Whats the deal with Nightswimming?
Bubka 79
I'm pretty much a die hard R.E.M. fan (second best band ever, number one
being the beatles of course), and i love just about every song theyve ever
put out but for some reason nightswimming is one of those rare songs of
theirs that just doesnt sit right with me. i just dont care much for it,
and yet its their most loved song by many of you, and i was just wondering
what i wasnt getting. any help would be appreciated. (BTW, their best
song ever is Me In Honey, but thats just my opinion i could be wrong.
cheers,
brendan
Ethan Kaplan
I like Nightswimming because of its arrangement, orchestration and lyrics.
THere is a lush piano backed with a 10 piece, I think, orchestra and you
were right about the obe solo. It is a beautifully constructed song, and
the lyrics always make me think back to a time when I was younger. Me In
Honey is cool too. It's fun to listen to the 10000 Maniacs "Eat for Two"
and right after listen to Me In Honey.
Ethan
Bubka 79 <bub...@aol.com> wrote in article
<4v8p32$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>...
Chris Lawrence
bub...@aol.com (Bubka 79) wrote:
>I'm pretty much a die hard R.E.M. fan (second best band ever, number one
>being the beatles of course), and i love just about every song theyve ever
>put out but for some reason nightswimming is one of those rare songs of
>theirs that just doesnt sit right with me. i just dont care much for it,
>and yet its their most loved song by many of you, and i was just wondering
>what i wasnt getting. any help would be appreciated. (BTW, their best
>song ever is Me In Honey, but thats just my opinion i could be wrong.
>
>cheers,
>brendan
Well, Nightswimming is a beautiful song, a great piano-line backed by an
orchestra (?) and a cool oboe (?, again) solo. Can't remember what plays
the solo right now, I'd have to check w/ my AFTP songbook. Anyways, Me In
Honey is one of their best songs, definitely. but Out of Time is such a great
record. All of their records are, except for Dead Lette Office. that record
does nothing for me. Except for the trio of VU covers. Those are great. And for the
Chronic Town EP on their, that's cool, too. Um...any top ten lists of favorite REM
songs, anyone? I'd really have to think about it. Me In Honey, Crush With Eyeliner,
Star Me Kitten, Perfect Circle, Time after Time, Good Advices, Stand (heheh), King
of Birds (the Tourfilm version, the Document version is awful!), their cover of
Wichita Lineman, and... AAAAHHHHH!!!! Too many great songs! I tried to pick one
from each album, but...
Other favorites:
Sitting Still
Rockville
Driver 8
Life and How to Live it
Begin the Begin
These Days
Fall on Me
Hyena
I Believe
Flowers of Guatemala
Swan Swan H
Finest Worksong
Exhuming Mccarthy
Disturbance at the Heron house
The One I love
ITEOTWAWKI(AIFF)
Pop Song 89
World Leader Pretend
Low
Radio Song (the pretty part, not the funk part)
BELONG!!!
Country feedback
Sidewinder
SWEETNESS FOLLOWS!!!
um..Find the River
I don't sleep, I dream
Tongue
Star 69
Let Me In
AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TOO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM!!!!!!
Sorry, it won't happen again.
P.S. Does anyone know where I can get a good copy of their version of Wichita
Lineman? E-mail me, please. :)
Chris Lawrence
Matthew Pendleton
Well, Nighstwimming happens to be my favorite REM song, tied with U R The
Everything. The reason why it's my favorite(and the reason why ANY song is
my favorite) is because Stipe is actually talking about something I can
relate to, which is unusual for REM. They're usually so cryptic you onyl
get a vague sense of what he's saying. But with Night Swim, the lyrics
evoke a definite feeling of something pure and innocent and that has since
disappeared. It seems like a scene of grownups getting together to try to
relive childhood but it's just not the same("it's not like years ago...")
But the best part is the verse with "you I thought I knew you..." which
reminds me of people you think are just ordinary but turn out to
completely amaze you and you fall in love with them or whatever. It's a
song that doesn't need a video but has one anyway and it's pretty good.
