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"Man on the Moon" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their 1992 album ''Automatic for the People''. The song was written by the lead singer Michael Stipe. The song was well received by critics and peaked at number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs〔 and was included on the compilations ''In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003'' and ''Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011''. Lyrically, the song is a tribute to the comedian and performer Andy Kaufman with numerous references to his career including his Elvis impersonation, wrestling, and the film ''My Breakfast with Blassie''. The song's title and chorus refer to the moon landing conspiracy theories as an oblique allusion to rumors that Kaufman's death in 1984 was faked. The song gave its name to Miloš Forman's film based on Kaufman's life, and was featured prominently in the film's official soundtrack. ==Composition and lyrics== "Man on the Moon" is a mid-tempo rock song following a verse-chorus structure with an added pre-chorus and an instrumental bridge following the second and third choruses. The song is somewhat unusual in that the verses are unequal in length, with six lines in the first verse but only four in the second and third verses. The song's lyrics are an homage to the performer Andy Kaufman, including references to his Elvis impersonation and work with wrestlers Fred Blassie and Jerry Lawler. The song also invokes the conspiracy theories surrounding the moon landing and Elvis Presley as an indirect nod to the persistent rumors that Kaufman faked his own death. Other lyrical references include boardgames, notable people, and Mott the Hoople (both the title of a novel and a rock group which took its name from the novel). Regarding the cryptic lyrics, critic Greg Kot wrote that the song "presents a surreal vision of heaven." According to Ann Powers, "Mentioning Kaufman in the same breath as Moses and Sir Isaac Newton, Stipe makes a game of human endeavor, insisting that it all ends in dust. 'Let's play Twister, let's play Risk,' Stipe jokes to the notables he's invoked. 'I'll see you in heaven if you make the list.'" Michael Stipe explained in an interview with Charlie Rose how the lyrics were written independently of the music, which had no prior association with the song's eventual lyrical content regarding Andy Kaufman. Stipe recounted that the rest of the members of R.E.M. had written and performed the music of the song and recorded it along with the rest of the Automatic for the People album during studio sessions in Seattle. As of the final day of the recording sessions, Stipe had not yet written lyrics to the song and the other band members continued to plead with him to try complete the song, despite his writer's block. Stipe listened to the track on a walk around Seattle and was inspired to write a song about the performances of Andy Kaufman. After Stipe went back to the studio to complete the vocal track, the master was mixed that night and sent out the following day to be mastered.〔http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdNpE3qfvYI〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Man on the Moon (song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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