My greatest mistake was learning the lyrics to this song by heart, from a live version where he sang the wrong words. That's a weekend I'll never get back...
Check out REM's "Man on the Moon". The song “Man On The Moon” had nothing at all to do with the escapades of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Instead it was written as an affectionate tribute to the late actor, comedian and performance artist, Andy Kaufman.
Who cares if we can fully understand the lyrics? It's a kick-ass song about the march of time and the cultural milestones we obsess over are survivable if not quickly forgotten. At least that's my take.
Don't worry about the lyrics. They're stream of consciousness and not intended to make logical sense. Just groove to the catchy music, sing along with the chorus, and always remember to scream "LEONARD BERNSTEIN" at the appropriate time.
This was played in the movie Independence Day. Lyrics by REM End of the World That's great, it starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes And Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs Don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength The ladder starts to clatter With a fear of height, down, height Wire in a fire, represent the seven games And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped 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 CHORUS: 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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) I feel fine (I feel fine) The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right...
REM fucking rocks. And no, that’s not the message of the song. The only folks that gel it are road warriors (so to speak). Us older folks. The song is about culture, changing times, and memories. It's not negative,.It's history. It's changing cultures being mourned.
Sometime in the 90's there a new alternative rock station that took over 107.9 where I live in Cleveland. Their nickname was "The End" (as in end of the radio dial), and on their first day they played this song over and over for 24 hours straight.
The video represents what the end of the world could look like. You're digging thru rubble and trash trying to find something to help you survive. This song is so influential that it has it's own Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_End_of_the_World_as_We_Know_It_(And_I_Feel_Fine) My fave lyric is in the chorus "It's time I had some time alone...."
It's a song about just being fed up with the entirety of reality as a whole. ALL the bullshit... completely... and just wanting to walk away from the whole damned world. Its not the "End of the World"... its "The End of the World AS WE KNOW IT." In other words, its the moment that people walk away from the crap that has made up their life to that point... the things they "thought" were important, but meant nothing and did nothing to make them happy. "Its time I had some time alone...." is the giveaway lyric on this one.
When I was younger there was a radio station in Cleveland known as The End. I don't know if they were bought out or what, but the genre changed away from alternative rock, and for the last 24 hours they were on air as The End, this was the only song they played - 24 hours straight.
Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" is similar. Worth a listen Or if you want a good one from the 60s, try "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and the Papas. Or for great 70s harmonies, "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band
I could never keep the lyrics straight myself... just really intense from the first listen till today. Another song from the same album was The One I Love.
This is such a poignant song in our culture today. REM is one of the great bands from my home state. I think out of all their songs...this and Everybody Hurts Sometimes are my favorites 💗🕊️
I guess this song can take on many personal meanings for different people. My local news channel posted a video of the Hotel that I worked for for a long time getting imploded. It was in reference to the changing new times of the resort city when the smaller, old places were being torn down to be replaced with the new Mega resorts. It went from having the small town everyone knew everyone place to a world of corporate entrepreneurs that catered mostly to the rich.
This song was used, appropriately enough, on the soundtrack of pretty much every disaster film of the 80s and 90s. It was, and still is, everywhere. And I am STILL not sick of it!🥰
As far as I know, this is the only song that mentions Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs all in one song, and in a row (and Lenny Bruce also gets mentioned in the first verse).
R,E,M. are hard to beat. I notice you've also reacted to "Losing my Religion" which is one of their better songs. You might also check out: "King of Birds", "The One I Love," "Fall on Me" and "(I am) Superman." Quality sounds!
I've always real liked the Mike Mills background vocals on this song "it's time I had some time alone" JV 2 more R.E.M. songs for you to checkout "Fall On Me" & "Driver 8"
Don't worry if you don't know the words, Michael Stipe had to read the lyrics whenever they performed this live. Please listen to Try Not to Breath, So.Central Rain, Crush with Eyeliner, Fall on Me, Country Feedback or At my Most Beautiful. They show just some of their range of music but I could recommend dozens more.
The first time I heard REM we were playing hacky-sack in the park and a guy next to us was playing it. Harbor Coat was the first song I heard and has been a favorite of mine all my life but I think the best song they ever wrote was Pretty Persuasion.
Getting out of the wall street area on 9/11 I had "it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine" as a loop in my head. So sad for all the loss. Glad I got out ok
Manic street preachers’ design for life is a fantastic tune. They are a welsh band and were huge in the uk in the late 90’s. Stereophonics are another great welsh band and Dakota is my favourite ‘phonics song. Check them both out.
