AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: TRY NOT TO BREATHE

  I liken this song to a number of second tier R.E.M. tracks such as "Welcome to the Occupation" and "Pilgrimage" in that it is a VERY solid song, but largely not known outside of their "popular" songs.  In transposing it, I also noticed that it is a lot shorter than I remember.  There is a weight to this song that makes it seem longer.  I have read a number of accounts of the song being about specific death, or suicide, but I believe it is more about reflection of life from an advanced age and the acceptance of mortality.  According to Peter, the title came from the demo ... as he was recording, the mic was picking up his breath and he said "I'll try not to breathe."  Michael insists the character is an old woman who is trying not to breathe in order to feel like what it is to be dead.  The song has the feel of a poem with it's nice turns of phrase and ambiguity.  The first two verses can easily lead someone to believe the speaker is suicidal if read literally, deciding not to breathe is the choosing of death as like as not, but there is also a wistfulness pervading the track.  A sense that everything will be okay.  Like any R.E.M. song it is dangerous to over analyze, but it will be interesting if we ever get demo versions of these AUTOMATIC tracks as we have with other deluxe re-issues.  I think a listen to this song in its infancy would be a treat.
  The lyrics here are repetitive and simple and I have only a few changes over the "official songbook" version.  The most glaring change is my insistence that Stipe is saying "shivering and bold."  In later live incarnations, he says "fold" but I think that is because he might have changed the lyric in transposition.  On the recording, he is pretty clearly saying bold ... in fact in true form, he does not clip his word and it sounds like "bow."




TRY NOT TO BREATHE

I will try not to breathe
I can hold my head still with my hands at my knees
These eyes are the eyes of the old

Shivering and bold

I will try not to breathe
This decision is mine

I have lived a full life
These are the eyes that I want you to remember

Oh
I need something to fly over my grave again
I need something to breathe

I will try not to burden you
I can hold these inside

I will hold my breath until all these shivers subside
Just look in my eyes

I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me

I shudder to breathe

I want you to remember

Oh

(you will never see)
I need something to fly over my grave again

(something to fly)
(you will never see)
I need something to breathe

(something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)

Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver now?

I need something to fly over my grave again

(something to fly)
(I have seen things you will never see)
I need something to breathe

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh

I will try not to worry you
I have seen things that you will never see
Leave it to memory me

Don't dare me to breathe

I want you to remember

Oh

(you will never see)
I need something to fly over my grave again

(something to fly)
(you will never see)
I need something to breathe

(something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)

Baby, don't shiver now
Why do you shiver?

I need something to breathe

(something to breathe)
(I have seen things you will never see)

I want you to remember

  There seem to be a huge amount of overlays on this track.  A couple of acoustics, some picking, some electric ... and somehow it doesn't feel like a guitar heavy song.  The 3/4 time helps, and the bassline ... some amazing work by Mike Mills on this one.  I have tried to separate the guitar parts as much as possible, but it would be silly to presume where everything falls without the master tracks of all instrumentation.  This is the main reason some lines below change position on the fret board.  The cool discoveries I had were keeping the high e string open in the verse chords, and the controlled feedback Peter uses in the Middle Bridge.  With practice, most of the fills can be worked into one guitar line ...


TRY NOT TO BREATHE

Verse Chord Strum

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verse Fill #1

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verse Fill #2

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

B|-------------------8<7-5----|

G|-5>7-----4<2-0-5>7------7---|

D|----7-4^0---------7---------|

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

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

Bridge to Chorus Chords

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bridge to Chorus Fill

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chorus Chords (Go to C chord before Verse)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chorus Fill

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chorus Walk Down Fill #2 (Later Choruses)

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

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

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

D|-5>7-5-4-2---|

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

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

Middle Bridge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Middle Bridge Feedback Notes

