R.E.M. is no more. On September 21st, they announced online that they have “decided to call it a day as a band.” The band formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, a college town seventy miles east of Atlanta. Not only did they become one of the most significant American alternative bands of the past half century, but they were one of the first bands to achieve success thanks to college radio and for the first few years of their career, on an independent record label. In 1988, Warner Brothers Records signed them up, allowing Michael Stipe and Co. to sing songs about political and environmental injustice (as well as shiny, happy people) to sold-out stadiums and festivals around the globe. When they renewed their contract in 1996, Warner ponied up a record-breaking $80 million. Yes, record companies once had that much money to give to a recording artist or band just for creating music.
But R.E.M. was more than a band worth paying a ton of money or selling platinum records and singles. The band, especially Michael Stipe, raised awareness about issues that mattered to them, including the environment, human rights, equal rights for women, and voter registration. They were one of a handful of artists (along with Sonic Youth and Violent Femmes) responsible for the advancement of alternative music, a diverse and incredible genre that would later spawn bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Muse, Coldplay, and Chicago’s own Smashing Pumpkins, Local H, and Wilco. They showed that it was possible to achieve your goals and dreams without selling out or trading your values and artistic vision.
While the band is no more, their music and passion for doing good will live on. Here is a list of some of their best songs, along with a few interesting facts.
Note: The songs are listed in chronological order.
“Radio Free Europe”
From the Hib-Tone single release (1981) and later the album Murmur (1983)
Their first single, released one year after their union, was recently added to the National Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The citation the song received is equally impressive: “(Radio Free Europe) set the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio’s general indifference.”
“(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville”
From the album Reckoning (1984)
The second single from Reckoning was written by member Mike Mills, who wrote it as a plea to his then-girlfriend to not return to her hometown of Rockville, Maryland.
“The One I Love”
From the album Document (1987)
Their first big single, this song has strangely become a romantic love song. I mention strangely because this song has the following lyrics: “This one goes to the one I left behind/A simple prop to occupy my time”. Clearly, someone is being used here. That doesn’t sound too romantic, unless you enjoy being in a one-way relationship.
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
From the album Document (1987)
Released during the waning days of the Cold War, this track references four men who share the initials, L.B. (Music composer Leonard Bernstein, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, shock comic Lenny Bruce, and rock critic/writer Lester Bangs)
“Losing My Religion”
From the album Out of Time (1991)
The phrase “losing my religion” is a Southern expression that means to lose one’s temper. This is often considered their signature song.
“What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”
From the album Monster (1994)
The track title was taken from an incident in which former CBS newsanchor Dan Rather was mugged and beaten several years prior to the single’s release. One of the assailants asked him “Kenneth, what is the frequency? numerous times.
“Everybody Hurts”
From the album Automatic for the People (1992)
A British suicide hotline once used the lyrics to this song for an ad campaign. Guitarist Peter Buck mentioned that the song was aimed for teenagers, as a way to address them that while life is often tough and unjust, you can’t give up. And everyone hurts at one time or another.
“At My Most Beautiful”
From the album Up (1998)
According to Stipe, the origins of this song were from a line he wrote while stuck in traffic (and late for an appointment): “I found a way to make you smile”
“Bad Day”
From the album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (2003)
This track had been around in another form, as a never-released b-side titled “PSA”, since the mid-1980s. When a single was needed for their “best of” retrospective, the band decided to update the lyrics and shoot a humorous music video spoofing the media.
“Supernatural Superserious”
From the album Accelerate (2008)
I came across a (no-longer updated) message board where several fans were trying to figure out the meaning behind this song. One person stated that he was upset when people demand to find out what the musician was trying to say with the song. “It kills songs for some people and I think all songs have a different meaning for everyone than they do for Michael Stipe,” wrote William Cardno. “There's something beautiful about that.”
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