It's a song about change and not tripping because of it. It's the end . . . As we know it And I feel fine. And nobody can keep up, but that's not a reason to lose it.
The sense of overload that you feel is exactly the point! ... time I had some time alone ... That feeling where you think, hey, if the world was to end today, I wouldn't mind. I'd sit there and watch it burn.
Back before the internet we just heard this on the radio and couldn't really look up the lyrics unless you bought the CD/tape and I think they were included.
@@bethshadid2087 haha I don't remember that but it could be I just didn't see it. There was a time around then when I didn't have cable. In fact the only reason I did for a while was that I found a cord sticking out of my apartment wall and decided to try connecting it to the TV. Had free cable for like 6 months until they cut it off.
"I have no idea what he's saying" "I have no idea what the video is about" Welcome to the wonderful world of R.E.M. lol, great music and great artistry, and the thing I love the most about them, the lyrics are more often than not, open to interpretation and can mean something different to every listener. Also the "birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean boom" line comes in the same verse where he name checks Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs - Michael Stipe had a dream he was at a birthday party and everyone had the initials LB!
Stipe couldn't even remember the words by later tours. I stood there and watched him read it off a sheet. Don't really read much into the lyrics, its sort of just a stream of consciousness. Or as Roger Waters of Pink Floyd used to say "If you are sure what to sing, make a list". The other enormous song off that album is "The One I Love"
Michael Stipe had a dream where there was a party with a bunch of famous people with the initials L.B. in attendance (Leonard Bernstein, Lenny Bruce, Leonid Brezhnev, Lester Banks, etc). That dream formed the basis for the lyrics.
It's written in debate form - throwing everything they can think of at the wall as fast as they can to see what sticks, and ultimately nothing sticks and it doesn't mean a thing. Total chaos, just stand back and laugh and you'll feel fine.
It is very catchy for such a dismal title. I've never been able to understand most of the lyrics. I know the movie Contact started with a scientist listening to this song and practicing golf putts when he suddenly heard a strange signal coming in from outer space. I know we're on the brink of disaster now, but I can't help loving this song.
I've always loved that back lyric behind the 'I feel fine' them the 'it's time I had some time alone'. Always loved that, to me it was the key to the song....so much craziness in the world, feels like the end of the world, but we just go around saying how are you? Oh , I feel fine, but we are not, and we all need that quiet time alone to sort out all the gobbledygook.
In the late 80s early 90s there was a radio station in Cleveland called "106.5 The End" that played that song for a week straight 24 hours a day to introduce themselves.
Lyrics That's great, it starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes And Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs Don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength The ladder starts to clatter With a fear of height, down, height Wire in a fire, represent the seven games And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped 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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) I feel fine (I feel fine) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) 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 (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
They have songs everyone can sing to songs that are almost impossible to cover. Lyrics so abstract and beautiful.Other lyrics so simple and honest and hard-hitting that connect with everyone They do the full spectrum. People forget how athletic Michael Stipe was and still is a giant. Awesome Reaction ! Cos you felt the music. Birthday Party was Nick Cave's band
Note that he's saying, "It's the end of the world AS WE KNOW IT", meaning not really the end of the world, but a major change. Other great R.E.M. songs that I recommend: "Radio Free Europe", "Fall on Me", and "Orange Crush".
At the beginning of the pandemic, when more and more of my colleagues at work started to work from home, and toilet rolls disappeared from supermarket shelves, this song, and Ghosts Town by the Specials were my constant earworms.
That's great, it starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes And Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs Don't mis-serve your own needs Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength The ladder starts to clatter With a fear of height, down, height Wire in a fire, represent the seven games And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped 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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) I feel fine (I feel fine) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) 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 (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone) It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
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, don't misserve 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 motive, 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, I feel fine 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 Mount St. Edelite, 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 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 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 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 section referring to Birthday party cheesecake, jelly bean, boom refers to the Cold War with Russia and the build up of nukes. Jelly beans were Reagan’s favorite dessert...
Welcome to REM =) Beck kind of does the same thing, and David Byrne was a master - a lot of times, you're just listening to a series of non sequiturs that are strung together on pretty tenuous threads.The lyrics aren't as important as the feel of the song, for the most part. Oh, for this song in particular, go look up the clip from Tommy Boy where David Spade and Chris Farley sing along =)
Oh dear Gawd! Sometime in the early 2000's this song was on the radio. Just as it was ending there was a strange sound then all power went out. Dont know why that sound scared me so much, it was just a strange feeling in the air. Turned out there was a 5 state blackout, never heard what caused it. Maybe someone here remembers and knows the details. 🤞 Was living in SoCal at the time.
