R.E.M. was never my favorite band, and “You Are The Everything” was never my favorite song. But still …
Here’s a scene
You’re in the back seat laying down
The windows wrap around
To sound of the travel and the engine
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And 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
… something about that just grabs me, even more than most of their other songs, most of which I love. Sure, the lyrics can be obtusely weird (“I’ve got my spine, I’ve got my Orange Crush”? What the hell kind of a checklist is that?), and they probably paved the way for a bunch of mediocre alterna-garage-type bands, but for 31 years R.E.M. created fiercely individual music that always challenged, even when they were at the height of their mainstream popularity. They’ll be missed.
