Gonna Be a Countdown: All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star)

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The wall calendar (yes, I do still have a wall calendar) and clocks have been adjusted for November. The countdown has, as well! New month, new theme! This month, I’ll continue to make the grammar Nazis cringe, following a month of “ain’t” with a month of “gonna.” With more apologies to the teachers in our virtual neighborhood, let’s get this ball rolling! All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star) - R.E.M. Hey, any countdown I can start with R.E.M. is gonna be a good countdown!! Here we have the boys from Athens, Georgia doing what Peter Buck referred to as a “sick tribute” to Jimmy Webb. Webb, you may know, wrote many of those “city songs” that Glen Campbell had pop hits with in the late 60s (e.g., “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston”). So here’s R.E.M. doing “by the time I get to Reno.” The message behind the song is the dream of going someplace to become famous. It’s a common dream for cities like NYC, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Nashville. The dreams don’t always work out (“you may as well had ‘kick me’ fastened on your sleeve”), but that doesn’t stop the dreamer. And that’s a good thing, because we’ve been enriched by those who had the dream and saw it come true. All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star) Written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe Recorded by R.E.M. From Reveal, 2001 Challenge the laws of chance: