What If We Give It Away?

I've heard the word "filler" applied to this song when talking about Lifes Rich Pageant. I wouldn't go so far as to called it a "filler" but it's definitely one of the weaker songs on the album. It's all surface and no depth, on first listen it's got a lovely-sounding vocal from Michael Stipe and the song as a whole is very archetypical R.E.M. But that's pretty much all you have. It also doesn't really have a proper chorus, which is no bad thing of course (neither does Country Feedback), but in the case of What If We Give It Away it comes across as being sub standard and unfinished.

As with many songs on Lifes Rich Pageant it is a re-working of an undeveloped song from their live set, in this case going back as far as 1981 when it was played a couple of times under the title Get On Their Way.

Lifes Rich Pageant is an odd album, with several re-worked old songs, an obscure cover song and a light-hearted instrumental, on paper Lifes Rich Pageant sounds like an album by a band who were clutching at creative straws. But, this is far from true. Lifes Rich Pageant is a grand step forward for the band, a celebratory statement from a band emerging from a dark period and, in this context, maybe What If We Give It Away does have a place here.