The first time I heard this song was in the late 90's when the rabid fervor I'd developed in the process of re-discovering REM in the early 90's had died. From 1992 or so up until 1994 I'd literally gone a little crazy obsessing over the arc of REM's career from "Reckoning" up through "Green". I began to feel as though "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" were the warning signs of a shift witnessed from Monster onward that made sense to the band but left me pining for the older stuff. Then suddenly I hear "Photograph" and it was like going back in time. I was utterly floored - it was as if my favorite band had been resurrected, if only for a few minutes. And Natalie's voice fit SO well for me. Loved it then, love it now - I feel an inexplicable pull into the more poignant moments of my own, the South's, and the country's past every time I hear it. For those 3 minutes I am lost to that amazing short story. And all because I for whatever reason elected to purchase this obscure compilation.

The first time I heard this song was in the late 90's when the rabid fervor I'd developed in the process of re-discovering REM in the early 90's had died. From 1992 or so up until 1994 I'd literally gone a little crazy obsessing over the arc of REM's career from "Reckoning" up through "Green". I began to feel as though "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" were the warning signs of a shift witnessed from Monster onward that made sense to the band but left me pining for the older stuff. Then suddenly I hear "Photograph" and it was like going back in time. I was utterly floored - it was as if my favorite band had been resurrected, if only for a few minutes. And Natalie's voice fit SO well for me. Loved it then, love it now - I feel an inexplicable pull into the more poignant moments of my own, the South's, and the country's past every time I hear it. For those 3 minutes I am lost to that amazing short story. And all because I for whatever reason elected to purchase this obscure compilation.