Man On The Moon - R.E.M.

Artist: R.E.M.
Song: Man On The Moon
Year: 1992
Album: Automatic For The People

I was (and still am) a huge Andy Kaufman fan. My first memories of Andy came from the sitcom Taxi and his various appearances on Saturday Night Live. I adored his foreign man routine. It wasn't until much later that I began to see other things that Andy had accomplished in his short life. I say short life because I don't buy into the conspiracy that he faked his own death for the ultimate joke.

I had always liked the song "Man On The Moon", but it wasn't until a few years after its release that I connected it with Andy Kaufman. For whatever reason, I glossed over the obvious references and just enjoyed the song. When I did finally connect the dots, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The title of the song is a reference to the conspiracy theory that the American moon landing was faked. I find hilarious that a reference that had nothing to do with Andy became the title of his biography movie.

Despite the Andy Kaufman connection and the other obscure references scattered throughout, the song is an amazing work. It was one of the many songs on the album that I was instantly drawn to upon release. There are many wonderful classic songs on the album, but none hold a greater affection for the absurd than this song does.

At the karaoke bar that I occasionally go to, "Man On The Moon" is a gigantic hit. Many people get up and sing it in their own unique way. All of the versions are decent, surprisingly. It just stands as a testament to the music of R.E.M. and the mystique of Andy Kaufman working hand in hand.

Lyrics:
Mott the Hoople and the game of Life. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Monopoly, Twenty one, checkers, and chess. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mister Fred Blassie in a breakfast mess. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's play Twister, let's play Risk. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
See you heaven if you make the list. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby. Are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon.
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool.

Moses went walking with the staff of wood. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Newton got beaned by the apple good. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mister Charles Darwin had the gall to ask. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey, Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby. Are you having fun?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon.
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool.

Here's a little agit for the never-believer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Here's a little ghost for the offering. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Mister Andy Kaufman's gone wrestling [wrestling bears]. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Hey Andy are you goofing on Elvis, hey baby, are we losing touch?
If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon.
If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool.