Why we love Perfect Circle

On this day in 1983 REM released Murmur the first track of which was Perfect Circle we covered as the last track of our album Two.

The light fading on a hot summer day, me sitting on the steps of the studio, staring out to sea having a cuppa, Haguey listening to live performances of Perfect Circle and pointing out nuances only a producer would spot… drawn in by harmonies, pulling on lyrics; interesting, vague but really moving and so good in the mouth to sing, “standing too soon shoulders high in the room” resonating with my all too familiar awkwardness in company and my emotional hook into the song.

Chris so chuffed when he heard the first vocals, Perfect Circle being a favourite of his since he purchased Murmur as a teenager. Adding guitar to accompany Haguey’s sensitive piano using a technique they had perfected on Manic/ Free As A Bird, handy when remote working was the only option… which he then ruthlessly edited because he thought it sounded better emptier “so you could hear the air moving around you…”

We thought long and hard about including it on the album and very glad we did.

A moment of studio magic, a lesson in having the courage to trust instincts and to not gild the lily…