A liner note from the Special Edition of R.E.M. Greatest Hits album 'In Time' written by Peter Buck: Orange Crush

A liner note from the Special Edition of R.E.M. Greatest Hits album 'In Time' written by Peter Buck: Orange Crush

I must have played this song onstage over three hundred times, and I still don't know what the fuck it's about. The funny thing is, everytime I play it, it means something different to me, and I find myself moved emotionally. Noel Coward made some remark about the potency of cheap music, and while I wouldn't describe the song as cheap in anyway, sometimes great song writing isn't the point. A couple of chords, a good melody and some words can mean more than a seven hundred-page novel mind you. Not a good seven hundred-page novel mind you, but more say, a long Jacequline Susann novel. Well alright, I really liked Valley of the Dolls.

I guess I've found a good way to not talk about a song that means something dark and mysterious to me.

Selah.

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Thirsty? The Noel Coward quote in full is "“Extraordinary how potent cheap music is.”
Valley of the Dolls was a very famous roman a clef - the Dolls in the title were a reference to mood altering drugs. Selah might mean "stop and listen".

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Leave a Comment liner notes In Time, Peter Buck REM guitarist