Talk Songs Top Ten: Talk About the Passion (#2)

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This song was one of the first ones written for the list of favorites with “talk” in the title. It’s a no-brainer. I never thought for a moment that a certain cat slave in Illinois would turn his attack cats and squirrels loose on me if I didn’t include it. No, I love this band so naturally I’m going to use them whenever I can. So here they are! #2: Talk About the Passion - R.E.M. Or, something for Mr. Brewsucker to enjoy on his new couch! I love reading interpretations of songs, and reading what the writer meant versus what I think. In this case, lead singer/songwriter Michael Stipe said this song that’s short on lyrics is long on discussing hunger. I got sucked into a rabbit hole yesterday and somehow ended up reading about the 1974 Lausanne Covenant, in which evangelical churches pledged to add a little “social consciousness” to their hell-fire-and-brimstone preaching. (How’d that work out for them? ) And lo and behold, here we have a song that’s bemoaning the “empty prayer” but no action behind the prayer to help. Meanwhile, they’ll pour a few million into a new sound system or side chapel off the meeting room apart from the overflow room next to the auxiliary worship center. YES, I’m talking about mega churches. And NO, not every “mega church” is like that. The big one here, Southeast Christian Church, has outreach programs like you wouldn’t believe…for members and non-members alike. But so many of those places are tooting their own horns to the exclusion of the calling of Christ. As a minister I enjoy watching online says, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” And, of course, this isn’t limited to the religious side: in the 1988 video for this song, they pointed out that the government is quick to spend money on new ships or new planes but will take forever to approve a penny for a food bank. Lots of things to think about in a song with a whopping total of five different lines. Talk About the Passsion Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe Recorded by R.E.M. From Murmur, 1982 Not everyone can carry the weight of the world: