REM Interpreted: Losing My Relgion

[ibclare]

This song has received a lot of radio play here recently. That pleases me as I like it and find it running through my head for hours after I hear it aired. So I decided to give it my visual interpretation.

Interestingly, I had wondered about the title and the line in the song and ran across this on Wikipedia:

In the song, Michael Stipe sings the lines "That's me in the corner/That's me in the spotlight/Losing my religion". The phrase "losing my religion" is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one's temper or civility, or "being at the end of one's rope." Stipe toldThe New York Times the song was about romantic expression.[SUP][6][/SUP] He told Q that "Losing My Religion" is about "someone who pines for someone else. It's unrequited love, what have you."[SUP][7][/SUP]Stipe compared the song's theme to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, saying, "It's just a classic obsession pop song. I've always felt the best kinds of songs are the ones where anybody can listen to it, put themselves in it and say, 'Yeah, that's me.'"[SUP][8][/SUP]

I think it is symbolic of a bit more than that. The idea of losing one's self in an obsession does truly cut one's connection to his spirituality. I think that happens to everyone at some time or another.





BG: Marcus Ranum, deviantart.com
Walls_and_Doors___2_by_mjranum_stock

Wall: Stock_45_by_Chicken_Stock_Cubed

Guy on the ground: i_heard_the_earth_inhale_ii_by_lukassowada-d4lpd3l

Cardinals: Cards in Love (KokomoJim2), wunderground.com

Girl: Pia_by_Pererix

Guy in the window: unison_iv_by_lukassowada-d49j42c


And for anyone who cares, here are the lyrics:

Losing My Religion, REM (1991?)

Life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up


That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try


Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up


Consider this
Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try


But that was just a dream
That was just a dream...

 

[Paul]

One of the best records ever made, i just love REM, pity they ended it all really.

 

[ibclare]

A pity alright; guess people move on. I made a change and added a lighting effect. I'd edit and change post 1, but it requires advanced edit mode and that just messes things up when a post is this long.



I watched the video again. No way to improve on that; it's brilliant. But I still wanted to throw my vision on the song. So, my apologies to REM, lol.

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-UzXIQ5vw

 

[Inkz]

The song doesn't really do it for me, I know, I'm a stickler lol....

But this manip certainly does do it for me. You have done a great job blending all the elements together here. Especially them two little birds. Also, good placement of the birds, however, it does look like the right tree maybe slightly in the way of the mans view.

The woman on the left has what appears to be a texture overlay on her face.

But a very cool conceptual piece clare.

 

[ibclare]

Thanks Inkz. Yes, the birds were and after thought and you're right, the tree is kind of obstructing his view of them, not by much. I could move it but it came with the BG. That would be a clone job! And I don't think content aware could handle it either. There is an overlay of the bricked-in window on the girl's face but if it is that unclear then it isn't dense enough. I guess I was afraid of not being able to make her out, but I'll give it a try. Did you see the guy in the snow?

 

[Inkz]

Yeah it's a close call but the view of the birds from the man is ok, just lol.

Omg, no I didn't see him there in the snow haha. I noticed him in your stocks, but I missed him there frozen lol.

Poor bloke.

 

[ibclare]

I made a change in the girl in the window to make the the bricks stand out more. I edited the post 3 image. I hope that is more clear now.