e|------------------------12----|

B|-----10------------------12<--|

G|-9--------9-------5---9-------|

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

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

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

End on G

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE: DRIVE

  The dark mood this song creates is really unlike any previous R.E.M. song.  It can be likened to the tone setting track "Feeling Gravity's Pull" from Fables of the Reconstruction, but the orchestration takes this piece to another level.  Not many of R.E.M.'s album openers were also the first single, but Drive and it's accompanying video make for a haunting introduction to this next phase of the band.  In the video, a crowd surfing Stipe is grabbed and rolled around by hands while the rest of the band plays on ... in black and white no less.  Somewhere along the line everyone gets soaking wet.
  The song itself is a sort of homage to David Essex's "Rock On" which was a glam era hit, featuring minimal guitars and percussion, with a plea for kids to start rockin'.  Stipe also credits Pylon's "Stop It" as the group yells "Hey kids!" over a highly repetitive song.  Make no mistake, Pylon heavily influences the band.  The song itself, takes a different tack from there by creating an ominous narrator seeming to call for anarchy among the younger class.  Where the former song "Rock On" seems to tell kids it's okay to think of Rock music as wholesome with allusions to James Dean and Elvis (two not very wholesome characters), and Pylon's tune seems to call for an end to that kind of rock, Drive pushes kids forward.  The song's reference to "Rock Around The Clock" is not a plea for a good time, but almost a threat ... a challenge.  Who cares what happens?  Just do what makes you feel good.
  Let's not forget that this is music in the wake of Nirvana, an explosion that changed everything and sent shockwaves through the industry.  Every band felt it.  And while R.E.M.'s response was not to jump on the wagon immediately (let's wait an album), Drive seems to be a response to the almost anarchic culture Nirvana ushered in.  "Nobody tells you what to do" indeed.
  Incidentally, "Ollie, ollie, in come free" is a very old children's game chant.  It has been passed down generations and likely began with "All ye, all ye, outs in free" or "Allez, allez, outs in free."  An appropriate garbling from a passed down phrase that was changed to be more rhythmic.  Sounds like something Stipe would do personally, too bad history beat him to it.  His tendency to clip his words in delivery makes this a difficult song to discern at times, but the song itself is simple.  I've included the official video here as I think it encompasses the feel of the song perfectly.  I love it when they throw him ... and the look on Peter Buck's face.

DRIVE

1, 2, 1,2,3,4

Smack, crack, bush-whacked
Tie another one to the racks, baby

Hey kids, rock and roll
Nobody tells you where to go, baby

What if I ride? What if you walk?
What if you rock around the clock?
Tick-tock

Tick-tock
What if you did? What if you walk?
What if you try to get off, baby?

Oh

Hey kids, where are you?
Nobody tells you what to do, baby
Oh

Hey kids, shake a leg
Maybe you're crazy in the head, baby
Oh

Maybe you did,  maybe you walked
Maybe you rocked around the clock
Tick-tock

Tick-tock
Maybe I ride, maybe you walk
Maybe I drive to get off, baby
Oh

Hey kids, shake a leg
Maybe you're crazy in the head, baby

Ollie ollie
Ollie ollie ollie
Ollie ollie in come free, baby

Hey kids, where are you?
Nobody tells you what to do, baby

Smack, crack, shack-a-lack
Tie another one to your backs, baby

Hey kids, rock and roll
Nobody tells you where to go, baby

Maybe you did, maybe you walked
Maybe you rock around the clock
Tick-tock

Tick-tock
Maybe I ride, maybe you walk
Maybe I drive to get off, baby

Hey kids, where are you?
Nobody tells you what to do, baby

Hey kids, rock and roll
Nobody tells you where to go, baby

My Baby

Baby

  Peter Buck has outdone himself on this album.  The amount of simple overlays on each track are substantial and really create a nice pastiche of sound.  This song has a couple of guitars.  I have tried to be as clear as possible, but with the ending pick, I combined what is going on.  It's tricky to play as he adjusts the timing to squeeze in the transition riff, but it sounds good.  For the lead, the reason you have the open chords at that point on the fret board is for the distortion it offers when it rings out.  Pretty sweet when you hit it right!

DRIVE

Verse:

Guitar 1

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

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

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

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

A|----------------x3-----------------------2-|

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

Verse:

Guitar 2

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

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

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

D|-0-----5-3-0----------------|

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

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

Chorus:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lead:

Chords: C-Dm (x2)

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

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

G|-14-12-10-0--0--0--0---0---14-12-10-0-10-0--|

D|---------12-10-10-12h-10-----------12---12--|

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

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

Lead:

Chords: C-G-Dm  

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

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

G|-14-12-10-0--0--0--0---0--0-2-0------|

D|---------12-10-10-12h-12-------3-0---|

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

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

End Distortion:

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

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

G|-9---9---0---2----|

D|-9---9---0---0----|

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

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

End Pick:

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

Intro to Automatic For The People

  In 1992,  Automatic for the People was the first R.E.M. album I bought right after it came out.  I remember the feeling of opening the cassette (!) packaging and staring down at the yellow tinted tape.  It went into my headphones and didn't leave for a good three months straight.  There is a power in this album.  A quiet insistence and, dare I say, drive to the entire soundscape.  This is R.E.M. at the apex.  The lush sound of the orchestras and instruments, the pointed use of percussion, and the dark, beautiful lyrics.  It is clear that this album was the culmination and hard work of the entire R.E.M. roster.  In this discussion, I plan to get a little deeper into each song, and give each post as much credence and care as the songs themselves were given.
  The goal of the band for this album was to write a rock album, but for some reason at this juncture it was not the album they were inspired to produce.  In the end, there are only three songs that are up tempo.  However, the tempo of a song is not always the primary factor in whether a song "rocks" or not.  There is something of a guilty pleasure in the bridges of "Drive" and "Everybody Hurts" plus a hard bass line in "Star Me Kitten" gives the track a little more bite.  Overall, this is a sullen album, but it is a sensational kind of tone.  To put it in Shakespearean terms, this is the band's Hamlet ... a complicated ode to life and death, loss and renewal.  I can still remember the dark winter when this album was released.  I still think of "Nightswimming" as a cold, cold night.
  I was definitely disappointed when the band decided not to tour after the album, but what would that concert be like?  When they toured after Monster, the songs from this album were mostly scaled down-sorry "Man on the Moon"- if they had toured after this album through the arenas of the land, it might have sounded a bit maudlin.  Plus, after the near constant touring of their early years, they had a huge contract and had the opportunity to be a studio band.  This is why we have Automatic, because of the time and care the band finally had to craft their songs instead of banging them out while on tour.  And while the argument can be made for Monster, in my opinion this is their last, solid, first song to last song album until Collapse Into Now.
  I hopefully won't take as much time with this album as with Out of Time, but I'm going to be careful with it and uncover as many mysteries as I can.  Plus, after this album I will spend some time on the outtakes of the album known as the Automatic Box ... one of the best purchases I've ever made.
  First up ... Drive ...

OUT OF TIME: ME IN HONEY

This is a great last song for the album and perhaps helps the album title live up to its name.  Me In Honey is out of place ... a strange rocking ode to love and forced commitment.  If the album is a document to unrequited love, then this song is more accidental love ... or forced love.  Kate Pierson is a great addition here, adding a female voice to the relationship ... she only echoes the chorus, but the intention is clear.  It takes two to make a commitment.  The lyrics below are pretty straightforward ... I've made some changes to what you can find online, but very minor.  I think any "official songbook" for R.E.M. is a load of hooey incidentally.  A lyric sheet you have to turn in is extremely cold and unsatisfying ...
  Below is a live version right after recording ...

ME IN HONEY

I sat there looking ugly
Looking ugly and mean
Knew what you were saying
You were saying to me

Baby's got some new rules
Baby said she's had it with me
It seems a shame to waste your time on me
It seems a lot to waste your time for me

Left me to love what it's doing to me

There's a lot of honey in this world
Baby this honey's from me
Got to do what you do
Do it with me
It seems a shame to waste your time for me

Left me to love what it's doing to me

Knocked silly
Knocked flat
Sideways down
These things they pick you up
Turn you around
Say your peace
Say you're sweet for me
It's all the same to share the pain with me
It's all the same, save the shame for me

Left me to love what it's doing to me

Baby's got some new rules
Baby said she's had it with me
There's a fly in the honey
And baby's got a baby with me
That's a part
That's a part of me

Left me to love what it's doing to me
Left me to love what it's doing to me
What about me?

What about me?


  So, most versions of this song have you Capo 4.  Don't be lazy!  Tune down 1/2 a step and play it like Buck.  It's basically D-A when you do it.  Oh and there's a mandolin in the song ... surprise!  Very light in the background ... most noticeable during the Drum Break (as in pause) ...  