It's the kind of song you make a completely different video in your head
each time you hear it. Basically the message is(according to me): yeah,
youth is gone but we can still feel that way sometimes. But it doesn't
just happen naturally anymore, you're not oblivious to it anymore. You
have to plan it, e.g. organize a night swim. But it can still be sacred,
Stipe insists: "it deserves a quiet night." It's not the same, no
"fear of getting caught," "recklessness of water," hell, you don't even
mind if someone sees you naked. And keep in mind it is a select few who
still feel this way. Like Eddie Vedder said in "Not For You:" "I still
remember, why don't you?" Stipe is unsure that "all these people
understand" that these beautiful things have "gone away, replaced by
everday." So he is realistic about the whole thing. This line can apply
both to people who think they can relive it anytime, or those who just
don't remember period. With the line "September is coming soon," Stipe
seems to be applying the imminence of responsibility to all ages. There is
always a September on the horizon, but we don't really care when we're
little.
That is my take on "Nightswimming." If you read this far, I appreciate it.
ALLAN MEEK
Bubka 79 <bub...@aol.com> wrote in article
<4v8p32$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>...
> I'm pretty much a die hard R.E.M. fan (second best band ever, number one
> being the beatles of course), and i love just about every song theyve
ever
> put out but for some reason nightswimming is one of those rare songs of
> theirs that just doesnt sit right with me. i just dont care much for it,
> and yet its their most loved song by many of you, and i was just
wondering
> what i wasnt getting. any help would be appreciated. (BTW, their best
> song ever is Me In Honey, but thats just my opinion i could be wrong.
>
> cheers,
> brendan
>
I'm with you on Nightswimming. It sounds like a song of remembrance - but
how can you tell what most of Stipe's words mean?
About Me In Honey, I think that it's just a filler for Out Of Time.
Obviously, not much effort was put into the musical side of this song:
there are only two chords, C and G.
Allan
Justin Shumaker
In article <4v8p32$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, bub...@aol.com (Bubka 79) wrote:
€ I'm pretty much a die hard R.E.M. fan (second best band ever, number one
€ being the beatles of course), and i love just about every song theyve ever
€ put out but for some reason nightswimming is one of those rare songs of
€ theirs that just doesnt sit right with me. i just dont care much for it,
€ and yet its their most loved song by many of you, and i was just wondering
€ what i wasnt getting. any help would be appreciated. (BTW, their best
€ song ever is Me In Honey, but thats just my opinion i could be wrong.
€
€ cheers,
€ brendan
Nightswimming is probably my favorite REM song, and to hear someone saying
they don't care for it is kind of surprising. Now, I'm not attacking you
or anything, but I think that if any REM song perfectly showcases Michael
Stipe's lyrical and vocal ability, along with the band's musical and
arranging talents, it is Nightswimming.
We all know that what REM does best is not deliver straightforward,
plainspoken messages, but rather with their lyrics, music and overall
sonic textures, they invoke deep, if unexplainable, feelings. It's
different for everyone, but everytime I hear Nightswimming, I think of
water, youth, the last days of summer, sweet and fading memories...much
the same as Find the River, which is just as amazing (imho). Simply, the
song makes me think, puts an unreleased video in my head. That's what's
the deal, at least to me. Enjoy!
justin
--
I'm just pining for the moon, is all I'm doin', really.
scott c ross
In <4vbnvv$r...@mark.ucdavis.edu> ez05...@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu
life, but also the feeling that your life is a little emptier and less
fulfilling because it has passed.
ZeroCool
> About Me In Honey, I think that it's just a filler for Out Of Time.
> Obviously, not much effort was put into the musical side of this song:
> there are only two chords, C and G.
maybe so, but lyrically and emotionally i take it as a response to the 10,000
Maniacs song "Eat for Two." To me it's not just a "filler" song.
Nicole
neal
>That is my take on "Nightswimming." If you read this far, I appreciate it.
