Skip to main content

R.E.M. - Begin the Begin

Let's start 2018 with a bang.

R.E.M.'s Begin the Begin, a musical manifesto for personal activism, is a great place to start this year sonically. This was the lead song from 1986's Life's Rich Pageant and the first time that listeners could really discern Michael Stipe's lyrics. His eccentric mumble emerged from its abstract cocoon and transformed into something more pronounced, confident and explosive. Along with Stipe's strengthened howl, the band's music took on a more muscular tone. Bill Berry's drums rocked harder and Peter Buck cranked up the distortion.


The album was the first time that R.E.M. addressed political and environmental issues lyrically (Fall On Me, Flowers of Guatemala, Cuyahoga). Begin the Begin doesn't try to plant the seeds for a bloody revolution or take sides politically. Even Stipe recognizes his own inability to articulate solutions:

"Answer me a question, i can't itemize
I can't think clearly, look to me for reason
It's not there, i can't even rhyme, begin the begin"

Instead, Stipe warns of the danger of blindly following leaders and encourages us, as individuals, to recognize the power we have to make change.

"Silence means security, silence means approval
On Zenith on the TV
Tiger run around the tree
Follow the leader, run and turn into butter"

"Let's begin again like Martin Luther's zen
The mythology begins the begin...
Example, the finest example is you"

Maybe 2018 will be the year when many of us emerge from our cocoons and realize the power we have to create positive change in our communities, even as the world around us teeters on the brink of destruction. It's never too late to begin the begin.




Comments

Post a Comment

Trending Tracks

Väsen - Björkbergspolskan

The deep freeze of winter has settled in. This morning, I poured a cup of coffee and took in the sight of the sun's lazy ascent through the surrounding woods. The temperature outside read -4º Fahrenheit. Bone chilling and stunningly gorgeous. I sat in silence. Eventually I began to brainstorm music to accompany the scene. As we venture into late December, the sounds of Celtic and Nordic folk music tend to make their way into my daily mix. Wintry landscapes go especially well with Sweden's Väsen, a folk trio that prominently features the nyckelharpa. This song, Björkbergspolskan, highlights the instrument's power. Like a cross between the hurdy gurdy and a fiddle, it creates an ancestral tone that stirs the Viking in my blood. This one's for you Great, Great, Great Grandmother Wiklund. Nyckelharpa
Post a Comment
Read more

Asia - Heat of the Moment (Live)

By the end of 1981, prog rock was in deep trouble. Punk rock's offspring had traded in guitars for synthesizers and learned to write catchy pop songs. Prog pioneers who had redefined rock and roll's sound throughout the 70s, with their bold use of Moog and ARP synthesizers (Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, etc.), now stood on the sidelines scratching their heads as Adam Ant lookalikes scored hits with their own brand of synthesized music. The new wave had arrived and proggers were beached. The only prog group that had managed to successfully make the jump to the 80s was Genesis. With Phil Collins out from behind the drums and singing love songs, the group scored hits with "Follow You, Follow Me," "Turn It On Again," and "Misunderstanding." Genesis wasn't new wave, but they had successfuly shed the odd time signatures and existential lyrics of the 70s and attracted a mainstream pop audience. But Genesis was just the beginning. Following the...
Post a Comment
Read more