At some point after finishing work on R.E.M.’s third album Fables of the Reconstruction in 1985, singer and lyricist Michael Stipe had an epiphany. He realized that having this role within the band meant that he had a voice, and from that point on he was properly going to use it. For their first three albums, Stipe had more or less got away with providing lyrics alongside the music of Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry that didn’t make much sense. Were more evocative and image-building rather than having a solid meaning. Sometimes, he wouldn’t be singing any words at all and instead moaning or murmuring vocalizations that sounded almost understandable. The band’s fourth album, Lifes Rich Pageant, released in 1986, marked Stipe’s change in direction. He was singing loud and clear about various topics from the Cold War to the death of Elvis Presley. ‘Fall on Me’ is a fine, fine song on the album. One of R.E.M.’s best.

Funnily enough though, the song I write about today wasn’t written by any members of the band and Stipe doesn’t even take the lead vocal on it. ‘Superman’, the last song on the album, is a cover of the original by late-’60s sunshine pop band The Clique. On physical releases of …Pageant, the tracklist showed preceding song ‘Swan Swan H’ as the closer, making ‘Superman’ something of a hidden track until buyers put the CD into their stereo. To fully distinguish the track as one that’s not usually R.E.M., bassist Mike Mills sings the lead throughout with Stipe providing the backing vocals and harmonies. I do usually find myself singing Stipe’s melody in the verses, still. Mills reaches those heights that I don’t have the gusto for. But all in all, the song ends the LP on a self-celebratory, upbeat note to properly bring things home.

Well, it sounds celebratory. But is it safe to say that the song is very clearly from the point of view of a stalker? The first verse gives the idea that it’s from the point of a jealous outsider, seeing a girl of their fancy with another guy and taking it upon themselves to assume this girl isn’t happy in the relationship she’s in. But the stalker idea’s really laid out in the second verse: “If you go a million miles away, I’ll track you down, girl / Trust me when I say I know the pathway to your heart.” That’s pretty creepy, right? Or maybe it’s the thoughts of a completely earnest, sane guy who’s very determined to build a healthy relationship with the gal of its dreams. I think the song’s achievement in straddling that line is what makes it that much more interesting. I’m much more into the performance of the band, though. The four members are rocking, and Mike Mills takes lead vocal duties with aplomb. Up to that point, he was always providing these memorable countermelodies and harmonies to Stipe’s main vocal, and it’s really cool to hear him take the mic here.