That was awesome! I am a Nightswimming fan, but I haven't always been. I'd
listen to it, but it didn't do much for me. Then one day when I was at work I
heard it on the elevator music, or at least a song that sounded like it, and it
triggered something in me. I just had to hear it! So as soon as I got home I
put it in the cd player and I've loved it ever since. I just never really paid
attention to it, I guess. Me in Honey is the other way around. I liked it a
lot when I first heard it, but then I kind of got tired of it.
Neal
Dave McGlashan
ALLAN MEEK <cow...@magi.com> said:
>I'm with you on Nightswimming. It sounds like a song of remembrance - but
>how can you tell what most of Stipe's words mean?
>
>Obviously, not much effort was put into the musical side of this song:
>there are only two chords, C and G.
>
How do you tune your guitar?
It`s actually two riffs based on Db5 and Ab5
E |----------------| E |----------------|
B |----------------| B |----------------|
G |-6---6-6---6--6-| and G |----------------|
D |-4h6-6-6---4--4-| D |-6---6-6---6--6-|
A |-4---4-4---4--4-| A |-4h6-6-6---4--4-|
E |----------------| E |-4---4-4---4--4-|
Dead simple to play but who cares? Peter has often said in the past
something along the lines of "Musical competence is the enemy of good
songwriting."
In an interview for this weeks NME (British music newspaper) he has said
that he`s happy with the way NAiHF has been recorded as it has kept them
largely out of the studio forever adding bits to a song which has
stifled the overall effectiveness of it.
Two chords? So what? Me In Honey is an excellent song that draws Out Of
Time nicely to a close.
Dave
BenSpazz
> Two chords? So what? Me In Honey is an excellent song that
> draws Out Of
> Time nicely to a close.
Me in Honey is okay, but I've always felt it was a disappointment, coming
as it does right after Country Feedback.
-Ben
_________________________________________________
Ben Spees <================= bens...@aol.com
---------------------------------------------------
New Adventures In Hi Fi: 9/10/96. Combien de temps?
---------------------------------------------------
"Every day people come up to me and go, 'Gee,
Michael, it must be hard being you.' And I go,
'Yeah, y'know, it's give and take and give and
take and take and take and take, take, take.
Every day I have to decide the difference
between what I want and what I need.
Life's a BITCH!" -- Michael Stipe
_________________________________________________
Steve Trimmer
Me In Honey is great in concert. I agree that most music that seems
"complex" can be very bad. Very bad; example A: heavy metal. Joe Satriani.
Metalica (the new alternative band), Winger,
Come on! Me In Honey worse then these. I think it's a great song.
Steve
John L Clinebell
On 23 Aug 1996, Steve Trimmer wrote:
> Me In Honey is great in concert. I agree that most music that seems
> "complex" can be very bad. Very bad; example A: heavy metal. Joe Satriani.
> Metalica (the new alternative band), Winger,
you should check out master of puppets (real metallica), as well as ride
the lightning, and justice for all..., and countdown to extinction
(megadeth) before you run your mouth about music you obviously haven't
given a serious listen to. REM is my #1 fave band but i keep open to all
kinds of music. you never know what you're missing until you give
something new a listen.
my 2 cents
john
Jeffrey Brown
I found this comment really interesting. I remember rummaging through my
brother's albums when I was 16 and finding Elvis Costello's "This Year's
Model" record, putting it on and thinking "next!" Then, a few months
later, I'm just humming a tune and suddenly realize where it came from.
Triggered something in me too. I had to rush home and listen to it and
it's been one of my favourite albums ever since. Anyone else had a similar
"triggering" (perhaps a new term:-) ) experience with REM or other bands?
As for Nightswimming, I think it's got to be one of REM's classics. The
discussion by one of the first responses (the last sentence of it is
above) really nailed it on the head. Even those of us who have never gone
"nightswimming" can really put themselves in the singer/narrator's
position. Who hasn't felt that way? It's probably my favourite track off
of Automatic For The People (although when I hear Mike Mills voice soaring
in the background of Find The River I'm not so sure.)
