Nightswimming

[Squid]

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago...

One of the best songs by R.E.M. - no, one of the best songs by anyone, in my opinion. Everyone listen to this song again and remember 1992.

You, I thought I knew you.
You I cannot judge.
You, I thought you knew me,
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath.

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm now listening to it just for you Squid.

I agree, it's definitly a great REM song. It's piano-tastic.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I agree with both of you. It's successful in that the mood it creates matches and is, what the song is about. That's not rare, but is not commonly as effective as it is here. I'm hopelessly biased and adore REM and this song especially.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

listening to it now.

 

[Elvis Presley]

im not sure all these people understand.....

 

[HelloAngel]

This song reminds me of some of my best memories of high school.

 

[pax]

This song often makes me a little weepy. It's one of R.E.M.'s very best songs, and it totally makes Automatic.

 

[brettig]

This song reminds me of some of my best memories of high school.

We used it at high school graduation as the music for a montage of the class.

We chose it thru a conversation something like this...

Someone: Well what song are we gonna use?
Someone else: How about that Vitamin C song graduation?
Chorus: HELL NO!
Loud girl: How about, like, that really sweet song they used on Party Of Five?
Chorus: Which song?
Loud girl: Oh, like, you know, well it has lots of piano and swimming or something.
Me: Ahhh, Nightswimming!
Chorus: Perfect.

True story.

 

[IWasBored]

awesome song, definetly one of the best songs

and piano-tastic as mofo said

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

this song reminds me of the spring time during my soph yr in high school, which is a good thing.

 

[Stories for Boys]

my favorite rem song! it makes me soooo nostalgic...piano-tastic indeed...

 

[notiti]

Easily one of R.E.M.'s best. My favorite in fact.

 

[beegee]

i could not express with words what this song means to me.
i cannot believe it has inspired it's very own thread.
oh my god, how i love this song.

it is one of the most perfectly written songs ever.
michael stipe is a fucking genius.

nightswimming, deserves a quiet night...

 

[Salome]

great song
not my fav by REM
but a very great song

 

[joyfulgirl]

I put it on a birthday mix I made for somebody last week.

 

[SkeeK]

a truly amazing song! I used to hear a lot of people plugging it as the best REM song, and I liked it, but could realy go that far at all. Now I don't know I'd call it the best REM song, but wow. wow. wow. wow.

 

[Sweet Tart]

i absolutely love that song.

 

[celia]

All these old REM songs take me back to when I was about 9 and my Dad always played it in his car! Same with a lot of U2 stuff...I'm lucky to have a Dad with great taste in music so that I still love all these great bands!

 

[ouizy]

Lets start with the fact that Automatic for the People is one of my all time favorite records.

Then lets look not only at nightswimming, but the coupling of nightswimming and find the river (which I think you really must do for an adequate critique of either song.)

I think the first shows despair, then the second shows hope, almost moreso than any other song I know.

These songs remind me of laying awake late at night my freshman year of college.

These songs always bring a tear to my eye and I consider myself a pretty tough dude...

 

[joyfulgirl]

Sweetness Follows can also bring a tear to my eye.

ouizy > real men cry

 

[Red Ships of Scalla-Festa]

ive never heard it before, until i downloaded it now.

why have i never heard this before.

 

[Red Ships of Scalla-Festa]

yes, sweetness follows is a fun-tastic (for the whole family) song.

wonderfully used in vanilla sky too, might i add.

 

[pax]

"Sweetness Follows" is a beautiful song that should nonetheless be kept far, far away from people contemplating suicide.

 

[ouizy]

Damn I wish it was 1993 again.

I would do just about ANYTHING...

 

[anitram]

the recklessness of water...

Beautiful song. One of REM's best, if not the best. Beautiful melody.

 

[Stories for Boys]

heh...my 3 favorites were mentioned in this thread...go you guys...sweetness follows, nightswimming, and find the river...love love love 'em...

 

[joyfulgirl]

Damn I wish it was 1993 again.

I would do just about ANYTHING...

a mighty fine year it was

 

[HeadsOnSticks]

"Sweetness Follows" is a beautiful song that should nonetheless be kept far, far away from people contemplating suicide.

No doubt. I had that on repeat once for 125 spins.