Favorites from R.E.M.: So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry), Wendell Gee, Fall On Me, Exhuming McCarthy, You Are the Everything, Nightswimming, Find the River, Daysleeper, I've Been High... sooo many more. And might I say: "Leonard Bernstein!!"
![Twenty One Pilots - “The Line” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E2Rj2gQAyPA/mqdefault.jpg)
His life is flashing before him all his memories out loud,....its the end of the World...as we know it...perfect song for our lives today.
yeah, he's listing stuff in the world that would be gone if the world ended. so, yeah, it's just a list of stuff. but it *does* have meaning.
The lyrics of this song are super easy to sing along to:
something something
something something
something something
LEONARD BERNSTEIN!!!
⬆️ Fact
Leonid Brezhnev
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Birthday party cheesecake 😋
Yep! That's pretty much how I sing it. Lol
My greatest mistake was learning the lyrics to this song by heart, from a live version where he sang the wrong words. That's a weekend I'll never get back...
LOLOLOL
I can’t stop laughing!
🤣🤣🤣
😂
Thanks for the belly laugh!
Check out REM's "Man on the Moon". The song “Man On The Moon” had nothing at all to do with the escapades of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Instead it was written as an affectionate tribute to the late actor, comedian and performance artist, Andy Kaufman.
Who cares if we can fully understand the lyrics? It's a kick-ass song about the march of time and the cultural milestones we obsess over are survivable if not quickly forgotten. At least that's my take.
i agree. This was back during the fun era. We didn't really care what he was saying. When this came on we lost it as one should.
So many Parties with this song in the late 80th and the early 90th.
Everyone on the dance floor, screaming out Leonard Bernstein!
Oh YASS!!!
There are essays written analyzing this song in peer-reviewed academic literary journals, no joke.
Don't worry about the lyrics. They're stream of consciousness and not intended to make logical sense. Just groove to the catchy music, sing along with the chorus, and always remember to scream "LEONARD BERNSTEIN" at the appropriate time.
Yes!!!! Came here to tell him the same thing! Good game, friend!!!!
Yes, you'll know it's coming when it starts rhyming with Bernstein.
When I was in college it was a badge of honor to memorize the lyrics to this song and We Didn't Start the Fire. 🤓
That's is what this song reminds me of, REM's take on that song lol
@@MusicLover-dt7ic we didn’t start the fire came out after this song actually
This was played in the movie Independence Day.
Lyrics by REM
End of the World
That's great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped
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
CHORUS:
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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)
The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right...
REM fucking rocks. And no, that’s not the message of the song. The only folks that gel it are road warriors (so to speak). Us older folks. The song is about culture, changing times, and memories. It's not negative,.It's history. It's changing cultures being mourned.
My ALL time favorite band.
Amen. We get it. This song is awesome
@@dorothyannford8448 Nightswimming is one of the greatest songs ever written in my opinion. So many good ones. Too many to name. :)
That is the best interpretation of this song I've ever heard.
Sometime in the 90's there a new alternative rock station that took over 107.9 where I live in Cleveland. Their nickname was "The End" (as in end of the radio dial), and on their first day they played this song over and over for 24 hours straight.
What's the frequency Kenneth? , Everybody hurts, Losing my Religion
Love REM
he has already reacted to Everybody hurts, Losing my Religion , check playlist
Shiny Happy People {And no I don't care that REM hate it - It's still AWESOME!}.
Orange crush
The video represents what the end of the world could look like.
You're digging thru rubble and trash trying to find something to help you survive.
This song is so influential that it has it's own Wikipedia article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_the_End_of_the_World_as_We_Know_It_(And_I_Feel_Fine)
My fave lyric is in the chorus "It's time I had some time alone...."
Good one Jay! Love R.E.M. they are so versatile. It’s hard to believe they are the ones that also did “ Everybody hurts” 💯
"Time I had some time alone" -- That sentiment resonated differently in the late 80's than compared with now in this pandemic.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom.
Right right 👍
Its the end of the world by R.E.M great reaction jay
“Man On The Moon” and “Radio Free Europe” both essential my guy
„Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.“ that one’s pretty deep actually.
Don’t feel bad not getting the lyrics, when REM done unplugged, even Michael Stype needed to read the lyrics 😝
Try "Orange Crush " from R.E.M.
It’s still my favorite by them.
