7 replies to this topic

[InTime]

About 20 years ago I had a very bad obsession with Pink Floyd and The Wall. REM's Green and Out of Time albums rescued me. One song in particular, World Leader Pretend, to me is the ultimate rebuttal of The Wall. Where as Floyd is condemning the listener, REM is willing to offer solutions.
I think one of the reasons that these were the first lyrics to printed with an album (and the only song on Green) is that it is important to differentiate between "razed" and "raised." Not included is Mike Mills backing vocals of "FREEDOM", a very powerful underlying positive theme for this song. Floyd has quite a way of making you sympathize and empathize with "Pink" the extremely negative fictional character who can become you, if you allow this to happen. It is amazing what devices sympathy and empathy are if used on something that you can obsess over. Floyd creates such an evil, dark, hopeless, suicidal place where you can do nothing more than suffer and die. REM gives you the tools and ability to fight back. The character described in WLP very much fits the bill for Pink, who by all means has a pretend world he is leading. I could go in to much greater detail how I feel REM refutes the all encompassing negative concept of The Wall with this song and many others in a positive vein, but instead will ask has anyone else had similar thoughts?

[Driver Nate]

InTime, on 27 October 2011 - 09:59 AM, said:

I could go in to much greater detail how I feel REM refutes the all encompassing negative concept of The Wall with this song and many others in a positive vein, but instead will ask has anyone else had similar thoughts?

No but thanks for sharing yours.

[jumping151]

isnt Mills singing "reach out"?  and also cleverly singing "I raise the harmony" as he is indeed singing the raised harmony?

WLP rules.  top 10 REM songs ever.

[bluemookie]

Back in '84, my parents bought me my first CD player for my birthday.  My first 2 CD's that they gave me with the CD player was Pink Floyd's The Wall and Murmur.

[bflood]

I thought that Mills is singing "Dreamer".

[ebowtheloser]

InTime, on 27 October 2011 - 09:59 AM, said:

I could go in to much greater detail how I feel REM refutes the all encompassing negative concept of The Wall with this song and many others in a positive vein, but instead will ask has anyone else had similar thoughts?

Go into detail! I think it sounds interesting. And if you think about it, Stipe was definitely in a myth busting mood on Green... towards himself and others.

Pop Song 89 is a pretty wry take down of the Doors.

[Avalon]

The Wall is one of my top ten albums and seeing Roger Waters perform it last year one of my top ten experiences. I get what you're saying, with one exception. The Wall is ultimately a hopeful album. By the end, the wall does comes down. Now, if you were to offer up The Final Cut (also waaaay up there in my favorite album list) in comparison, I'd be with you 100%

[Driver Eight]

ebowtheloser, on 27 October 2011 - 11:36 AM, said:

Pop Song 89 is a pretty wry take down of the Doors.

Interesting - can you explain?