They are just a great band and I can't wait for the new album. I have seen
no reason to doubt their considerable skill and creativity (although I'll
be the first to tell you that there will come a time when they will put out
a real piece of crap (other than Green, that is.))
Jeff
P.S. Sorry about the "Green" crack, REM fanatics, but I just don't like it.
Aaah, well, there's lots here who don't like Monster so we can't all agree.
OceanStorm
me in honey is a beautiful, bitter song if you listen to the lyrics. i
think it's another case of the music not matching the lyrics. the meaning
of those lyrics actually follow country feedback pretty well. only the
music sounds kinda like filler. imho of course... :-)
~candy
Matthew Stanislawski
nightswimming: great song, after 1042 listenings it got a tad old, so i
discovered a NEW sad song from the best album ever recorded by any artist:
find the river. it is mellow, but is at the same time life affirming and
positive. replaced niteswimming as my fave song.
: Bubka 79 <bub...@aol.com> wrote in article
: <4v8p32$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>...
: > I'm pretty much a die hard R.E.M. fan (second best band ever, number one
: > being the beatles of course), and i love just about every song theyve
: ever
: > put out but for some reason nightswimming is one of those rare songs of
: > theirs that just doesnt sit right with me. i just dont care much for it,
: > and yet its their most loved song by many of you, and i was just
: wondering
: > what i wasnt getting. any help would be appreciated. (BTW, their best
: > song ever is Me In Honey, but thats just my opinion i could be wrong.
: >
: > cheers,
: > brendan
: >
--
_ __
' ) ) _/_ _/_
/--' __. / /
/ \_(_/|_<___<__
Chaos Harlequin
ocean...@aol.com (OceanStorm) wrote:
What, you don't like dark lyrics set to cheery music? Probably 1/4 of
rock and roll is based on dark lyrics set to cheery music. :)
/----------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner----------------------------\
| part...@servtech.com http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ |
| "I spend too much time raiding windmills. We go side by side, laugh until |
\-------it's right." Toad The Wet Sprocket, "Windmills"---------------------/
Alex and/or Colin Newman
My personal take on "Nightswimming":
----------------------------<anicdote warning>------------------------------
About 2 years ago, I was going through some pretty trying times, and I
remember getting Automatic and sitting and hearing Nightswimming and thinking
"What the hell is this?" It totaly blew my mind. It was just so different
than anything I was hearing on radio. All that year I remember sitting and
listening to that song. It's amazing how many levels that song was working on
for me- loss, happiness, betrayl, sadness, memory. It helped me to see my
life as something that had some sort of pourpose other than endless work and
loss. But that was just me. your milage may vary.
Colin "not the guy from Wire" Newman
Lindsay Milligan
Nightswimming is just a beautiful song to those who like it.
The piano, the vocals. You needn't listen to the words really, it
provides a real fealing.
I've always thought that the song was a comforting song if you wanted it
to be, reflecting simpler times when one was in a dangerous-happy state
over "reclessness in water." Or a sad song thinking of how all that is
over and now you can only remember it. I think the tune is rather sad,
especially with the strings comming in.
I think regardless of your opinion of the song you must some how agree
it's an acomplishment. It's rare for a song to be so simple, yet so
noticed. And it's hard to add stings without getting into a cliche.
Me in Honey, doesn't seem like a sad song put to happy music, it seems
like a bitter song put to bitter music.
It sounds to me like he wants to scream, but he's still hung up on the
girl. Like he's half about to jump out of his seat and really hurt her,
but can't because there's all the past sitting there. And when he sais
"What it's doing to me" The note goes down, like yell for notice, or even
a cry. And the woman is constantly (this isn't an insult) groaning in the
background.
Lindsay
PS. I like both songs but my abosolute favourite song is "Man on the Moon"
KDKiunke
nightswimming is wonderful, it made me first think of b52's deadbeatclub,
and all the cool athens people skinnydipping in the moonlight. me i honey
is great, if only for kate's vocals, but the song is real cool too, as you
all have been saying. I originally got the album because Kate was singing
on it, and soon got all the rems because they blew me away more and
more...
kenneth
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