With Just The Slighest Bit Of Finesse

R.E.M. “Discoverer”

If anything became clear to me in writing the Pop Songs site, it is that Michael Stipe is a man who is very committed to a set of themes that have been popping up in various forms on all of R.E.M.’s albums since the beginning of their career over thirty years ago. One of those themes is the firm belief that the future is a good thing. This has resulted in a lot of songs that are like friendly pep talks, and others that call for progress and radical change. Collapse Into Now pushes further with this theme. It’s a set of songs mainly focused on climbing out from the wreckage of both political and personal disasters, and finding the strength to carry on into the future with optimism and enthusiasm.

In “Discoverer,” the song that opens and then later concludes the album as a reprise, this struggle to overcome misery is presented as an act of heroism. It’s a grandiose track that combines the anthemic structure and tonality of “Finest Worksong” with the brisk rhythmic urgency of “So Fast, So Numb,” but the lyrics keep to a small, personal scale. In the verses, Stipe is conciliatory, doing his best to save face with a partner with whom he has been quarreling. The chorus is a resolution to move on, leading up to the “DISCOVERER! DISCOVERER!” refrain, which comes out sounding like an exclamation of triumph. He’s singing about wanting to get back to that thrill of discovery, of finding newness and excitement in the world, and in each other. He wants to be open to opportunities and possibilities, and he wants to share his adventure. I love that this relationship drama is put in the context of “the hero’s journey;” I love that at one point he sings about feeling “called.” This is why we have heroes in fiction, right? So that we can be inspired, and find it within ourselves to embrace life with bravery and passion. This song is a glorious epiphany, and it fills me with positive energy and excitement for my own future.

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