About The Song
“So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released in May 1984 as the first single from the group’s second studio album, Reckoning.
R.E.M. performed a rough version of the song on the NBC television show Late Night with David Letterman on October 6, 1983—before the song had a title—in what was the band’s first U.S. network television appearance.
The video, directed by Howard Libov, was filmed at the Reflection Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the recording of Reckoning, and first aired in June 1984. It featured the members of the band playing their instruments behind white screens (gobos) in an otherwise empty room, with Michael Stipe singing in the foreground. Stipe refused to lip sync to the song. Guitarist Peter Buck said, “We played a recording of the track, and the rest of us faked it, but Michael insisted on singing a new vocal to make it more real for him.”
The song is also featured in the Left of Reckoning video shot by James Herbert.
Video
Lyrics
Did you never call? I waited for your call
These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
The trees will bend, the cities wash away
The city on the river there is a girl without a dream
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
Eastern to mountain, third party call, the lines are down
The wise man built his words upon the rocks
But I’m not bound to follow suit
The trees will bend, the cities wash away
The city in the mountain, there’s a boy without a dream
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
Ah
Did you never call? I waited for your call
These rivers of suggestion are driving me away
The ocean sang, the conversation’s dimmed
Go build yourself another dream, this choice isn’t mine
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
Ah