ME IN HONEY

Tune down ½ Step

Intro: Db w/ Sustain

Verse:

eb|----------------------------|

Bb|-3---3-3--3-3-3-3-3-3--3-3--|

Gb|-2---0-2h-2-2-0-0-0-2h-2-2--|

Db|-0---0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0--|

Ab|----------------------------|

Eb|----------------------------|

Chorus:

eb|----------------------------|

Bb|----------------------------|

Gb|-2-2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2-2------|

Db|-0-2h-2-2-0-0-0-2h-2-2------|

Ab|-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0------|

Eb|----------------------------|

Mandolin:

Db-Ab

Eb|------------------------|

Ab|-5-5--5-5---------------|

Db|-------------0-2h-2-2---|

Gb|-0-2h-2-2----4-4--4-4---|

OUT OF TIME: COUNTRY FEEDBACK

Michael Stipe has often said that this is his favorite song.  When they played it live, which was often, the song  usually morphed into a 7 to 10 minute epic with Peter Buck wailing away over the ending.  Surprisingly the album version is really only a 4 minute repeat of five chords and relatively few lyrics.  Below adheres closely to the published lyric sheet, but I have one issue.  I believe in the recording Michael is saying "Loose clothes don't fit us right."  In translation to lyric sheets, I don't think the error was caught.  I know Michael's accent can make "These" sound like "Loose" a little bit, but to my ears he is not saying "These."  However, I am pressed to go with the official version as it is all that he used after recording ...
  For my money, this is a bit of a downer ... but perhaps that's the point.

COUNTRY FEEDBACK

1, 2, 3, 4

This flower is scorched, this film is on,
On a maddening loop
These clothes …
These clothes don't fit us right
And I'm to blame
It's all the same
It's all the same

You come to me with a bone in your hand
You come to me with your hair curled tight
You come to me with positions
You come to me with excuses
Ducked out in a row
You wear me out
You wear me out

We've been through fake a breakdown
Self hurt
Plastics, collections
Self help, self pain,
EST, psychics, fuck all
I was central
I had control
I lost my head
I need this
I need this

A paper weight, a junk garage
Winter rain, a honey pot
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
Hotline, a wanted ad
Crazy what you could've had

It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this

It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need it
I need this

It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I … I need this

It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this

It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this

Crazy what you could've had

Crazy what you could've had

  This is actually a pretty simple song chord-wise, the strum is really basic.  Live performances have added more picking to the chords, but the recording is basically 1 long lead and a bit of slide.  I was avoiding this because of the lead, but now that I'm finished I must admit it was very enjoyable!  Don't be intimidated by the length ... it's really just doodling in the same formations over and over ... 

COUNTRY FEEDBACK

Strum

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slide Intro

e|->12<3>5<<<3-7-10<7-----------------|

B|------------------------7<5-8<7<5---|

G|-------------------6>9<7------------|

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

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

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

Lead

e|-15-----------0-15-15-14----|

B|---15-13-15-13-0--------0-5-|

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

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

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

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

“These clothes don’t …”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You come to me …”

e|-----3-5-3-2-0-----------------|

B|-------------------------0-7-5-|

G|--------------4-5h-7>9<7-4-----|

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

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

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

“You come to me with excuses …”

e|----15-15-15-10-8-10-8-10-8-10h>12-10-12-0-|

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

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

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

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

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

“We’ve been through …”

e|--------------------2-12-15-15-14--------------------------12--|

B|----3-5h-3-3-5-3-5-3-5-12-------13-13-15h-15>17-15-15-13-12-12<|

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

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

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

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

“A paperweight …”

e|---------------------------3-5>7-5-5-7h-3-3-5-7-7-10<8-0--|

B|-----7b-5----3-0-3-5h-0-0-5--------------------5--------0-|

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

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

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

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

“It’s crazy …”

e|-------------------------------------------------14--12-|

B|-----7b-5----------0-5-7>12-10-12>15-13-13-15h-15--15---|

G|------------7-9h-7<-------------------------------------|

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

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

E|-2b-0----2>3--------------------------------------------|

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

B|-----3-3-5h-3-5-0-3-3-5<3-0-|

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

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

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

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

e|-----12-0-----------2-0--|

B|---------7b-5----------0-|

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

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

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

E|-2b-0--------3/2/3/2-----|

e|-----15-14--14---0-------0-|

B|----------13--13<-3-5-3-0--|

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

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

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

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

e|-----0-3-5-7b-0-------0-12-15-15-0------------------|

B|-------------0--7-5-0-0-----------0-15-15-17-15-0-5-|

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

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

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

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

e|---------7-5-2-0---|

B|-----7b-5----------|

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

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

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

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