A great song, I love how R.E.M. has a tune to fit any mood I'm in. Now, Micheal said in an interview I watched on launch.com that his songs are not biographical, which I like because it kind of opens them up for interpretation. I suppose you could take this song a few different ways, but when I listen to it I think of a relationship ending, with one of the parties involved running away from the other. The chorus makes me picture the person leaving staring out the window of an airplane, crying with regret wondering, "what if?" Maybe some things were left unsaid? I just saw the video the other day which takes place in an isolated airport, so that sort of helps with my personal take. I can't wait to see them live for the first time in 3 days!
I'm not so sure Stipe's lyrics are -never- autobiographical. He's had a friends-with-benefits thing going with Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner)for quite some time. They hooked up while Casey was at the University of Georgia. He moved to New York shortly after UGA.
The two of them have been seen together off and on for the last decade.
I'm not so sure Stipe's lyrics are -never- autobiographical. He's had a friends-with-benefits thing going with Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner)for quite some time. They hooked up while Casey was at the University of Georgia. He moved to New York shortly after UGA.
The two of them have been seen together off and on for the last decade.
A great song that grabbed my attention from the the first time I heard it - I agree the lyrics are deliberately open to interpretation and that a love for New York and/or ending of relationship are the two best explanations.
A great song that grabbed my attention from the the first time I heard it - I agree the lyrics are deliberately open to interpretation and that a love for New York and/or ending of relationship are the two best explanations.
Hovever I am surprised no one appears to have commented on the video which comes across as a subtle 9/11 tribute. After all, it features images of the NY skyline and of Stipe in airports. Watching it for the first time i found myself in tears. 'Light fading out' and ' love you forever' are the lines that hit me the most - unconsciously at first but basically every time I hear the song since, i had fused the words and the plane/skyline images for the song to come across as someone has being spoken to or by someone trapped in the Twin Towers.
A great song, I love how R.E.M. has a tune to fit any mood I'm in. Now, Micheal said in an interview I watched on launch.com that his songs are not biographical, which I like because it kind of opens them up for interpretation. I suppose you could take this song a few different ways, but when I listen to it I think of a relationship ending, with one of the parties involved running away from the other. The chorus makes me picture the person leaving staring out the window of an airplane, crying with regret wondering, "what if?" Maybe some things were left unsaid? I just saw the video the other day which takes place in an isolated airport, so that sort of helps with my personal take. I can't wait to see them live for the first time in 3 days!
I'm not so sure Stipe's lyrics are -never- autobiographical. He's had a friends-with-benefits thing going with Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner)for quite some time. They hooked up while Casey was at the University of Georgia. He moved to New York shortly after UGA. The two of them have been seen together off and on for the last decade.
I'm not so sure Stipe's lyrics are -never- autobiographical. He's had a friends-with-benefits thing going with Casey Spooner (of Fischerspooner)for quite some time. They hooked up while Casey was at the University of Georgia. He moved to New York shortly after UGA. The two of them have been seen together off and on for the last decade.
A great song that grabbed my attention from the the first time I heard it - I agree the lyrics are deliberately open to interpretation and that a love for New York and/or ending of relationship are the two best explanations.
A great song that grabbed my attention from the the first time I heard it - I agree the lyrics are deliberately open to interpretation and that a love for New York and/or ending of relationship are the two best explanations.
Hovever I am surprised no one appears to have commented on the video which comes across as a subtle 9/11 tribute. After all, it features images of the NY skyline and of Stipe in airports. Watching it for the first time i found myself in tears. 'Light fading out' and ' love you forever' are the lines that hit me the most - unconsciously at first but basically every time I hear the song since, i had fused the words and the plane/skyline images for the song to come across as someone has being spoken to or by someone trapped in the Twin Towers.