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Feature
R.E.M. In The Movies
A farewell tribute to the Georgia rockers

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R.E.M. In The Movies | 'Departure'
'Departure'

Essentially a song about the late River Phoenix, one of Stipe’s closest friends ('Let Me In', from Monster, is about Kurt Cobain, in a similar vein), this raucous rocker from New Adventures may seem impersonal in the verses (“Bus punch avalanche!”) but comes together for a howling lament in the chorus, that can only have come from the heart for Stipe. “Here it comes!” he cries, while Mike Mills wails in the background, “I’m carried away.” And then the kicker in the last verse – “You will be young forever; there’s so much that I can’t do.” Naked, helpless, powerful.

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Have Your Say
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Your Comments

1 Until the End of the World
R.E.M. had a gorgeous track, Fretless, that appeared in this Wim Wenders film. It featured Kate Pierson and wouldn't have looked out of place on Out of Time. More

Posted by youngnedyoung on Saturday October 1, 2011, 11:20

2 Vanilla Sky
Sweetness Follows lending the sequence of Tom Cruise's final collapse into the gutter a huge emotional heft. (Is 'heft' a word, I think it is) Great moment. More

Posted by echofalls on Friday September 23, 2011, 18:21

3
Some people should really learn to read the intro before diving straight into the feature and then commenting on what was missed More

Posted by murf888 on Friday September 23, 2011, 14:49

4
There's also King of Comedy from the Monster album. More

Posted by Dave Hudson on Friday September 23, 2011, 13:39

5 Best R.E.M in movies for me is....
Leave, from New Adventures in Hi-Fi, over the soundtrack to A Life Less Ordinary. Absolutely the best bit of the film (not too difficult to be fair). More

Posted by ESBJules on Friday September 23, 2011, 13:30

6 An article loosely connecting REM to some movies?
Slow news day, eh? More

Posted by loafroaster on Thursday September 22, 2011, 15:21

7 Cheesy but good
Independence Day - opening scene over the raido we hear: "It's the End of th World As We Know it". More

Posted by mokey on Thursday September 22, 2011, 14:04

8
I also quite liked the Michael Stipe/Rain Pheonix title track from 'Happiness' (1998) More

Posted by The900MidNightBee on Thursday September 22, 2011, 12:53

9
What about Michael Stipe's foray into producing? Velvet Goldmine and Being John Malkovich both have his name on the credits for what it's worth. A bit more of a concrete association with movies than a song being cinematic. More

Posted by dunkah on Thursday September 22, 2011, 11:39

10
What about Michael Stipe's foray into producing? Velvet Goldmine and Being John Malkovich both have his name on the credits for what it's worth. A bit more of a concrete association with movies than a song being cinematic. More

Posted by dunkah on Thursday September 22, 2011, 11:39


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