R.E.M. released its first single—"Radio Free Europe"—in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982, the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the group released its critically acclaimed debut album, Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the single "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.
By the early 1990s, when alternative rock began to enter the mainstream, R.E.M. was viewed by subsequent acts such as Nirvana and Pavement as a pioneer of the genre. The band released its two most commercially successful albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), which veered from the band's established sound and catapulted it to international fame. R.E.M.'s 1994 release, Monster, was a return to a more rock-oriented sound, but still continued its run of success. The band began its first tour in six years to support the album; the tour was marred by medical emergencies suffered by three of the band members.
In 1996, R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. for a reported US$80 million, at the time the most expensive recording contract in history. Its 1996 release, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, though critically acclaimed, fared worse commercially than its predecessors. The following year, Bill Berry left the band, while Stipe, Buck, and Mills continued the group as a trio. Through some changes in musical style, the band continued its career into the next decade with mixed critical and commercial success, despite having sold more than 85 million records worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music artists. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their first year of eligibility. R.E.M. disbanded amicably in September 2011, announcing the split on its website.
In January 1980, Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in Wuxtry Records, the Athens record store where Buck worked. The pair discovered that they shared similar tastes in music, particularly in punk rock and protopunk artists like Patti Smith, Television, and the Velvet Underground. Stipe said, "It turns out that I was buying all the records that [Buck] was saving for himself." Through mutual friend Kathleen O'Brien, Stipe and Buck then met fellow University of Georgia students Mike Mills and Bill Berry, who had played music together since high school and lived together in Georgia. The quartet agreed to collaborate on several songs; Stipe later commented that "there was never any grand plan behind any of it". Their still-unnamed band spent a few months rehearsing in a deconsecrated Episcopal church in Athens, and played its first show on April 5, 1980, supporting the Side Effects at O'Brien's birthday party held in the same church, performing a mix of originals and 1960s and 1970s covers. After considering Twisted Kites, Cans of Piss, and Negro Eyes, the band settled on "R.E.M." (which is an initialism for rapid eye movement, the dream stage of sleep), which Stipe selected at random from a dictionary.
The band members eventually dropped out of school to focus on their developing group. They found a manager in Jefferson Holt, a record store clerk who was so impressed by an R.E.M. performance in his hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that he moved to Athens. R.E.M.'s success was almost immediate in Athens and surrounding areas; the band drew progressively larger crowds for shows, which caused some resentment in the Athens music scene. Over the next year and a half, R.E.M. toured throughout the Southern United States. Touring was arduous because a touring circuit for alternative rock bands did not then exist. The group toured in an old blue van driven by Holt, and lived on a food allowance of $2 each per day.
R.E.M. was pivotal in the creation and development of the alternative rock genre. AllMusic stated, "R.E.M. mark the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock." In the early 1980s, the musical style of R.E.M. stood in contrast to the post-punk and new wave genres that had preceded it. Music journalist Simon Reynolds noted that the post-punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s "had taken whole swaths of music off the menu", particularly that of the 1960s, and that "After postpunk's demystification and New Pop's schematics, it felt liberating to listen to music rooted in mystical awe and blissed-out surrender." Reynolds declared R.E.M., a band that recalled the music of the 1960s with its "plangent guitar chimes and folk-styled vocals" and who "wistfully and abstractly conjured visions and new frontiers for America", one of "the two most important alt-rock bands of the day." With the release of Murmur, R.E.M. had the most impact musically and commercially of the developing alternative genre's early groups, leaving in its wake a number of jangle pop followers.
R.E.M.'s early breakthrough success served as an inspiration for other alternative bands. Spin referred to the "R.E.M. model"—career decisions that R.E.M. made which set guidelines for other underground artists to follow in their own careers. Spin's Charles Aaron wrote that by 1985, "They'd shown how far an underground, punk-inspired rock band could go within the industry without whoring out its artistic integrity in any obvious way. They'd figured out how to buy in, not sellout-in other words, they'd achieved the American Bohemian Dream." Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate said, "They invented a whole new ballgame for all of the other bands to follow whether it was Sonic Youth or the Replacements or Nirvana or Butthole Surfers. R.E.M. staked the claim. Musically, the bands did different things, but R.E.M. was first to show us you can be big and still be cool." Biographer David Buckley stated that between 1991 and 1994, a period that saw the band sell an estimated 30 million albums, R.E.M. "asserted themselves as rivals to U2 for the title of biggest rock band in the world." Over the course of its career, the band has sold over 85 million records worldwide.
Alternative bands such as Nirvana, Pavement, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pearl Jam (the band's vocalist Eddie Vedder inducted R.E.M. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), and Live, have drawn inspiration from R.E.M.'s music. "When I was 15 years old in Richmond, Virginia, they were a very important part of my life," Pavement's Bob Nastanovich said, "as they were for all the members of our band." Pavement's contribution to the No Alternative compilation (1993) was "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence", a song about R.E.M.'s early days. Local H, according to the band's Twitter account, created their name by combining two R.E.M. songs: "Oddfellows Local 151" and "Swan Swan H". Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was a fan of R.E.M., and had unfulfilled plans to collaborate on a musical project with Stipe. Cobain told Rolling Stone in an interview earlier that year, "I don’t know how that band does what they do. God, they’re the greatest. They've dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music."
