In some ways this was a transitional song in the R.E.M, canon. Recognisably melodic, mysterious and romantic as was the waywith their early albums, yet also pointing forward to the more upfront, politically and personally engaged songs of their mid-period records.
An obvious and necessary single, the band had one on each of their first few albums and they seemed to be refining their songwriting to the requirements of the marketplace as they went from one to the next. I'd draw a line from Talk About The Passion, through So.Central Rain, Driver 8, Fall On Me to The One I Love where they began to come across as slightly more troubled and possibly compromised though they still had some very good work ahead of them. Carrying the weight of the world, to quote Passion.
Fall On Me was initially written in the sessions for Fables and was originally more recognisably old school R.E.M. See the in concert version from Germany posted above. Enigmatic and slightly oblique. Unfinished lyrics. Check the 'statues in the park' line which Stipe later jettisoned. When they came to record in for Pageant, they worked on it, honed it down. Smoothed off some of its edges. The song made more sense. But old school fans maybe liked it slightly less. I'd probably count myself in that number.
The third version here is from their MTV Unplugged sessions, recorded when they were on the cusp of becoming arguably the biggest band in the world. It was different still but pointed towards Automatic, the next album they made and possibly their grand statement. I like all three versions. It's a fine, emotive song after all. Emotion was essentially what attracted me to the band in the first place and this is absolutely drenched in it.
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