Title: Feeling Gravity’s Pull
Artist: R. E. M.
Album: Fables Of The Reconstruction
Year Released: 1985
What It Is: A classic R. E. M. song that kicks off a moody, understated, misunderstood album. The album is murky, mysterious and unsettling, and this cut very much epitomizes that feeling.
Riffage / Hookage: Peter Buck’s guitar riff is one of the all-time classic R. E. M. riffs, and one I actually learned long ago. (Like I remember it now…) The cello and strings are a fascinating counterpoint to the whole thing.
Cowbell?: Bill Berry is very, and rightly, understated in this cut.
Words Of Wisdom: “I fell asleep and read just about every paragraph.
Read the scene where gravity is pulling me around
Peel back the mountains peel back the sky
Stomp gravity in the floor
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Time and distance are out of place here
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull
Somewhere near the end it said
‘You can’t do this’, I said ‘I can’
To shift sway rivers shift, oceans fall and mountains drift
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull onto my eyes,
Holding my head straight (looking down).
This is the easiest task I’ve ever had to do…
I fell asleep and read just about every paragraph
Read the scene where gravity is pulling me around
Shift the swaying river’s shift
Oceans fall and mountains drift
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Time and distance are out of place here
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull onto my eyes,
Holding my head straight (looking down).
This is the easiest task I’ve ever had to do…
Holding the sky in their arms
Gravity pulls me down”
Since Stipe is mumbly on the album, I thought I’d post the entire lyrics.
Mixology Report: I think you may have to watch where you put it, since it’s so moody and introspective. But yeah, throw it on a mix!
Top Five Genius Results: The Replacements – Achin’ To Be
Bob Mould – See A Little Light
XTC – Mayor Of Simpleton
10,000 Maniacs – Verdi Cries
Echo & The Bunnymen – Do It Clean
For The Good Of The Order: 1985, Butler University. The Minutemen opened up. Who the heck thought it was their third to last gig? R. E. M. came out on stage. Stipe had a music stand and a bag over half of his head, and sung to the side of the mike. They opened with this. My girlfriend wasn’t that whelmed, but I about lost my cookies. Sorry, Marie, I wasn’t that fun of a date that night, but I was in heaven.
Here’s the official vid. It’s very much influenced by Neil Young’s films, I think (as in, WTF am I watching here?)
Here’s a live cut from 2003
And now, from their Dublin shows which were compiled in a totally KICK ASS album just recently. Go buy it! YESTERDAY!
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