Favorite. 💜💜💜
It's a song about just being fed up with the entirety of reality as a whole. ALL the bullshit... completely... and just wanting to walk away from the whole damned world.
Its not the "End of the World"... its "The End of the World AS WE KNOW IT."
In other words, its the moment that people walk away from the crap that has made up their life to that point... the things they "thought" were important, but meant nothing and did nothing to make them happy.
"Its time I had some time alone...." is the giveaway lyric on this one.
You should do Put A Little Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
Don't Let's Start too
Yeah! I love that song☺️
I like "Anna Ng" too.
That'll be different. 🤓
I love that song. So much
When I was younger there was a radio station in Cleveland known as The End. I don't know if they were bought out or what, but the genre changed away from alternative rock, and for the last 24 hours they were on air as The End, this was the only song they played - 24 hours straight.
My family sang this song all the time!! Any bad news, it's the end of the world as we know it!!!!!
Appropriately enough this is in the soundtrack of the movie Independence Day.
Hi from the UK , it certainly is but we have to think things will get better, great band pity they have retired, miss there music 😥😥😥😥🤩🤩🤩🤩 .
This is the theme song of 2020. And 2021.
Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" is similar. Worth a listen
Or if you want a good one from the 60s, try "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and the Papas.
Or for great 70s harmonies, "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band
He did Billy Joel, not sure about the other ones.
He’s done California Dreaming.
Afternoon Delight is so good, but I got in trouble for singing it as a kid, lol.
A book-end to Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now"
and "We didn't light the Fire" fits in, too.
We Didn't Start The Fire.😉 And Winds of Change....both of those definitely are part of the same theme.
This was back in their college music days. Great stuff, I was in high school and then college back when.
Nightswimming is my absolute favourite REM song...it’s near perfect in my opinion.
This is one of those songs everyone know like 10 words to and when those words came up we sang it loud
Leonard Bernstein!
And we go "Nah nah wewewe wawawa ..."
“Electrolyte” by REM is just glorious...it’ll reach into your soul.
I love anything REM.
I think one of the best things about REM at around this time particularly, is Mike Mills backing vocals, the mans a genius.
Don’t even bother with the meaning of most of Michael Stipe’s lyrics. They’re usually beside the point. But they’re still one of my favorite bands.
* E X A C T L Y *
Yeah, this was literally a nonsense song when it was written, any meaning came later
Yet somehow you can still feel the meaning.
Lmao True!,
I could never keep the lyrics straight myself... just really intense from the first listen till today. Another song from the same album was The One I Love.
6-o-clock, TV hour, don't get caught in foreign tower.
Stipe couldn't keep them straight either. When they did Mtv Unplugged, he whipped out a lyric sheet for it.
@@possumverde He always did that as a prop too.But watch them live over you tube.I saw them a few times too ..no lyric sheet looked at.
This is such a poignant song in our culture today. REM is one of the great bands from my home state. I think out of all their songs...this and Everybody Hurts Sometimes are my favorites 💗🕊️
I guess this song can take on many personal meanings for different people. My local news channel posted a video of the Hotel that I worked for for a long time getting imploded. It was in reference to the changing new times of the resort city when the smaller, old places were being torn down to be replaced with the new Mega resorts. It went from having the small town everyone knew everyone place to a world of corporate entrepreneurs that catered mostly to the rich.
Who else was singing along to (almost) every word?
I always stumble at "reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped"
This song was used, appropriately enough, on the soundtrack of pretty much every disaster film of the 80s and 90s. It was, and still is, everywhere. And I am STILL not sick of it!🥰
As far as I know, this is the only song that mentions Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs all in one song, and in a row (and Lenny Bruce also gets mentioned in the first verse).
Would love to see you react to one of REMs most underrated songs, Find the River
Great suggestion, I also think Nightswimming should be on the list
I love that song ❤️
Find the river is perfection.
REM Shiny Happy People.
I love that one too 🙂
He's going to need to react to "One Week" by Barenakedladies after this one.
I was gonna say the same thing XD
YES!!!
If you listen again, 4 of the individuals he mentions (Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs) all have the initials L.B.
Was this a hint directed at L.B.J. 😆
R,E,M. are hard to beat. I notice you've also reacted to "Losing my Religion" which is one of their better songs. You might also check out: "King of Birds", "The One I Love," "Fall on Me" and "(I am) Superman." Quality sounds!
