This article is about the R.E.M. song. For the Cole Porter song, see Begin the Beguine. For television episodes, see Begin the Begin (Grey's Anatomy) or List of Covert Affairs episodes."Begin the Begin" is the first song on R.E.M.'s fourth album, Lifes Rich Pageant. Lead singer Michael Stipe has called it "a song of personal, political activism." Though never released as a single, it appeared frequently in the band's live performances as a song early in the set.