High Speed Train

Around The Sun is often ranked at the bottom of R.E.M. album lists, and I don't think it's their best work either, but it's still R.E.M., and even at their so-called worst, they're mostly OK, with some excellent and absolutely wonderful songs hidden amongst the not-so-good ones, like this particular song.



It took me a while to get used to the album when I started to listen to it, probably apart from "Leaving New York", which sounded very much like R.E.M., then "The Outsiders" and especially "Electron Blue" started to emerge as favourites. Things got way more interesting when I saw them playing the songs live. With more prominent guitar and drums, the songs filled up with energy, they really came alive, and I was blown away by "Boy In The Well", "Final Straw" and - obviously - "High Speed Train". It's a shame it wasn't included on the live DVD from the tour, I even remember there was a roughly 90 seconds long excerpt from it on the director's website from the Dublin shows that were filmed, but that was all. At least we have an audio version of the live arrangement on the "Aftermath" single.

It's not just the music that makes this song so special, the lyrics are wonderful as well. I love that it touches on the feeling of falling for someone so much that it makes you hesitant to make a move ("did I really want to try?"), how unprepared you could be to fall in love ("you've taken me by surpsise"), but my favourtire phrase has to be this:
"You've mirrored my best disguise and turned it back on me"
I still remember that literally happening to me: I was talking to someone, trying to come off as a way more funny/interesting/likeable person than I actually am, when I suddenly realised how ridiculous I was, as if she was mirroring it back at me. Well, that's what it means to me.

Like many other great songs that become the soundtrack to our lives, "High Speed Train" has memories attached to it, I still remember the first time hearing it live when I suddenly got it, and it also reminds me of that awkward but exciting moment, and the beautiful face I was mesmerized by.