I've always real liked the Mike Mills background vocals on this song "it's time I had some time alone" JV 2 more R.E.M. songs for you to checkout "Fall On Me" & "Driver 8"
REM songs:
Driver 8
Begin the Begin
Radio Free Europe
Welcome to the Occupation
So. Central Rain
Fall on Me
A brilliant list..I would add Harborcoat,7 Chinese Brothers,The flowers of Guatemala and Perfect Circle...
Don't worry if you don't know the words, Michael Stipe had to read the lyrics whenever they performed this live. Please listen to Try Not to Breath, So.Central Rain, Crush with Eyeliner, Fall on Me, Country Feedback or At my Most Beautiful. They show just some of their range of music but I could recommend dozens more.
The first time I heard REM we were playing hacky-sack in the park and a guy next to us was playing it. Harbor Coat was the first song I heard and has been a favorite of mine all my life but I think the best song they ever wrote was Pretty Persuasion.
Getting out of the wall street area on 9/11 I had "it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine" as a loop in my head. So sad for all the loss. Glad I got out ok
Lol if you think this is confusing, you should try the song Loser by Beck
Funny you say that. I mentioned Beck and David Byrne in my reply. Don't worry to much about the words, and you'll be fine.
After not performing the song for a while the singer needed to refer to the lyrics on stage too
Literally every video he says wow I wasn’t expecting that ! .... but if you’ve never heard the song before then.... 🤔🤔🤔😂😂😂
Manic street preachers’ design for life is a fantastic tune. They are a welsh band and were huge in the uk in the late 90’s. Stereophonics are another great welsh band and Dakota is my favourite ‘phonics song. Check them both out.
Absolutely love Motown junk and Faster by the manics
It's a song about change and not tripping because of it.
It's the end . . . As we know it
And I feel fine.
And nobody can keep up, but that's not a reason to lose it.
The sense of overload that you feel is exactly the point! ... time I had some time alone ...
That feeling where you think, hey, if the world was to end today, I wouldn't mind. I'd sit there and watch it burn.
Appropriate song for these times
😏
Back before the internet we just heard this on the radio and couldn't really look up the lyrics unless you bought the CD/tape and I think they were included.
They had a video on MTV where they held up poster boards with the words on them unless I've entered the twilight mandela affect zone 🙄
@@bethshadid2087 haha I don't remember that but it could be I just didn't see it. There was a time around then when I didn't have cable. In fact the only reason I did for a while was that I found a cord sticking out of my apartment wall and decided to try connecting it to the TV. Had free cable for like 6 months until they cut it off.
@@3DJapan that's awesome. Yeah we didn't as well at first. Eventually got it. Usually I watched MTV at friends house.
There are sooo many fabulous REM songs.. catchy and melodic!
Classic R.E.M. here
"Orange Crush" and "What's the frequency, Kenneth" are another good ones
Go with the flow, Brother. GO WITH THE FREAKIN' FLOW!!!
Michael Shannon did this song on lip sync battles and he didnt miss a beat! it was so awesome to watch :D
Right after 9/11 Radio Stations were not allowed to play this song for a time.
"I have no idea what he's saying" "I have no idea what the video is about" Welcome to the wonderful world of R.E.M. lol, great music and great artistry, and the thing I love the most about them, the lyrics are more often than not, open to interpretation and can mean something different to every listener.
Also the "birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean boom" line comes in the same verse where he name checks Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs - Michael Stipe had a dream he was at a birthday party and everyone had the initials LB!
I tried to sing this once and my lips got knotted-up!
I eventually got it but then song kinda faded away from radio so I lost it 😓
Stipe couldn't even remember the words by later tours. I stood there and watched him read it off a sheet. Don't really read much into the lyrics, its sort of just a stream of consciousness. Or as Roger Waters of Pink Floyd used to say "If you are sure what to sing, make a list". The other enormous song off that album is "The One I Love"
Michael Stipe had a dream where there was a party with a bunch of famous people with the initials L.B. in attendance (Leonard Bernstein, Lenny Bruce, Leonid Brezhnev, Lester Banks, etc). That dream formed the basis for the lyrics.
I used to have the same haircut as the kid in the video.
Yes, at my age I've heard this song countless times....LOL Saw them in concert a bunch. Memories.
Other REM: “Orange Crush”
“Shiny Happy People” w Kate Pierson from the B52s (Both are Athens bands.).
“Stand”
“The One I Love”
“Man On the Moon”
Ahem... Athens.
@@Wilco1972 Thank you. I will correct it. My brain hasn’t been working well lately.
Glad you mentioned Stand, people tend to forget about that one. I have no idea why. It's probably my favourite (although the rest are great too).
