Song of the day page with complete listing here

Background:
“Losing My Religion” was released on February 19, 1991 in the United States as the first single from the bands new album ‘Out of Time’. I believe it was the first time Michael Stipe agreed to lip-sync the lyrics in an R.E.M. video. The single hit #4 in America making it R.E.M.’s biggest single to that point. The video, directed by Tarsem Singh,  was brilliant in it’s melodrama setting a new standard for music videos, imho.

My take:
This is my favorite R.E.M. song. A classic song about unrequited love. Who doesn’t know about that.

Lyric:
Ooh, Life is bigger
It’s bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I’ve said too much, I set it up.

That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no I’ve said too much
I haven’t said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I’m
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool,
Oh no I’ve said too much, I set it up

Consider this, consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip, that brought me
to my knees, failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing aground
Now I’ve said too much

I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it
Oh no I’ve said too much
I hadn’t said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
To Try, Cry, Why, Try
That was just a dream
Just a dream
Just a dream, dream