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Green is not my favorite R.E.M. album but is definitely the most meaningful to me and is one of those records that instantly transports me to late ‘88 and early ‘89. I was a senior in high school and my parents had just bought a brand new Volkswagen Jetta, our first car with a tape deck! As was my habit, I made a tape of the record (I’d generally play my vinyl just once to tape it and then play that so as to keep the vinyl pristine) and played it repeatedly while driving around Appleton. The song “Orange Crush,” which was the first single released in December ‘88 and went to #1 on the Modern and Mainstream Rock charts, reminds me of cold Midwestern evenings, driving down the dark streets to after school activities. “Pop Song 89,” the third single released in May ‘89 (#16 Modern Rock chart) has much sunnier recollections – the last days of high school, warm weather, excitement of the prospect of a glorious summer and then on to college. The fourth single “Get Up” (released September ‘89, it did not chart) is one of my favorites from Green. Michael Stipe reportedly wrote it about Mike Mills who always overslept for their recording sessions; it’s also Stipe’s favorite song on the album.

But the most significant song to me is the much-maligned second single “Stand” (it was meant to be a “60′s-esque bubblegum pop ditty” in the spirit of The Monkees, etc.). Do I really like “Stand”? No, not really. But it is the song that most reminds me of my friend Laurie who disappeared 26 years ago. She loved R.E.M. – going so far as to date a dolt who had a more than passing resemblance to Michael Stipe – and we’d do the “Stand” dance in her backyard during our high school lunch hours. She was bright and bubbly, just like the song. “Stand” went to #6 on the US Hot 100 (#1 on the Alternative and Mainstream Rock charts) and to #48 in the UK.

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“Radio Free Europe” is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs, but I also love the quiet sweet sadness of “Talk About the Passion” (also released as a single in Europe, where it failed to chart). “Perfect Circle” is lovely, spacious and sorrowful with actual piano rather than the 80′s ubiquitous synth sound. Mike Mills’ melodic bass prowess is demonstrated on tracks like “Catapult,” a more upbeat song, relatively speaking, on Murmur. “Sitting Still” was the B-side to “Radio Free Europe” and is one of the earliest penned tracks by R.E.M.; they wrote and recorded it in ‘81and the original version appears on Murmur. Reading about the lyrics to “Sitting Still” made me laugh: “Stipe has acknowledged that the first line of the refrain, ‘Up to par and Katie bar the kitchen door but not me in,’ does not mean anything. In a 1991 interview he did provide some insight into a potential meaning, stating that ‘Katie bar the door’ is a Southern expression for barring the door to prevent a child from escaping punishment and is used as a warning that the child better watch out. Another line, ‘We can gather, throw a fit’ has often been misinterpreted as ‘We can gather, throw up beer.’ He has also acknowledged that much of the song is made of nonsensical vowels strung together and that he merely approximates the words when he sings the song in concert.”

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I see your money on the floor I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
The yard is nothing but a fence the sun just hurts my eyes.
Somewhere it must be time for penitence. Gardening at night is never where.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night.

The neighbors go to bed at ten.
Call the prayer line for a change.
The charge is changing every month.
They said it couldn’t be arranged.

We ankled up the garbage sound, but they were busy in the rows.
We fell up, not to see the sun, gardening at night just didn’t grow.
I see your money on the floor, I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night

Your sister said that you’re too young.
They should know they’ve been there twice.
The call was two and fifty one.
They said it couldn’t be arranged.

I see your money on the floor, I felt the pocket change.
Though all the feelings that broke through that door
Just didn’t seem to be too real.
We ankled up the garbage sound, but they were busy in the rows.
We fell up not to see the sun, gardening at night just didn’t grow.
Gardening at night. Gardening at night. Gardening at night

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My favorite tracks are “Begin the Begin,” which is a perfect way to start off an album while teaching a bit of Pilgrim history for good measure, “I Believe” all gloriously upbeat musically and lyrically and “Swan Swan H” a gorgeously mournful track full of poetic imagery that I totally don’t get (I guess it’s another history lesson, this time for the Civil War, but what the hell is a hair chain?!):

Swan, swan, hummingbird, hurrah
We are all free now
What noisy cats are we
Girl and dog, he bore his cross

Swan, swan, hummingbird, hurrah
We are all free now
A long, low time ago
People talk to me

Johnny Reb, what’s the price of fans
Forty apiece or three for one dollar
Hey, captain, don’t you want to buy
Some bone chains and toothpicks

Night wings, or hair chains?
Here’s your wooden greenback, sing
Wooden beams and dovetail sweep
I struck that picture ninety times

I walked that path a hundred ninety
Long, low time ago
People talk to me

A pistol hot, cup of rhyme
The whiskey is water, the water is wine
Marching feet, Johnny Reb
What’s the price of heroes?

Six and one, half dozen the other
Tell that to the captain’s mother
Hey, captain, don’t you want to buy
Some bone chains and toothpicks?

Night wings, or hair chains?
Swan, swan, hummingbird, hurrah
We are all free now
What noisy cats are we

And of course “Superman” is one of my favorite REM songs of all time – soaringly uplifting and anthemic sung by bassist Mike Mills rather than Michael Stipe; “Superman” is a cover originally recorded in 1969 as the B-side to The Clique’s “Sugar on Sunday.”

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