Night Garden: Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe [R.E.M.]1981-1996 Song-by-song*

MTV initially gave New Adventures a boost, with a world premiere for the “E-Bow the Letter” video, but the network dropped them quickly after that. The video didn’t even remain in rotation there for very long. The band basically “graduated” to VH-1 after that. Their status with the mainstream (in the U.S.) really faded after MTV dropped them, as well. 1995 was the band’s last Spin cover story, and I think their last Rolling Stone cover as well. As a big fan, I was shocked at the time at how quickly they dropped, though MTV did cover Bill’s departure. I’ve wondered if some industry intrigue unknown to the public was ever a part of it.

(sorry, haven’t been able to keep up with the thread as much as I would like)

 

In Denver “Bittersweet Me” and “Electrolite” played constantly on the alternative and adult alternative radio stations. I got really sick of them.

 

I remember picking up the magazine with the Life as a Three Legged Dog article and them on the cover. I was literally walking out of Tower Records and it was free. That's how I found out about Bill. I think it was maybe Paste? Hmmm. Anyway, I put a little more effort into seeing what was happening and remember the Daysleeper video premier (and Peter moaning about how boring making videos was LOL) on some music channel. I got Up the day it came out (a first for me with REM) and kept my mind open, especially after their Letterman performance, so I wasn't disappointed and I like(d) at least 2/3 of it a lot. Overall, I was completely oblivious to radio, TV, etc promotions, so I either found out about things because a friend told me ("Dude, REM has a new album...)," by accident (the movie soundtrack), or because I was in the room when someone else had something going (which was the case with Stipe and the chef guy seeing U2). I guess I'm the laziest fan ever.

 

For at least a short period the Imitation Of Life video got some pretty significant airtime on MTV and/or VH1. It's what drove me to pickup Reveal, as that was supposedly R.E.M.'s All That You Can't Leave Behind album.

 

"Cuyahoga" is a lovely understated song that I used to think suffered from following immediately after "Fall On Me", but virtually any song would suffer in the same way, so now I think that to follow a rousing masterpiece with a more understated song was definitely the right decision and therefore I see these 2 songs as a linked pair, which means I no longer see "Cuyahoga" as a step down from "Fall On Me".

4/5

 

Cuyahoga

Let's put our heads together and start a new country up
Our father's father's father tried, erased the parts he didn't like
Let's try to fill it in, bank the quarry river, swim
We knee-skinned it you and me, we knee-skinned that river red

When the song starts with that bass line and the vocals begin I get a shiver. There's the unfortunate fact that "we knee-skinned" is a soundalike for "weenie skinned" and this makes me still cringe even now when I hear it, but it's momentary and I fight through the urge to giggle like a 5th grader who heard something naughty. This song has a stately dignified aspect to it that I can't quantify. And when we get to the chanting "koy-ya-ho-gah" in the chorus I get that shiver again. This is such a great highlight of the album.

This is where they walked
This is where they swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

This is reminding me of the lyrics in Man On The Moon somehow. But we are not talking about childhood games like Monopoly, 21, checkers or chess but instead "they" is referring to the reduction of Native American culture into a series of tourstops and photo-ops, yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Cuyahoga reaches a crescendo and momentarily stops, but then that steady implacable bassline starts up again. Love that moment.

I find this song very touching and I can't help but be affected by it everytime I hear it, even though it is 35+ years old at this point.

 

I may have heard some of Shoot Out The Lights and I'd unknowingly heard other artists cover his songs (Valerie, Tear Stained Letter, etc) but I didn't fully get the memo until Rumor and Sigh and then immediately went backwards and devoured everything I could find and was very well immersed by the time REM covered Wall of Death. RT is so prolific it's difficult to keep up with him. I've seen him multiple times live and he's one of the most engaging performers that I know of. Never bad, often brilliant.

Nice. I look forward to a continued anatomic theme for LRP from you. Gut punch for Cuyahoga?

