Day 156: A song you could never memorize the lyrics for but always wanted to.

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” – R.E.M.

Yeah, yeah. So it’s obvious. I don’t care.

Between Michael Stipe’s penchant for mumbling, his arcane references (not just in this song, but everywhere), the lyrics sung at 500 words per minute, and R.E.M.’s famous refusal to print lyrics in their liner notes, how can anyone be expected to learn these lyrics?

Without spending a significant amount of time spent doing nothing else but trying to figure them out, I mean? Even then, once you know the words, trying to remember the right ones as you’re singing at the speed of light is just about impossible.

So yeah, I’d love to know the words, but I’m not willing to make the investment.

Same thing with “Pinch Me” by Barenaked Ladies. It’s taken me years to actually be able to remember “Take your time because the way I rhyme it’ll make ya smile when ya/realize a guy my size might take some time just to/try to figure out what all this is for” on the fly.

And speaking of Barenaked Ladies (the band, not ladies who have no clothes), I thought about using “One Week” for today’s post. But, I ultimately decided against it since

• I’ve done a bunch of Barenaked Ladies already (songs by the band, not ladies who have no clothes. Sadly.)
• I sort of talked about it already in this post

So it’s the second time “One Week” has been a bridesmaid but not the bride. Maybe someday.

And finally, I will leave you with this. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this song. I know this because a) I have a brain and b) there has been documentation in the world of media. I’m not talking about news reports, I’m talking about comic strips:

Everyone knows that nothing is truly mainstream until it’s been in the funnies.

Alright, so that’s not even close to true, but I’m sticking with it.

See ya!