Lyric of the Day #74: Top 100 Lyricists #73 – Michael Stipe (REM)

We have reached a milestone. Finally, the number of lyrics of the day has surpassed the number of lyricists we are up to. What does that mean? Well, absolutely nothing, but, at least in my mind I feel that we are accomplishing something with this section. So, is there a better way to celebrate than with the lyricist of the day Michael Stipe.

There was a string in the 1990’s between the years 1991-1998 where Michael Stipe and his Athens, Georgia based band dominated the U.S charts. Five albums, three 4x platinum, one platinum, one gold, hitting a peak position of two chart 1’s, two chart 2’s, and one chart 3. The songs released on these albums were the absolute best rock work on the 1990’s hands down. Let’s say you want to start with Out of Time released in 1991. “Losing my Religion” (which will be featured a little later in this write-up), “Radio Song,” “Shiny Happy People,” were all released on this album which sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Shoot forward seven years (keep in mind that seven years was the span of albums released from the best band ever The Beatles (1963-1970). R.E.M., only having lost the services of drummer Bill Berry, recorded UP which sold around 661,000 units in the U.S. and featured such songs as “At My Most Beautiful” and “Daysleeper.” R.E.M. is a strong band and Michael Stipe is a very strong lyricist.

John Michael Stipe was born in Decatur, Georgia. As a military brat his family was often relocating and after graduating from a high school in Illinois he chose the University or Georgia for college where he studied art. While in college he often went to a record shop where Peter Buck, guitarist for R.E.M., worked as a store clerk. Buck liked his odd record choices and eventually the idea of starting a band came to fruition. R.E.M. was selected from a dictionary and the other two band members, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, joined completing the quartet.

Out of Stipe’s body of lyrical work there are two songs in particular that I think perfectly display his talent. These are “Losing My Religion” and one of my person R.E.M. favorites “Nightswimming.”

“Losing My Religion,” which is widely regarded as R.E.M.’s best work (both music and music video), emits a magical feel while listening to it. It is a great song without lyrics, a strong mandolin played by Peter Buck and an equally strong acoustic guitar and electric bass carry the song. Yet, what gives “Losing My Religion” the wow factor is Stipe’s croon and the lyrics that work perfectly with the riff. My favorite line from the song is:

“Every whisper
Of every waking hour I’m
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up”

There has always been much debate about what Stipe was attempting to explore in this lyric. Many people claim that it is not about religion at all. The term, losing my religion, is actually a southern term meaning losing one’s temper or being at the end of one’s rope. With this evidence I believe that the song strongly suggests a bad break-up and a man’s constant struggle of trying to hold on or “keep an eye on you” while not wanting to say too much. Stipe himself has called this song classic obsession pop song like “Every Breath You Take.”

“Nightswimming” is a little bit of a different story. The song is nostalgic and beautiful. Stipe sets a scene and we can visualize the naked bodies in the water. The first verse has always been my favorite in this masterpiece.

“Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
turned around backwards so the windshield shows.
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse.
Still, it’s so much clearer.
I forgot my shirt at the water’s edge.
The moon is low tonight.”

It is idyllic and the truthful grasp of the song is intoxicating. Stipe hits a soft spot and makes it stick, his main skill as a lyricist.