I felt similarly but instead of being overjoyed I was dreading that they wouldn't just belong to me and the secret club anymore and that they would change and leave me behind. That did of course happen but my instincts were selfish and bitter. Your instincts were much more altruistic and healthier.

 

Cuyahoga 5/5

I've always found this song to be a bit of a lost gem. It's an incredibly optimistic track that despite it's lyrical concerns is a another call to arms and showing that we can learn from mistakes made in the past.

Musically Mike Mills steals the show,the baseline (which I never knew that Bill Berry wrote until today) carries the song and his backing vocals during the chorus elevate the song up to the next level.

 

Count me in with those that have gained insight by your post, brownie. It never occurred to me that it's three different perspectives and I will think of this from here forward.

I've been thinking about this all day. "Start a new country up" isn't necessarily a call to arms for the present as I had assumed for 35 years, at least not both times it's used. I'm chilled and choked up by this.

This was me today.

Same. I feel like my heart is in a vice.

That's the only nonsense in your post...

 

I agree. My joke earlier about it being the most forgettable song on the album was because I literally forgot about it when trying to compile a double album from the sessions. I think 'What If We Give It Away?" is probably the album's weakest song, and it's still really good.

 

Finally we agree on something!

 

And his inter-song banter is often hilarious. He's one of a handful of musicians who could probably do an hour of stand-up if their instruments were stolen just before the show. (See also: Randy Newman, Kristin Hersh)

 

Group hug!

 

Completely agree. And it's not rote, or at least it doesn't come off that way. It seems off the cuff and he makes you think he's just having a conversation and being spontaneously hilarious.

 

"Cuyahoga" does indeed suffer from being next to the songs that immediately precede it. It's still a great song, it's just not quite to the level of a "Fall on Me." It's like that one Wahlberg brother who is more than likely doing just fine for himself, but still has to stand next to Donnie and Marky Mark in pictures.

4.6/5

 

Cuyahoga
I file this with "Welcome to the Occupation" and "World Leader Pretend" on the next two albums respectively. Mid paced, serious songs with a political edge with lyrics that seem particularly focused and complex. These are probably Stipe's finest, hardest hitting lyrics yet.

This just falls short of full marks for me, because deep down I know I don't love it quite as much as the first three songs on the album. I respect it enormously, and like it a lot, but there's something not quite there for me- a little like eating a very wholesome meal that you know is really good for you, but it's a little light on the salt and pepper. 4/5

 

Cuyahoga
Excellent, topical lyrics. A pleasant enough song, not quite up to the level of what came before it.
(3.5/5)

 

“Cuyahoga”. Oh, that bassline! What a bassline! It’s so very visceral. The whole song is visceral. I feel the lyrics and the music so very deeply within.

My ancestors came to the U.S. from France in the 1600’s. The men mated with the American Indian women. I am 1/32nd American Indian. What the White man did to the Native Americans, and what had been their land for at least 15,000 years, are crimes of the greatest proportion.

I like that R.E.M. touched upon this in song; and with positive thoughts and emotions. The song has an anthemic quality without being angry or preachy.

I wish they had sequenced the rest of the “dinner side” of the album differently, as I feel the 2 songs to come are a let down after what we’ve heard so far.

“Cuyahoga” is a 5 out of 5 masterpiece.

 

Cuyahoga 5/5 for me.

 

Tower Records' house magazine was Pulse! I thought it was a great magazine -- and free! I miss Tower Records.

 

I’m more of a music guy than a lyrics guy. As such, Cuyahoga Judy doesn’t move me as much as it does a lot of people here. I definitely appreciate the song, but can only give it…

4/5

 

I sense this optimism in the lyrics, and yet... I was driving today listening to the album, and I thought, today, 35 years after Cuyahoga was released, are we any closer to fulfilling that optimism? It was a sobering moment.

 

Had the thought today that had the lush, evocative, chiming, sixties-influenced harmonic beauty of "Fall on Me" succeeded as their breakthrough single, we may have been spared "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." But I'm getting ahead of myself...

 

Spared? I love that track!

 

Try the tracklist that’s on the back artwork.