Sitting Still

"I can hear you... can you hear me?"

Well, yes, but that's about all I can decipher. Here Stipe's being typically artistically cryptic but this time with a clear pronunciation. Almost to the point where we're assured that he's not saying anything in the traditional sense. At other times we might think that if we could only turn his vocals up we could decode the deep message. But here he's letting the cat peek out of the bag. We'd have to wait until the KRS-One duet for the cat to fully escape.

Pete's jangling away in what's to become his signature picking pattern. I particularly like the tone of the Ric 12-string. Especially when he digs in during the chorus.

Its a nice, breezy song with a hook to trip over here and there. Not at the top of list of favorite REM songs, but a welcome companion on a long drive.