There are songs that I can hear just about any time.
Superman is one of them.
It’s from Life’ Rich Pageant by REM, their 4th album and from a time when I was just starting to tune in to their music.
It sticks out in my mind for two reasons.
1. It’s not sung by Michael Stipe, their lead singer. It’s sung by Mike Mills, their bassist.
2. I saw REM in concert, a million years ago, when they were touring in support of their album DOCUMENT. The concert was awesome – it was in the basketball gym at UC Irvine, with all of 5000 people in the audience, and it seemed like we were hearing a private show in someones home. As clear as day, I remember Michael Stipe just standing there while the rest of the band did their thing, with Mills singing his heart out. It was the only time, the entire night, that Stipe shut up.
