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."
A Girl Like You
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel so funny talking on the phone
I fall apart when I hear you speak
Believe me girl, I just feel weak
I wonder how I got involved with a girl like
You want to tell me that I'm not you're kind of guy
You're having fun, well that's all right
I'm too weak to put up a fight
I wish you'd just tell what was wrong
Instead of leading my on
I get so disturbed when I'm all alone
I feel so funny talking on the phone
I fall apart when I hear your speak
Believe me girl, I just feel weak
I wish you'd just tell me what was wrong
Instead of leading me on
I try to call
(Call on the phone)
I try to call
(But nobody's home)
I wonder why
(You lead my along)
I wonder how I got involved with a girl like you
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s song "A Girl Like You" display the vulnerability of the singer who seems to be going through a tough time in his relationship. He admits feeling disturbed and weak in the presence of this mysterious girl who has left him confused and unsure about the nature of their relationship. The lines "I fall apart when I hear you speak, Believe me girl, I just feel weak" reveal the immense effect the girl has on him, rendering him powerless whenever she's around.
The singer seems to be feeling used by this girl and desperately wants to know where they stand, as evidenced by the lines "I wish you'd just tell me what was wrong, Instead of leading me on." He's tired of being strung along by her and wants her to be upfront about her intentions. The chorus highlights his confusion and heartbreak, wondering why he got involved with a girl like her in the first place.
Overall, "A Girl Like You" is a poignant reflection on one's vulnerability in a relationship and the pain that can come with it. It captures the feeling of uncertainty and powerlessness that can arise when one's feelings are not reciprocated or when communication is unclear.
Line by Line Meaning
I get so disturbed, I'm all alone
When I am alone, I feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.
I feel so funny talking on the phone
I feel awkward and self-conscious when I talk to you on the phone.
I fall apart when I hear you speak
Your voice has a powerful effect on me and makes me feel emotional.
Believe me girl, I just feel weak
I am powerless when it comes to my feelings for you.
I wonder how I got involved with a girl like
I question how someone like you ended up in my life.
You want to tell me that I'm not your kind of guy
You are trying to let me down gently by saying that we are not a good match.
You break the news and I break down and cry, I cry
Your rejection is hard for me to handle and makes me very sad.
You're having fun, well that's all right
If being with me is not enjoyable for you, it's okay to move on.
I'm too weak to put up a fight
I don't have the strength to persuade you to stay with me.
I wish you'd just tell what was wrong
I wish you would be honest with me about why you want to end things.
Instead of leading my on
It's not fair to keep me hoping for a future together when there isn't one.
I try to call (Call on the phone)
I attempt to reach out to you and talk to you.
I try to call (But nobody's home)
You are not available when I try to reach out to you.
I wonder why (You lead my along)
I am confused about why you continue to give me false hope.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Bill Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jammerkevin
Wow.. We're really turning back the clock, aren't we? R.E.M. probably before they were an working, touring band (outside The south)They're playing so fast, the music has a "rawness" to it. Great, great stuff!!
Alex Quezada
Pues desde México dejenme presumirles que acabo de comprar el primer disco de R.E.M. en edición de lujo, y bueno, si bien le faltaron más rarezas, está bueno, pero sigue estando mejor el de The best of the I.R.S. la edición especial, que trae canciones más raras y outtakes
jamsee1
Top quality song, great sound on the upload
Kabob Hope
Nice rarity. I only thought I knew every REM song.
Raul Melara
Pretty awesome. :D
TheFelixtrivi
me gustan y no entiendo el ingles a no ser que lo lea, y aun asi me cuesta, ejjejejeje
vivconable
I think this is from an old bootleg from O.C. Tyrones in 1981? There were cassettes floating around Athens for years after, and I think this became a bootleg vinyl called Return of the Rickenbacker. I'd give anything if I still had that tape . . .
Bill Voigt
What album is this one on?
IgNaceus
this is a cover and it has never been released on album as far as i know.
Brad Rambo
Ollllld school!