Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDLXXII--R.E.M.--(Don't Go Back to) Rockville

One of these days I'll get another one on time....

This week's tune is the one that made me an R.E.M. fan.  While the rest of the album would eventually become songs that I loved, this week's tune was the one that made me keep coming back and giving more listens until I had become infatuated with the entire album.  And just to tell you how old I am, it was on an actual LP that I first listened to R.E.M.....

I wrote about R.E.M. in Jukebox Vol. CXXXII, and as the band is still not performing together, and showing no signs of ever doing so again, that brief bio is pretty much going to cover everything I'd want to note about the band.

"(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" was the second single from R.E.M.'s first LP, the rather prophetically named Reckoning.  The single did not chart, while the album reached #27 on the Billboard 200 (which kind of surprised me as I seem to remember my store selling about three copies--which may be great in Decatur, Illinois for a quirky band from Athens, GA).

Fun Fact:  "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" was written about a love interest of bassist Mike Mills, Ingrid Schorr, while the two of them were in college.  Ms. Schorr would eventually become a journalist and wrote a somewhat humorous piece about her fifteen minutes of rock and roll fame--and the inaccuracies in the song as well as how those inaccuracies only grew through the years as R.E.M.'s fame grew as well.  

"(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" is not the standard fare for an R.E.M. song, as it is more or less a country and western song (the song was originally performed in a punk style, but while recording it the band made it country in a joke aimed at its manager).  The song is a plea from Mike Mills to his then girlfriend to not go back home to Maryland and stay in Athens with him (even with the inaccuracies that part of the song is more or less true).  Michael Stipe's vocals are impassioned (though when the band performed it live Mills sang lead), the band sounds like a country and western bar band on a Friday Night at the Dew Drop Inn (fully intended as a compliment), and together they made a hell of a song. In the end, though, what the song highlights is R.E.M.'s versatility, which in turns shows its greatness as it stretched the limits of its talents and made a musical moment of wonder.

Lyric Sheet:  "At night I drink myself to sleep/And pretend that I don't care that you're not here with me/"Cause it's so much easier to handle/All my problems if I'm too far out to sea..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCLXIX--The B-52's: Legal Tender

This week's tune features a band that doesn't always get the credit it deserves (where's the love, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?) for being one of the forerunners of the New Wave movement, but it's not hard to see where bands like Men At Work, A Flock of Seagulls, or Adam and the Ants got at least a little inspiration from....

If you looked up the word quirky in the dictionary, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see a picture of The B-52's right next to it.  From their "thrift shop aesthetic" look to their off the wall lyrics and songs, the band has set the standard for dork cool.  Formed in 1976 in Athens, Georgia, the B-52s have had a nice run of success over the last (hard to believe) forty-four years, and have remained mostly intact from it's original lineup of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland.  Through the years, the B-52's have released 7 albums (one of which reached the top ten on the Billboard 200), three live albums, one EP, and five compilations.  They've also had two singles reach #3.  The band has had countless tours and has appeared on numerous soundtracks and even had a guest appearance on The Simpsons.  Sadly, guitarist Ricky Wilson (brother of Cindy) passed away in 1985 of complications from AIDS.  The band also has a long history of supporting causes ranging from LGBTQ issues to animal rights.

Fun Fact #1:  The band is named The B-52's because the beehive hairstyles Pierson and Cindy Wilson wore when they first began resembled the cone of a B-52 jet...which Keith Strickland suggested after he had a dream in which he saw the band performing on stage and someone whispered in his ear that the band was called "The B-52's."

Fun Fact #2:  John Lennon was a big fan of The B-52's and claimed that the song "Rock Lobster" was the reason for his comeback to music and release of his album Double Fantasy.  Which is sort of like Jesus deciding to come back to earth because of the good works emaycee is doing...or not.

"Legal Tender" was released in 1983 from their third album, the impressively titled Whammy!  It would go on to reach #81 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Legal Tender" is an ode, to of all things, printing counterfeit money.  And who among us when financial times have been tough haven't thought about turning to crime as a way out?  Though most of us quickly realize that we have neither the skills nor the aversion to risk for a life of crime, we can live vicariously through The B-52's.  What I've always liked best about the song is its complete and utter joy, though whether that's from committing the crime or having lots of money I've never figured out.  The song is a showcase for the wonderful vocals of both Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson who exude exuberance, features some catchy as all hell synthesizer work (not usually one of my faves), and just enough tasty guitar from Ricky Wilson to whet the palate.  Overall, one wouldn't normally think of a song about committing a crime to be so goddamn danceable, but this one is and it shows both the beauty and the joy that is The B-52's.

Lyric Sheet:  "Livin' simple and trying to get by/But honey, prices have shot through the sky/So I fixed up the basement..."

Enjoy: 

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CXXXII--R.E.M.: Imitation of Life

Trying to pick my favorite R.E.M. song was a bit like trying to pick my favorite dessert--far too many sweet, sweet choices.  In the end, I chose "Imitation of Life" because of how much it surprised me.  R.E.M. had pretty much reached the point of still being a very serviceable band, just not a band that I was still highly anticipating any release they had (and not that performers don't surprise later in their careers--Springsteen, Neil Young, and Lou Reed all had stellar releases at various points deep into their latter years).  And still does for that matter--whenever I'm listening to my R.E.M. playlist I find "Imitation of Life" to be one of the songs I most look forward to hearing.

Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, R.E.M. started as a critic's darling without a lot of sales and ended in 2011 as one of the greatest bands of all time with a shitload of sales.  They are often credited with being one of the biggest guiding forces of the alternative rock scene, and their influence on so many of the bands that came out of the 1990's alternative explosion (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and a host of others) was seismic.  Along the way they released 16 studio albums, sold over 85 million records, had epic world tours, won 3 Grammy Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.  And yet, as one comment I read while I was doing my half-assed research for this week's tune noted, they were one of the few bands to become popular and still remain cool.

Released in 2001 on their Reveal LP, "Imitation of Life" met with very little commercial success (par for the course for R.E.M. after the mid-nineties) only reaching #83 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and probably not with much of a bullet).  It did, however, become R.E.M.'s first #1 single in Japan, so at least there's that.

If there's any one word I could use to describe "Imitation of Life" it would be joyous, though I don't think the song is meant to be so.  Throughout the course of its career, R.E.M. often could turn songs of a sad nature into upbeat pop songs ("Fall on Me," "Man on the Moon," "Don't Go Back to Rockville"), and "Imitation of Life" is another such single.  Led by Michael Stipe's compassionate vocals and veiled lyrics, it seems to me a song about courage in the face of sorrow and one's daily strife, about enjoying the moment, though it could mean fuck all for all I know, as Stipe is known for a) obscure meanings, and b) never discussing his obscure meanings.  But I like the imagery, from freezing rain to hurricanes, from sugarcane to cinnamon, and Peter Buck's usual steadfast guitar work, all of which come together to form the umpteenth pop gem featured here on Friday Night Jukebox, of which I'm certain there'll be more than a few still coming.

Liner Notes:  "This lightning storm/This tidal wave/This avalanche, I'm not afraid..."

Enjoy (and note that in the video Michael Stipe gives ample evidence that being a good dancer is not a requisite for being a frontman for a great band...):

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee