R.E.M. - "It's the end of the world as we know it" (acoustic)

Tomorrow is the 21st of December, 2012. Do you have any idea what that means? To a lot of people, December 21, 2012 is huge. Everyone I work with has been talking about it and some of them are getting very anxious. The anticipation is everywhere I look. Yes, you guessed it, December 21, 2012 is the end of work for the year and the start of the summer holidays.

R.E.M. - "Wall of Death"

R.E.M. released this Richard Thompson cover on the tribute album 'Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson' in 1994. I will admit that I heard this cover before I ever heard the original, which is surprising because the original comes from his most critically acclaimed album 'Shoot Out the Lights' from 1982, which was a 'Richard and Linda Thompson' release... as a duo with his wife. Some people say it doesn't get close to the original, but if you take away prejudices and emotion, this is a fantastic recording regardless of its origins. R.E.M. had just released 'Automatic For the People' a couple of years earlier and 'Monster' the same year... so they recorded this, possibly, at their peak, and to me, it shows. Brilliant!

R.E.M. - "Orange Crush"

R.E.M. released their album 'Green' in 1988 a year after their breakthrough album 'Document' and they built on the new found popularity they had deserved, but without any compromises after signing to a major label. Michael Stipe was continuing on from 'Document' with politically charged lyrics on 'Green' and "Orange Crush" was him addressing the Vietnam war. The so-called orange crush of the song title is actually 'Agent Orange' which was the notorious defoliant used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war. It was a highly toxic chemical herbicide that was sprayed to defoliate a large forested area to eliminate cover for the guerrillas, while also forcing the peasants away from the same areas, as they were part of the support and supply base of the guerrillas... basically a form of forced draft urbanization. They sprayed about 80,000,000 litres during the herbicidal warfare program. They destroyed about 20,000 square km of forests and even crops. The effects on the Vietnamese people was so devastating, with millions of people affected. The figures vary between the Red Cross and the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but either way, the numbers are huge... with up to 400,000 people killed or maimed and between 150,000 to 500,000 children born with birth defects... and we are talking about extreme deformities here. Many U.S. soldiers were also victims of Agent Orange. I've only touched on this subject but maybe it's time to get back to the song. "Orange Crush" was also about an American footballer leaving his safe haven for the Vietnam war... but it is quite clear the political message is at the core. A fantastic moment in pop about a terrible moment in time.
I may have a happy song for you tomorrow.