During his show at the 40 Watt Club in October 2018, Johnny Marr said: "As a British musician coming out of the indie scene in the early '80s, which I definitely am and am proud to have been, I can't miss this opportunity to acknowledge and pay my respects and honor the guys who put this town on the map for us in England. I'm talking about my comrades in guitar music, R.E.M. The Smiths really respected R.E.M. We had to keep an eye on what those guys were up to. It's an interesting thing for me, as a British musician, and all those guys as British musicians, to come to this place and play for you guys, knowing that it's the roots of Mike Mills and Bill Berry and Michael Stipe and my good friend Peter Buck."
Dream
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you believe?
You looking to dig my dreams
Be prepared for anything
You come into my little scene
Hooray, hooray, hip hip hooray
There's one thing I can guarantee
You won't have to dig, dig too deep
I don't sleep, I dream
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
But you know what I really need
Are you looking to drive my dreams?
You here to run my screens?
You come, deliver my demons
Hooray, hooray, hip hip hooray
Are you coming to ease my headache?
Do you give good head?
Am I good in bed?
I don't know, I guess so
I don't sleep, I dream
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
But you know what I really need
I'm looking for an interruption
Can you believe?
Some medicine for my headache
Hooray, hooray, hip hip hooray
I'm pitching for a new direction
Pinch me when I wake
Don't tell me my dreams are fake
You leave me to lay, you touch me deep
I don't sleep, I dream
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
But you know what I really need
Leave me to lay, but touch me deep
I don't sleep, I dream
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
But you know what I really need
The lyrics of R.E.M.'s "Dream" are a fascinating blend of both subconscious desire and conscious need. At its heart, the song is about seeking an interruption in the monotony of daily life, whether it be through a new relationship, a change of scenery, or a new perspective. The opening lines set the tone for this pursuit: "I'm looking for an interruption / Do you believe?" The singer is seeking something that will break them out of their routine and help them truly engage with their desires and dreams.
Throughout the song, the singer poses a series of questions to a lover or potential lover, asking if they are prepared to dig deep into their desires, deliver their demons, or ease their headaches. These questions hint at a deeper need for connection and intimacy, but they are also tinged with a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability. The singer doesn't know if their dreams are real or if they are just wishful thinking. They are searching for something, but they don't quite know what it is.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm looking for an interruption
I want something to interrupt my mundane life.
Do you believe?
Do you have faith in what I am seeking?
You looking to dig my dreams
Are you interested in exploring my dreams and aspirations?
Be prepared for anything
Be ready for the unexpected.
You come into my little scene
You have entered my world, my life.
Hooray, hooray, hip hip hooray
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm.
There's one thing I can guarantee
I can assure you of one thing for certain.
You won't have to dig, dig too deep
You will not have to search too hard.
Said leave me to lay, but touch me deep
Let me rest, but awaken my innermost desires.
I don't sleep, I dream
I am not content with just sleeping, I dream to achieve my desires.
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
I am willing to compromise and take what is readily available.
But you know what I really need
However, I know what I truly desire.
Are you looking to drive my dreams?
Are you willing to help me achieve my dreams?
You here to run my screens?
Are you here to control or manipulate me?
You come, deliver my demons
You have the potential to free me from my inner demons.
Are you coming to ease my headache?
Are you here to alleviate my troubles?
Do you give good head?
Are you capable of providing me with the advice and solutions I need?
Am I good in bed?
Am I capable of achieving my desires and aspirations?
I don't know, I guess so
I am unsure but hopeful.
I'm pitching for a new direction
I am actively seeking a change in my life.
Pinch me when I wake
Confirm that what I am experiencing is real.
Don't tell me my dreams are fake
Do not shatter my aspirations and hopes.
Leave me to lay, you touch me deep
Let me rest, but awaken my innermost desires.
I'll settle for a cup of coffee
I am willing to compromise and take what is readily available.
But you know what I really need
However, I know what I truly desire.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jurandir Delmiro
...E foi tudo um sonho.
Foi?
Foi jovem e sonhou, ou viveu?
Ainda que a vida hoje seja uma amargura atrás da outra..
..Ainda temos os sonhos.
...And all only did is dream.
Did?
You when younger, or living?
If the live is a hard and though..
...Rest us dreams,
Carlos Hugo Centurión
In my opinion, this is probably the best and better version of the original theme of the unforgettable Everly Brothers
Mr Babar
damn; two guitars, one drum, and two voices... great cover
matthew stetson
Roots. They didn't write this but this is an all-time R.E.M. favorite of mine regardless.
Jurandir Delmiro
...E foi tudo um sonho.
Foi?
Foi jovem e sonhou, ou viveu?
Ainda que a vida hoje seja uma amargura atrás da outra..
..Ainda temos os sonhos.
...And all only did is dream.
Did?
You when younger, or living?
If the live is a hard and though..
...Rest us dreams,
theurbanupcyclers
i love at 1:53 when michael and mike don't sing the same words :)
YITT Mashups
Awesome!!!
Cara Mason
Beautiful
Marina S
Great 👍
Jupiara Michel
J'adore cette reprise avec R.E.M.
Gertrude Jude
Moi aussi!