{"id":1056,"date":"2010-03-28T15:41:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-28T15:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/?p=1056"},"modified":"2026-06-28T15:46:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:46:31","slug":"talking-about-the-passion-ranking-r-e-m-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/?p=1056","title":{"rendered":"Talking About the Passion: Ranking R.E.M. songs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s not easy to rate the things you love, so I feel Josh Jackson\u2019s pain. As a fervent R.E.M. fan myself, picking the best songs of the legendary Athens band is an impossible task.<\/p>\n<p>It was with great interest that I read Josh\u2019s list on Paste\u2019s Web site, because I\u2019m always curious to see what other uber-R.E.M. fans think of their collection. Usually you discover most fans love the \u201980s R.E.M. over the \u201990s R.E.M., and that\u2019s understandable since they were two different bands. When Bill left, it became yet another group, though Accelerate, the most recent offering from Michael, Mike and Peter, harkens to those earlier days (\u201cUntil the Day is Done\u201d could have easily been on <em>Green<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>Josh has a nice list. \u201cTalking About the Passion\u201d is a wonderful song, and I can see why he ranked it first. There\u2019s the obvious choices \u2014 \u201cLosing My Religion,\u201d \u201cMan on the Moon,\u201d \u201cSo. Central Rain\u201d \u2014 and some inventive ones \u2014 \u201cKing of Birds,\u201d \u201cFinest Worksong\u201d and \u201cCuyahoga\u201d. Josh clearly bowed at the altar of <em>Life\u2019s Rich Pageant<\/em>, as 20 percent of his list comes from that album, though he has three songs each from <em>Document<\/em> (but no \u201cOne I Love\u201d) and <em>Reckoning<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing after <em>Monster<\/em>, which I found a bit out of sorts. I can understand (somewhat) not choosing a song from the Bill Berry-less selection, but to leave out a song from <em>New Adventures in Hi-Fi<\/em> is a mistake. The album is an absolute gem, and is the great album <em>Monster<\/em> should have been.<\/p>\n<p>So here\u2019s my list, and I cheated, I have 25. No doubt my list doesn\u2019t jibe with others, but hey, it\u2019s my list. As Josh noted at the end of his post, feel free for some \u201cSecond Guessing\u201d:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe Lifting\u201d (<em>Reveal<\/em>): It\u2019s a great start to an album that doesn\u2019t get as much pub as it should. For anyone who\u2019s been stuck at a seminar or a meeting, desperate to escape, the song resonates. Sometimes you have to live in your own world to survive the one around you. I get that.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLeave\u201d (<em>New Adventures<\/em>): It\u2019s long and winding, and it just full-on rocks out. The gentle guitar tones at the start open to a cavalcade of sound. It\u2019s so raw, alarming, the pleading tones of Michael perfect with Peter\u2019s grinding guitar.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMan-Sized Wreath\u201d (<em>Accelerate<\/em>): It has all the markings of an older R.E.M. tune, though a freshness for the time it was made. It was great to hear Mike\u2019s harmony floating through the background of the chorus.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGet Up\u201d (<em>Green<\/em>): This album came out during my junior year in college, when it was hard for me to get going. This song was my clarion call. And I love they chose to have 11 music boxes playing during the musical interlude. Why 11? Who knows but this one goes to 11.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWalk Unafraid\u201d (<em>Up<\/em>): The first time without Bill was tough, but Up (aside from having its songs in the wrong order, that\u2019s just how I feel) has some wonderful songs. This is one of the best, great, great lyrics (and I think Bono stole the lyric \u201cwalk unafraid\u201d for one of his songs) showing a band ready to march ahead.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLetter Never Sent\u201d (<em>Reckoning<\/em>) \u2014 It\u2019s a love song to the town he\u2019s from, and having lived in Athens for four years now, I have to agree. Peter\u2019s guitar to start the song hits you right away, and paces the song nicely.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLosing My Religion\u201d (<em>Out of Time<\/em>): OK, I know I\u2019ll get crap for ranking this so low, and maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019ve heard it too much (which is why \u201cThe One I Love\u201d is not on my list). Yes, it\u2019s a great song, perhaps their defining song, but I\u2019m such an \u201980s geek with these guys, it was tough for this one to crack much higher with me.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cYou Are The Everything\u201d (<em>Green<\/em>): This was the song my wife and I chose for our first dance together as a married couple. The lyrics are absolute poetry, and is such a beautiful song.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cUndertow\u201d (<em>New Adventures<\/em>): Again, what a rocking song. I love the distorted noise running in the background, and Peter&#8217;s just opening up the guitar throughout. Michael and Mike in harmony near the end, just great.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAt My Most Beautiful\u201d (<em>Up<\/em>): Is it a Beach Boys rip-off? Yep. But if you\u2019re going to rip off the Beach Boys, it better be good, and man is this good. This is the song to point to when talking about the brilliance of Mike\u2019s background singing. And his piano is stunning.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cKing of Birds\u201d (<em>Document<\/em>): The jangling guitar, the marching drum, Michael belting out \u201cI am the king of all I see, my kingdom for a voice\u201d this song has it all. The second to last song on <em>Document<\/em>, it\u2019s evidence that not paying attention to the entire album will have you miss some of the best parts.