REM song tournament: Lament Wins!

[Jorge]

I wish they played it more. Stipe reportedly hated it? It is a good song.

[stip]

maybe stand and shiny happy people was penance

Leaving NY is a good pick. That'd be a great song if they had Mills on backing vocals during the chorus



The original Superman is fun, too

[stip]

[stip]

I'm kind of surprised Life and How to Live It and Green Grow the Rushes made it to round 9. They were both songs I kept passing on and hoping I wouldn't regret it later.

[Jorge]

Leaving NY is a good pick. That'd be a great song if they had Mills on backing vocals during the chorus

I think Mike Mills does sing backing vocals in every chorus except the first one in the song

[stip]

Really? I'll listen for that next time.

Actually I'll go listen for it now.

[Jorge]

As much as REM Live was kind of a drag, I listen to that version of "Leaving New York" a lot more than the studio track.

[stip]

I think the stuff on Around the Sun generally sounded MUCH better live.


I can't really tell if that's Mills on backing vocals. If it is, he's doing a Michael stipe impression. Even during the final chorus I think it might still be multi tracked stipe vocals.

I'm sure Mills does it live. It probably elevates the song

[stip]

I've been listening to nothing but REM for a week, and Peter Buck is pretty underrated as a guitarist, especially if you value songwriting over virtuoso playing

[Jorge]

I can't really tell if that's Mills on backing vocals. If it is, he's doing a Michael stipe impression. Even during the final chorus I think it might still be multi tracked stipe vocals.

It could be. I think you can hear him pretty clearly harmonizing in the second half of each chorus, but maybe I'm just so used to the live version that my mind is just hearing him there.

[Jorge]

In celebration of this tournament, I made this gif:



My first cinemagraph

[epilogue]

Outstanding.

That should be Stip's avatar.

[epilogue]

Also, Leaving New York was to be my next pick. So fuck you, "theplatypus." If that is your real name.

[epilogue]

However, I notice that Leaving New York is not on your team on the main page.

STIP'S AT IT AGAIN

I guess this means the song is still on the table.

[stip]

It's there. It's been there the whole time. It definitely wasn't just added.

[stip]

PhilPritchard is skipped. Pryto is up. Let's try and pick up the pace today, team.

[PryTo]

Here here!

[stip]

Such a pretty understated song, and the harbinger of green and out of time

[PryTo]

One of their many outstanding closers.

[philpritchard]

Final Straw