The Great Beyond is a song about the life and hardships of late comedian Andy Kaufmann, but to me it’s one of the best songs ever recorded by College Radio band R.E.M. (next, only, to last year’s Everybody Hurts). I love the fluidity of the music as Stipe sings, almost breathlessly, in tandem. There’s a lullaby in there somewhere with the rise of the synths in the detailed background. When he sings, 'crashin’ to the grou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ound,' I swoon. It’s pure perfection of voice and pitch and delicateness. So late in their career as a band, it took them to create this brilliantly charged song to serve as a backdrop for a Jim Carrey movie. Just perfect.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 28, 2019. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.
