Video hit R.E.M.

R.E.M. - Leaving New York

Leaving New York is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M.. It was the first single from the band's 2004 album Around the Sun.
Although it was not as heavily promoted as earlier singles, it reached as high as #5 on the UK Singles Chart.

In early live performances of the song (September 2004), the band would play Michael Stipe's "It's pulling me apart. Change." album backing vocal during the chorus and bridge of live performances. As early as February 2005, however, as evidenced on the R.E.M. Live disc, the band worked up an alternative whereby the backing vocals would be shared amongst Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey and Ken Stringfellow in order to make the song flow more smoothly.

As Stipe stated in interviews, the tune is a love song to the city. Stipe regards New York as his second hometown. Stipe stated that once, flying out of the city and seeing it from above, he was overwhelmed by its beauty and wrote the song right there on the plane.

The music video was shot with real friends of the band members, throwing a party, and snapshots of Stipe in different places of the city, giving the video a spontaneous and private atmosphere.

The lyrics:

It's quiet now

And what it brings

Is everything

Comes calling back

A brilliant night

I'm still awake

I looked ahead

I'm sure I saw you there

You don't need me

To tell you now

That nothing can compare

You might have laughed if I told you

You might have hidden A frown

You might have succeeded in changing me

I might have been turned around

It's easier to leave than to be left behind

Leaving was never my proud

Leaving New York, never easy

I saw the light fading out

Now life is sweet

And what it brings

I tried to take

But loneliness

It wears me out

It lies in wait

And I've lost

Still in my eyes

The shadow of necklace

Across your thigh

I might've lived my life in a dream, but I swear

This is real

Memory fuses and shatters like glass

Mercurial future, forget the past

It's you, it's what I feel.

You might have laughed if I told you (it's pulling me apart)

You might have hidden a frown (change)

You might have succeeded in changing me (it's pulling me apart)

I might have been turned around (change)

It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)

Leaving was never my proud (change)

Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)

I saw the light fading out

You find it in your heart, it's pulling me apart

You find it in your heart, change...

I told you, forever

I love you, forever

I told you, I love you

I love you, forever

I told you, forever

You never, you never

You told me forever

You might have laughed if I told you

You might have hidden the frown

You might have succeeded in changing me

I might have been turned around

It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)

Leaving was never my proud (change)

Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)

I saw the life fading out (change)

Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)

I saw the light fading out (change)

Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)

I saw the life fading out (change)