AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: IGNORELAND

  I'm still not sure about why this song works on AFTP.  The over production and electric nature of the song shouldn't work at all with the dark tones of the rest of the album.  The straightforward railing at the Republican takeover of Washington after Jimmy Carter clashes drastically with the vague melancholy of the rest of the album.  Upon first listen it is a slapdash venting of public liberal grievances that is more than slightly off-putting.  R.E.M. was a band unafraid of political songs, but in the past tended toward metaphors and allusion. The balance of "Exhuming McCarthy" is gone here and replaced with Mr. Stipe's rant and rail against the Reaganism that helped define the current Republican Party.  Perhaps it fits because there is a wistfulness of something lost, or as the first line puts it ... stolen.  I personally have liberal views, but this song at times is very harsh.  Plus the title, IGNORELAND, is rather trite ... almost cringe-worthy.
  But the song works.  It's upbeat, interesting because it stands out from the album, and lively because it banks on the good will the rest of the album affords it.  Stipe's near apology at the end is almost him saying: well, sorry about this one, but let's be honest ... "Everybody Hurts" let's me get away with it.
  The band, understandably, was not totally pleased with the production value of the track and it's place on the album; but in the end here it is warts and all.  In fact, Stipe flubs the lines a couple of times and the stumbles are kept ... note the parenthetical "c" and the phrase: "If they wasn't there ... "  although the latter could be a sly take on American's disregard for proper use of tense.  The spoken outro at the end is pretty much my best guess on the line coming out of the last chorus.  With the "yeah's" it's almost completely indecipherable.
  I have added a live version below because after many years, they found joy in the song again ... even if they did change the octave to suit Stipe.

IGNORELAND

Bastards stole their power from

The victims of the us v. them years
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into trickle down runoff pool

They hypnotized the summer

1979
Marched into the capital

Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media ready, heartless
And labeled super U.S. citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing

Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense

Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite glutton
1980, 84, 88, 92 too … too
How to be what you can be, jump jam junking your energy
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes

They (c)amplified the autumn

1979
Calculate the capital

Up the republic

My skinny ass T.V. tells a million lies

The papers terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this

So, fuck you, man …  fuck ‘em
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

If they wasn't there we would have created them

Maybe it is true
But I'm resentful all the same

Someone's got to take the blame

I know that this is vitriol

No solution

Spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed

Don't you?

They desecrate the winter

1979
Capital collateral

Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media ready, heartless
And labeled super U.S. citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing

Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense

Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

Ignoreland

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)

That paper’s not on the record

I didn’t do the revolution … thank you … 


  This is a very electric song.  there are some very long held sustained notes and feedback that I did not put below.  I tried to use chords that were more in the spirit of the song.  Plus, there are a number of ways to play the notes and chords that sound correct.  I play it as follows:


IGNORELAND

Intro/Chorus Chords with riff

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

B|-6---8---6---6---6---8---6-8<1-3--3---|

G|-7---7---7---7---7---7----------0-2---|

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

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

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

Verse Chords

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verse Fill

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

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

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

D|-0-5h-5-5-4h-0---0-5h-5-5-4h-0-7--|

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

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

Bridge to Chorus Chords

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

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

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

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

A|-3---5---|

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

Bridge to Chorus sustained notes

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

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

G|-5-5>7---|

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

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

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

Middle Bridge

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

B|-1---3---3---2---|

G|-0---0---3---2---|

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

A|-3---2---1---0---|

E|-0---0---1---0---|

Middle Bridge sustained notes

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

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

G|-7---4---7-7b-7-7b-7-6---|

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

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

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