Song of the Day 3/17: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”

Doubling up on R.E.M. here, I know, but I was saving this one until I was certain the Good Old Days were well and truly over. Other people seem sure of it, too — the song, originally released on “Document” in 1987, has re-entered the charts, so to speak, meaning the Top 100 songs on iTunes. When it was the follow-up single to the band’s first hit, “The One I Love,” it stalled at No. 69.

The lyrics are so stream-of-consciousness that before a tour Michael Stipe once had to look them up online, where you’ll find several variations for some of the slurred lines. Two that seem particularly fitting for our current situation: “A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies,” clearly a reference to Trump’s daily news conferences, and “Time I had some time alone,” obviously a reaction to self-quarantine commands. That’s one of the great things about this song — you can find something that seems to reference every new disaster.

The most significant cover of the song was by Newfoundland folk-rockers Great Big Sea, whose version, somewhat incredibly, was so sped up it clocks in at well under three minutes.