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Friday, January 18, 2008

"That's great, it starts with an earthquake..."

Two years before Billy Joel gave the world a crash course in American history with "We Didn't Start the Fire", R.E.M had released a better precursor to this kind of stream of consciousness, rapid-fire, half-spoken, half-sung vocal style. One of my favorite R.E.M songs, "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" came out in 1987 and was reputedly written by Michael Stipe after he dreamt that he was at a birthday party where all the other guests had the initials L.B., hence the references to Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs in the song. I think it's a little eerie how prescient the lyrics are, and how, after 20 years, the irony of the song still resonates with so much of our reality today.

So anyway, I saw this on YouTube yesterday and was reminded that Boing Boing had posted something on this late last year. Who figured President Bush as an R.E.M fan?



Apparently, he loves U2 as well... :)
That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane- Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn- world serves its own needs, regardless of your own needs. Feed it up a knock, speed, grunt no, strength no. Ladder structure clatter with fear of height, down height. Wire in a fire, represent the seven games in a government for hire and a combat site. Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the Furies breathing down your neck. Team by team reporters baffled, trump, tethered crop. Look at that low plane! Fine then. Uh oh, overflow, population, common group, but it'll do. Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed. Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right - right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign tower. Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn. Lock him in uniform and book burning, blood letting. Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate. Light a candle, light a votive. Step down, step down. Watch a heel crush, crush. Uh oh, this means no fear - cavalier. Renegade and steer clear! A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mountains sit in a line. Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs. Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom! You symbiotic, patriotic, slam, but neck, right? Right.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine...fine...

(It's time I had some time alone)

- R.E.M., "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

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