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHarborcoat\u201d (<em>Reckoning<\/em>): A great first song for a sophomore album, with those puzzling lyrics (he&#8217;s referencing Lenin?) and it may be just me but when he spells out R-E-A-C-T, I stop what I\u2019m doing and just sing along. It was immediate proof R.E.M. was going to be around for a long time.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFall On Me\u201d (<em>Life\u2019s Rich Pageant<\/em>): The band\u2019s first real hit (I think it got to No. 29). Only they could write a melodic song about the dangers of acid rain. The bridge sung by Mike is wonderful, and the multi-layered lyrics throughout make my day. I always sing along with Bill when he croons \u201cIt\u2019s going to fall.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCountry Feedback\u201d (<em>Out of Time<\/em>): This is the best song on <em>Out of Time<\/em>, weird and creepy with the recurring chord arrangement. Michael is in free form, and it serves as a slow version of \u201cIt\u2019s the End of the World,\u201d but he doesn\u2019t feel fine here. \u201cYou wear me out, you wear me out\u201d he sings, and yeah, I understand.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTalk About the Passion\u201d (<em>Murmur<\/em>): A perfect pop song, with one of the greatest lyrics \u2014 Not everyone can carry the weight of the world. So true. This showed the band could vary song structure early on. I sing along to every word every time.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNightswimming\u201d (<em>Automatic for the People<\/em>): I think people forget how good R.E.M. is at writing songs that highlight the piano. A beautiful song about late night skinny dipping, it makes me think about the happiness of youth.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cExhuming McCarthy\u201d (<em>Document<\/em>): Typewriters, recordings from U.S. Senate hearings, it&#8217;s just so different than anything that came out at that time. Mix in Peter\u2019s surf-guitar lick, Bill\u2019s determined drums, Mike\u2019s backgrounds and the odd but great lyrics (who rhymes met with realpolitik?) and you have something no one can touch.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBegin The Begin\u201d (<em>Life\u2019s Rich Pageant<\/em>): It\u2019s the song Michael wanted to be heard on, and opens up a stunning album full of beauty and beliefs. My friend Jon noted how he loves \u201cLet\u2019s begin again\/like Martin Luther Zen\u201d and I agree completely.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMaps and Legends\u201d (<em>Fables of the Reconstruction<\/em>): I love this album with all my heart, and its songs such as this that make it so. I have a passion for traveling, and \u201cMaps and Legends\u201d puts my mind on the road. It\u2019s to be reached, it\u2019s not to be reached, Michael yelps in the background near the end. God how I dig that.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cFind The River\u201d (<em>Automatic for the People<\/em>): It makes me want to cry how well written this song is. The strings, the guitar, the understated singing. Many think <em>Automatic<\/em> is their best album, and while I don\u2019t agree with that, this is certainly their best song to end an album with. They simply could not have followed it with anything else.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSwan Swan H\u201d (<em>Life\u2019s Rich Pageant<\/em>): Again, driven by the 12-string and Michael\u2019s inventive lyrics, it\u2019s like visiting another world for just under three minutes. I remember watching <em>Athens Inside\/Out<\/em> in a packed theater, and after R.E.M. finished playing this song on the screen, the audience exploded into applause.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPerfect Circle\u201d (<em>Murmur<\/em>): Another piano song, so gentle and mysterious. It\u2019s a tune of pure elegance, and stands out in the stunning album that is <em>Murmur<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cCarnival of Sorts (Box Cars)\u201d (<em>Chronic Town<\/em>): One of the first songs I ever heard from R.E.M. was \u201cBox Cars,\u201d and it hooked me right away. Michael sings it so well, I wanted so much to understand what he was saying, but after a while didn\u2019t care because he sounded so interesting.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSo. Central Rain\u201d (<em>Reckoning<\/em>): It\u2019s one of the top songs of all time, not just one of R.E.M.s top songs. A perfect chord arrangement, so definable, Michael\u2019s moaning of sounds at the end paired with the band\u2019s driving melody is awesome (yeah, like large mountain\u2019s awesome). It\u2019s hard to think there\u2019s a better song from them.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cDriver 8\u201d (<em>Fables<\/em>): Well, there is one better song. For people who choose to play guitar, there\u2019s always a song they want to play first after they learn the basics \u2014 and this was the song I wanted to play. I used to visit my best friend in Charlottesville quite a bit when I was in college, and on the train ride in I would listen to this song. Anytime I hear it, it takes me back to those happy, carefree times. It\u2019s just the best song ever.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s not easy to rate the things you love, so I feel Josh Jackson\u2019s pain. As a fervent R.E.M. fan myself, picking the best songs of the legendary Athens band is an impossible task. It was with great interest that I read Josh\u2019s list on Paste\u2019s Web site, because I\u2019m always curious to see what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,46],"tags":[41],"class_list":["post-1056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-review","tag-r-e-m"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1058,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions\/1058"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abandonedcouches.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}