I'm Gonna DJ

Album: Accelerate (2008)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was recorded during the Around The Sun sessions, but was not included on that record. However, it was a regular in the band's set on their 2004/2005 world tour.
  • The lyrics were inspired by the 1999 riots surrounding the World Trade Organization's meeting in Seattle. In this song, a DJ is wondering what it all meant. Frontman Michael Stipe said: "It's this guy feeling, 'My God, this is the beginning of the end, or the end itself,' and wondering what his reaction will be beyond protesting in the streets."
  • This is a lyrically meaner update of 1987's "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (from the 1987 album Document). Frontman Michael Stipe told The Daily Mail March 28,2008: "It's the end of the world as we know it once again! It's very much in the vein of a couple of other songs, but it made us laugh."

Comments: 1

  • Joshua from La Crosse, WiHa! After hearing this song for the first time, my first thought was, "What is it about R.E.M. and the eschaton, anyway?" It turns out that wasn't lost on Stipe either.
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