@@Cyssane I love “Stand”. It’s fun. I always have to dance with it. 😁
It's written in debate form - throwing everything they can think of at the wall as fast as they can to see what sticks, and ultimately nothing sticks and it doesn't mean a thing. Total chaos, just stand back and laugh and you'll feel fine.
the best spread in the world
I can't listen to this without thinking of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire and vice versa.
It is very catchy for such a dismal title. I've never been able to understand most of the lyrics. I know the movie Contact started with a scientist listening to this song and practicing golf putts when he suddenly heard a strange signal coming in from outer space. I know we're on the brink of disaster now, but I can't help loving this song.
I've always loved that back lyric behind the 'I feel fine' them the 'it's time I had some time alone'. Always loved that, to me it was the key to the song....so much craziness in the world, feels like the end of the world, but we just go around saying how are you? Oh , I feel fine, but we are not, and we all need that quiet time alone to sort out all the gobbledygook.
In the late 80s early 90s there was a radio station in Cleveland called "106.5 The End" that played that song for a week straight 24 hours a day to introduce themselves.
The dog in the video came out of nowhere. It just walked into the house and they went with it.
Lyrics
That's great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped
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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
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 (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
They have songs everyone can sing to songs that are almost impossible to cover.
Lyrics so abstract and beautiful.Other lyrics so simple and honest and hard-hitting that connect with everyone
They do the full spectrum.
People forget how athletic Michael Stipe was and still is a giant.
Awesome Reaction ! Cos you felt the music.
Birthday Party was Nick Cave's band
Note that he's saying, "It's the end of the world AS WE KNOW IT", meaning not really the end of the world, but a major change. Other great R.E.M. songs that I recommend: "Radio Free Europe", "Fall on Me", and "Orange Crush".
At the beginning of the pandemic, when more and more of my colleagues at work started to work from home, and toilet rolls disappeared from supermarket shelves, this song, and Ghosts Town by the Specials were my constant earworms.
That's great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don't mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And 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, trumped, tethered, cropped
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, T.V. hour, don't get caught in foreign tower
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Lock him in uniform, book burning, bloodletting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a motive, step down, step down
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh oh
This means no fear, cavalier, renegade and steering 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 (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
I feel fine (I feel fine)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
The other night I drifted nice continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam but neck, right, right
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
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 (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine (time I had some time alone)
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, don't misserve 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 motive, 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, I feel fine
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
Mount St. Edelite, 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
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
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
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
You should check out their song So Central Rain or Pretty Persuasion by REM
another song with them speaking quickly is
life is a rock but the radio rolled me by reunion
You should hear Night Swimming, Half a World Away, You are Everything, World Leader Pretend, Swan Swan Hummingbird and so much more!
Worth printing out the lyrics. Michael Stipe and Mike Mills have such beautiful harmony here. And Mike Mills is on Twitter!
This song reminds me of 1992 when I was in the Air Force and stationed at Shemya AFB, Alaska. Great memories.
The section referring to Birthday party cheesecake, jelly bean, boom refers to the Cold War with Russia and the build up of nukes. Jelly beans were Reagan’s favorite dessert...
Welcome to REM =) Beck kind of does the same thing, and David Byrne was a master - a lot of times, you're just listening to a series of non sequiturs that are strung together on pretty tenuous threads.The lyrics aren't as important as the feel of the song, for the most part. Oh, for this song in particular, go look up the clip from Tommy Boy where David Spade and Chris Farley sing along =)
R.E.M. Night swimming, Losing My Religion, Man on the Moon, What's the Frequency Kenneth, Everybody Hurts & Happy Shiny People
Great choices
I cant listen to this song without thinking of "Independence Day" with Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith....Awesome.
I could sing this whole song when I was 12. Try 'Radio Free Europe', 'Stand', 'Drive' and 'What's the Frequency Kenneth'.
Who else smiles big while watching J react? 😁
"Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine."
Oh dear Gawd! Sometime in the early 2000's this song was on the radio. Just as it was ending there was a strange sound then all power went out. Dont know why that sound scared me so much, it was just a strange feeling in the air. Turned out there was a 5 state blackout, never heard what caused it. Maybe someone here remembers and knows the details. 🤞 Was living in SoCal at the time.
Favorites from R.E.M.: So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry), Wendell Gee, Fall On Me, Exhuming McCarthy, You Are the Everything, Nightswimming, Find the River, Daysleeper, I've Been High... sooo many more. And might I say: "Leonard Bernstein!!"