MICHAEL STIPE - MAN ON THE MOON

MAN ON THE MOON

R.E.M.(MICHAEL STIPE)

SONGWRITERS: BILL BERRY; PETER LAWRENCE BUCK; JOHN MICHAEL STIPE & EDWARD MILLS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE

LABEL: WARNER BROS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1992

 

          R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. Liner notes from some of the band's albums list attorney Bertis Downs and manager Jefferson Holt as non-musical members. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. was noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style; Stipe's distinctive vocal quality, unique stage presence, and obscure lyrics; Mills's melodic bass lines and backing vocals; and Berry's tight, economical drumming style. In the early 1990s, other alternative rock acts such as Nirvana and Pavement viewed R.E.M. as a pioneer of the genre. After Berry left the band in 1997, the band continued its career in the 2000s with mixed critical and commercial success. The band broke up amicably in 2011 with members devoting time to solo projects after having sold more than 85 million albums worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music acts.

        John Michael Stipe(born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M.. He is known for his distinctive vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence.

Possessing a distinctive voice, Stipe has been noted for the "mumbling" style of his early career. Since the mid-1980s, Stipe has sung in "wailing, keening, arching vocal figures" that R.E.M. biographer David Buckley compared to Celtic folk artists and Muslim muezzin. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual aspect, often selecting album artwork and directing many of the band's music videos. Outside the music industry, he owns and runs two film production studios, C-00 and Single Cell Pictures.

          As a member of R.E.M., Stipe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. As a singer-songwriter, Stipe influenced a wide range of artists, including Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Bono of U2 described his voice as "extraordinary", and Yorke told The Guardian that Stipe is his favorite lyricist, saying "I loved the way he would take an emotion and then take a step back from it and in doing so make it so much more powerful."

      "Man on the Moon" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their 1992 album, Automatic for the People. The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck, and credited to the whole band as usual. The song was well received by critics and peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number one in Iceland. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

           Lyrically, the song is a tribute to the comedian and performer Andy Kaufman, with numerous references to his career, including his Elvis impersonation, wrestling, and the film My Breakfast with Blassie. The song's title and chorus refer to the Moon landing conspiracy theories, as an oblique allusion to rumors that Kaufman's death in 1984 was faked. The song gave its name to Miloš Forman's comedy-drama film Man on the Moon (1999), starring Jim Carrey, based on Kaufman's life and was featured prominently in the film's soundtrack.

Mott the Hoople and the Game of Life

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Monopoly, twenty-one checkers, and chess

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Mister Fred Blassie in a breakfast mess

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Let's play Twister, let's play Risk

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

See you in Heaven if you make the list

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Now, Andy, did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?

Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are we losing touch?

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool

 

Moses went walking with the staff of wood

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Newton got beaned by the apple good

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Mister Charles Darwin had the gall to ask

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Now Andy, did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?

And Andy are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are you having fun?

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool

 

Here's a little agit for the never-believer

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Here's a little ghost for the offering

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

 

Now, Andy, did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?

Hey Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey baby, are we losing touch?

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool

 

If you believed they put a man on the moon

Man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve

Then nothing is cool.