How will we consider one song as a work of art or not.And how are we going to consider a singer or a band as an artist?
It is in according to Joseph Conrad that a work of art is something that doesn't need an interpretation from the composer or writer itself.Instead you can extract a bunch of meaning from it.
And Losing My Religion by R.EM. is one of them.Though Stipe gaved an interpretation of the song via an interview.
which I added here where it goes like this:
The music video also added the mystery to the meaning of the song.It was vague in its perfect way.
The meaning of this song (officially, according to Mike Stipe of REM) is about unrequited love, meaning unreturned love. (the person recounting this song loves somebody, who has no interest in him).
It is quite a sad song, and a has a very lonely feeling to it.
"Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you"
Here he is trying to convince himself that the person he loves is NOT larger than life - she doesn't have to be the centre point of his existence. He is trying to push her out of his mind.
"The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes"
I can relate to this. Constantly following someone around, clinging to them, trying to make them connect with you or notice you.
"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you"
Same thing really. "Losing my religion" is a southern American way of saying "reaching the end of one's rope" or "losing your temper" or "losing your civility". Basically these verses mean that he is getting angry and frustrated trying to stay ahead of the game and keep up with the competition over this woman. He's behind the game, in the spotlight, failng.
"Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up"
Here he pours his heart out to a greater extent. He obsesses over the person, constantly watching them - he can't think of anything else but this person, and he feels "lost" and "blinded" when not knowing what she's doing or who she's with. "He said too much" but he "hasn't said enough" - he's telling his mates and friends more than he should say about his feelings for this person, but not the person herself.
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/34611/
There is another possible interpretation to this: It can also be about the confusion of a person about her/his own sexuality, the real personality within which is inline with the sexuality vs the mask that the person has to put as a front to maintain the status quo .If we put our ourselves in the shoes of a LGBTQ+ person specially during the time where the song was made.Its hard to have this conflicting problem within ourselves. It was like the person wanted to conceal the real him/her but it seems to slip every now and then through the way and what the person talked about.Their actions.The anxiety of it.The chaos within plus the chaos from the fact that the person don't want to be exposed.Mixed with volatile emotions.In addition to the looming conflict of if is the outside factor in compromised with our own sense of judgement, If its right or wrong.It is a vicious cycle.Where there is no escape. And so like how the song ended.
But that was just a dream
Try, cry
Why try?
That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream
Dream
Its a far fetch from resolving, its gonna remain in the back of the person's mind.
The second interpretation is from a perspective of a disciplined outcast person who detest the irrationality of society that is evident to him. He wanted to remain where he was but there are times where she/he needs to be in the "place where he/she detests"Cause more likely that the person is an enlightened one. He can point out loopholes of what the society imposed to us human. He/she doesn't want to deal with it but what to do, he/she is also a human. And to err is human. And he/she realized that living an ideal world is impossible.Irrationality is a part of being human.
That's all,I hope you like it!
@belenguerra & @fendit