Talk:Man on the Moon (song)

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[edit] Typical Erudition

'It is thought to be the last song Kurt Cobain, who was a big R.E.M fan and a personal friend of Cobain's'

Doesn't this song promote the Moon landing hoax allegations?

"If you believe They put a man on the moon, Man on the moon. If you believe There's nothing up their sleeve, Then nothing is cool."

I can't think of any other possible explanation for the lyrics in this song's catchy chorus (at least not one that makes any sense). However, I want confirmation that this is, indeed, true. If it is, I wonder what inspired Michael Stipe to put conspiracy theories into a song about Andy Kaufman? Not being familiar with Kaufman's comedy, I wouldn't know.

-Mason Green (REM fan and "Moon Landing Agnostic")

At least one way to read this is a reference to conspiracy theories that 1) Andy Kaufman didn't really die and 2) Elvis (who he often imitated) didn't really die. I sincerely doubt Stipe believes the moon landing was a hoax, but there's still something touching about the lyrics. See http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:lbduakokdmfm - Bert 171.159.64.10 03:46, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

I listened to it carefully, and no, I don't think it "promotes" the Moon landing hoax allegations. Rather, it's a challenge to the listener to consider the possibility that things we assume to be real and accurate are in fact nothing more than someone's elaborate prank, the same way Kaufman pulled the wool over the audience's eyes in bizarre and apparently pointless ways. "If you believe there's nothing up their sleeve, then nothing is cool": if you are always willing to take things at face value, you're missing out. Kaufman is dead, Elvis is dead and they really did put a man on the moon... or is someone pulling our leg again?

I think nothing would please Kaufman more than to know that some people think he's really not dead. 82.92.119.11 21:27, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Well, to what i understood is that, he certainly does raise speculations about the landing on the moon hoax, also when he says newton got beaned by the apple, sayin.. yea it was all there for the taking... its jus that it struck him then... Unless an entertainer has got some tricks up their sleeve they r never successful, so there is a twisted side to everything.. As in there are other corners. Elvis'S death( which could have even been a murder ) and ofcourse the moon hoax... to all of this... there must have been a trick up their sleeves... once again "an agit for the never believer" and a lil ghost for the offering... People all what is see is what it really is... as simple as that !!!!

-- Prasad

There is a story that the number of Yeahs in this song was Stipe's attempt to "out Yeah" Kurt Cobain. Does anyone have a source to back this up, and could they include it, or is this apocryphal? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.43.106.61 (talk • contribs)

In the time it took you to type that, you could have simply used a search engine: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=cobain+stipe+%22yeahs%22..... wikipediatrix 18:10, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

For me, the song bring imagages of hanging out in some basment rec room. Saturday Night Live is on the tube, playing one of Andy's bits. They look over stuff to do, like board games on the shelves. They have a bull session about the moon landing. They debate over wherether that is man's highest accomplishment; but if that's so, then what's left for us to achieve?