Three in a Row Writing Soundtrack – Feeling Gravity’s Pull by R.E.M.
Note: While writing Three in a Row, I creating a playlist of songs I would listen to over and over again. This list grew organically from songs that reminded me of events in the book or evoked similar emotions. By about the middle of the writing process, the writing soundtrack was pretty much set and I didn’t listen to anything else. You can find all the songs here but these posts are about individual songs.
Song: Feeling Gravity’s Pull
Artist: R.E.M.
Album: Fables of the Reconstruction
Synopsis: A stark guitar rift acts in contrast to a whispered opening. The guitars clear harmonics ring out like a bell when the bass and drums come in hard with a slow crunchy grove. Then the chorus opens up the entire song like the sky and light in the lyrics. Michael Stipe’s voice slowly becomes a growl and the cello part creeps in to the mix slowly to become more and more dominant at the end. The reference to Man Ray ties it into an artistic vibe that leaves you moved and changed.
Man Ray’s les amoureux – It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Lyrics:
I fell asleep and read just about every paragraph
Read the scene where gravity is pulling me around
Peel back the mountains peel back the sky
Stomp gravity into the floor
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Time and distance are out of place here
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull
Somewhere near the end it said
“You can’t do this”, I said “I can too”
Shift sway rivers shift, oceans fall and mountains drift
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull onto my eyes,
Holding my head straight (looking down)
This is the easiest task I’ve ever had to do
I fell asleep and read just about every paragraph
Read the scene where gravity is pulling me around
Shift the swaying river’s shift
Oceans fall and mountains rift
It’s a Man Ray kind of sky
Let me show you what I can do with it
Time and distance are out of place here
Step up, step up, step up the sky is open-armed
When the light is mine, I felt gravity pull onto my eyes,
Holding my head straight (looking down)
This is the easiest task I’ve ever had to do
Reason had harnessed the tame
Holding the sky in their arms
Gravity pulls me down
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