Friday, August 14, 2009

my best wishes go all the way to reno




R.E.M. - New Music - More Music Videos

{Note: at least one reader couldn't open the video, but others could. If you have difficulty with the video, go to
the source here at mtv.} [Later note: Don't Feed the Pixies commented that the mtv video is not available outside the USA. He was kind enough to include this link to a YouTube unplugged version.]



R.E.M - All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)

"All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" was the second single by R.E.M. from their twelfth studio album Reveal. According to Peter Buck's sleevenotes to In Time, the R.E.M. best-of on which this song appears, the song describes someone who believes they can get famous if they go to Reno. The working title of the song was "Jimmy Webb on Mars", which, according to Buck's notes, was a "sick tribute to a songwriter who we all admire."

The single did not chart in the USA but reached #24 in the UK Singles Chart......

.......The song's video was shot at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School in the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, New York. It was directed by Michael Moore and filmed by four students from the host and other local schools: Chris, 17; Steve, 17; Andy, 18; Charlotte, 13; Roger, 18; and Juan, 17. In the video, Peter Buck and Mike Mills can be seen entering the Career Guidance office with their respective instruments in hand, only to leave armed with nothing more than a dustpan and brush. Bertis Downs makes an appearance as the school's announcer, only to have his microphone commandeered by one Michael Stipe.

Lyrics:

humming
all the way to Reno
you've dusted the non believers
and challenged the laws of chance
now, sweet
you were so sugar sweet
you may as well have had 'kick me'
fastened on your sleeve

you know what you are
you're gonna be a star
you know what you are
you're gonna be a star

wing
is written on your feet
your Achilles heel
is a tendency
to dream
but you've know that from the beginning
you didn't have to go so far
you didn't have to go.

you know what you are
you're gonna be a star
you know what you are
you're gonna be a star

you know who you are
you know who you are
you know who you are.

humming
all the way to Reno,
you've written your own directions
and whistled the rules of change

you know what you are
you're gonna be a star
you know what you are
you're gonna be a star
you know what you are
you're gonna be a star
you know what you are
you're gonna be a star

humming
all the way to Reno
you're gonna be a star, you are
you're gonna be a star,
you're gonna be a star, you are
you're gonna be a star


-explanation from Narsyti/Vaizdo klipai

.

13 comments:

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

Funnily enough i was just thinking the other day that i desperately need some R.E.M on my mp3 player - can't understand why there's none on there at present.

They are either great (man on the moon, sidewinder..., end of the world...etc) or terrible (can't quite forgive them for Shiny Happy People)

I think "Monster" is an unfairly under-rated album and much better than most people think

I don't know this song - for some reason i couldn't get it to play when i checked in (probably those dratted Fun Police again...)

earthtoholly said...

Great song, Lydia. I love REM so how did I miss this one? :o\

Nancy said...

Love it!! I've never heard it before.

Lydia said...

@Pixies- Funnily enough, I was thinking just the other day that I need an mp3 player! If/when I get one I'll definitely put on some R.E.M.
I put the link to the video in case you come back and are still unable to play it here. ;)

@earthtoholly- I love REM too, but not so much that I have any of their music (but I should get one cd). Consequently, this song was a total shock to find last night. I was zipping around the Web and am still not sure what led me to this. The commentary does say that it never hit the charts in the U.S. It makes me wonder if the radio announcers in Reno were aware of the song!

@Nancy- You, and Holly, and Pixies, and me, and untold number of others never heard it before. And it's too bad....'cuz it's good!

Erin Davis said...

I love REM, and had not heard this one. Thank you! My brothers are REM devotees; I'm sure they've heard of it!

La Belette Rouge said...

Good thing you aren't in Reno as you wouldn't be here to know that you are a winner!!!!!!!! Come over to my blog and see!!
xoxo
p.s. Tried to think of an REM song that would tell you that you won, I couldn't do it.

Lydia said...

@Erin- Seriously, I will be so curious to know if they did indeed know of this song!

@La Belette Rouge- Wow! How exciting! I'll be right over. :)

koe said...

Lydia - I love all the Reno postings - was there exactly once in 1967. . . Stayed overnight. Probably at a Holiday Inn.

Lydia said...

@Koe- I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Wonder if you stayed at the Holiday Inn nearby a pet store where I took a too-young litter of kittens, along with vials full of immunization meds, born to my cat & one kitten who were on the move to Oregon with ex- and me the next day. I always prayed they found homes and had happy lives....

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

Hi Lydia - i tried again and realised that the problem was that the MTV link wasn't available outside the USA (or that's the message i got), so i found you this live/unplugged version at youtube. Hope you enjoy it xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnSiI3iiFQQ

Melinda said...

So interesting that I never heard that song before! It would have been a great background tape when I was making my way from San Francisco to Reno--on my way to marry my first husband, Michael Roberts! What an ill-fated trip that was!

Melinda

Rhiannon said...

I love REM...my favorite song is "losing my religion" and the video also..it's incredible. I could relate to the song in so many levels I would not even be able to explain. However apparently that song was not even about what we all thought it was about...alas I still relate to the song for the same reasons.

Thanks for sharing interesting song here. REM is so unique and so very talented.

Blessings,

Rhi

Lydia said...

@Pixies- It is a great clip and I thank you. Notice that I included the link at the beginning of the post for others to enjoy. The audio is better on this one, I think, but the mtv video shot inside that high school sure was great in relation to it being my high school reunion in Reno. :)

@Melinda- Yup, what a background tape it would have been. For sure, this particular song was a well-kept secret in the U.S. Looking at comments about it after several videos of the song at You Tube I could tell it is known and loved by many in other parts of the world. :)

@Rhi- My favorite REM song is "Everybody Hurts," but I like everything they've done. So much talent in that group! I've become a bigger fan since finding "All the Way to Reno"!
I will be by your blog, as I'm behind. Have things pressing this week ...

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