It’s ironic that the few truly ’’alternative’’ albums that are actually done right tend to be the work of bands with less mainstream histories. R.E.M. definitely qualifies, as their earlier work practically relished in its muddy production and ambiguous meaning. Green, however, signifies a kind of ’’coming of age’’ for the band. After the raw anger that was Document, R.E.M. does another total about face and releases an album that is optimism from the first chords of ’’Pop Song ’89.’’
Like much of the Beatles’ work, everything about Green screams commercial success, and at the same time, it is impossible to label it as an act of ’’selling out’’. Underneath the polish and flawless pop hooks, Green is some pretty solid stuff. ’’Pop Song ’89’’ deals with a recurring theme in the R.E.M. stream of consciousness: the falsifying of ideals in information culture (a topic that would return in spades on the darker, grittier Monster). ’’World Leader Pretend’’ addresses issues of self-esteem and empowerment through a kind of inner monologue, while ’’I Remember California’’ is at once a reference to the Superman saga and a veiled attack on the opportunism of consumerist society. ’’The Wrong Child’’ contrasts the innocent confusion of an unusual child singled out by his peers, and moments later, ’’Orange Crush’’ explodes with a metaphor comparing atrocities committed by the army in times of war to the mentality of a schoolyard bully. All the same, the attitude of this album is one of innocence and hope. Even where the metaphors are scathing, they carry a note of ’’together we can change the world’’. The sharp contrast that underscores this whole album gives that optimism the persuasive force it needs to transcend the cliche. This is weighty stuff subtly packaged in simple songs: in other words, exactly what we’ve come to expect from R.E.M.
There are many bands out there cranking out tired radio hits that could take a lesson from R.E.M