morning
She took the child, held tight
Opened the window
A breath, this song, how long
And knew, knew, belong

Yeah

  This is another simple song on guitar.  I suspect that there are some crazy Peter Buck overlays during the chorus, perhaps different guitars playing the same thing, there seems to be one high e string tuned to d in the mix, but below is the nuts and bolts.  

BELONG

Verse Riff

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

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

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

D|--0-4h-0-4h-0-4h-4----------|

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

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

Verse Chords

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

B|-0---1---3---0--------------|

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

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

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

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

Chorus

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

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

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

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

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

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

OUT OF TIME: SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

It's been a little over 5 months since my last post.  A brief hiatus in which I had, frankly, other things to do.  What better way to come roaring back than with R.E.M.'s most contentious song.  Is it lame?  Is it brilliant?  Is it any good?  The answer to all of those questions is yes.  If this is the album that started turning off old school fans of the band then this song is where it started.  Perky, yet with a hint of the doldrums, the song seems to be from the perspective of a depressive on medication ... a real "I think I can" approach to the world.  From the suffocating imagery of crowds and throngs of people, which could turn into angst really quickly, comes instead--love.  A brilliantly optimistic way to see the world and a great counter punch to much of the rest of OUT OF TIME.
  I had to post the original video for so many reasons.  Bad lip syncing, the look on Peter Buck's face, the reactions of Bill Berry, the old man riding the scenery bike ... and the little girl in the interval who gives him water only to say "keep at it old man!"



SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

Shiny happy people laughing

Meet me in the crowd
People, people
Throw your love around
Love me, love me
Take it into town
Happy, happy
Put it in the ground
Where the flowers grow

Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Everyone around love them, love them
Put it in your hands
Take it, take it
There’s no time to cry
Happy, happy
Put it in your heart
Where tomorrow shines

Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Whoa! Here we go!

Dit, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit
Ditit, dit

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

People

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Happy people
Shiny happy people laughing

People, happy people

Shiny happy people holding hands
People, happy people
Shiny happy people holding hands
People, happy people


  A fun song to play on guitar, if a little thin without a full band, it has all the trademarks.  Good bridge, fun riff, and jangly chords.  In the chorus riff, keep in mind that the first part is played before going into the verses ...

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

Intro:

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

B|-3---0---3---1------|

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

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

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

E|-3---0---2---0------|

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

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

G|-0---0---4---5------|

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

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

E|-3---0---2----------|

Chorus:

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

B|---------0-0-0-2h-0-----|

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

B|---------0-0-0-2h------|

Verse:

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

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

G|-2---1-2---1-2---1----------------|

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

A|-4---2-4---2-0---2----------------|

E|-2---0-0---0-0---0----------------|

Bridge to Chorus:

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

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

G|-0---0---1---1-----------------------|

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

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

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