Collapse Into Now

Certain Songs #1766: R.E.M. – “Blue”

March 4, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Collapse Into Now
Year: 2011

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File Under Collapse

Of course it was right there on the album cover. Michael Stipe is waving goodbye on the only R.E.M. album cover to feature more than a single member of the band — Bill Berry was on Lifes Rich Pageant and Stipe is in triplicate on Around The Sun — which was probably a hint.

As one of the people that he was waving to, it went right past me when Collapse Into Now was released in March, 2011, though some fans sussed it out: on the RU Talking To Me? Re: R.E.M. famous superfan Adam Scott — who was at the beginning of his Parks & Recreation run — told the story of how he posted about it on an R.E.M. message board.

Certain Songs #1765: R.E.M. – “Mine Smell Like Honey”

March 3, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Collapse Into Now
Year: 2011

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File Under Deeper

A few years ago, I used to be worried that I was perhaps getting too old — but not dignified! — to make good old-fashioned dick jokes. Luckily, that was when The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report were on, and both shows — especially Stewart’s — were rife with dick jokes.

And since they’re both around my age, I figured that meant it was OK for me to do so, as well. As, clearly, did Michael Stipe — who participated in a running joke on The Colbert Report that had him just sitting on a shelf waiting to be acknowledged by Stephen — because that’s clearly at least partially the impetus for the abysmally-titled “Mine Smell Like Honey,” another highlight from Collapse Into Now.

Certain Songs #1764: R.E.M. – “It Happened Today”

March 2, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Collapse Into Now
Year: 2011

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File Under Hooray

After the tour to support Accelerate, Michael Stipe decided that he didn’t want to tour anymore, their second WB contract was ending, Peter Buck suggested that maybe they break up, Mike Mills agreed, and so R.E.M. went into the studio to make one last last album, essentially free to do whatever they wanted.

So, naturally, they made an R.E.M. album, pulling out pretty much all of their bag of tricks: jangly guitars, gorgeous harmonies, dumbass rockers, piano-driven ballads, special guest vocals, swirly experimentation. That was 2011’s Collapse Into Now, as fine of a purposely final album as you’re ever going to find.