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."
Afterhours
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just sit up on the throne
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
She just hit up on the phone
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
Oh, I better be alone, huh
Bout to be some grown man business going on
She know I'm finna throw it long
When I walk up in the club, tell waitress put the glass down
Out the bottle if it's Jack now
Got a couple models tryna get up in the background
Tryna get me on the snap now
Got a couple dollars if I need to bring the cash out
Erywhere I go, I cash out
99 problems but she tryna throw it back now
She know I'm finna blow that back out
But if shawty act out, cut her from the team
She knows I ain't lookin for a queen
All the bitches jockin when I pull up on the scene
Got that pussy wet as Thompson wit a pull up from the three (Splash)
You know I do it for The League
Flow so cold, I'm just coolin off the beat
Erybody talkin bout I better not change, but as soon as I get on, still be cool enough to speak
I'm a Afterhours king, I just sit up on the throne
I just sit up on the throne
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
She just hit up on the phone
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
Oh, I better be alone, huh
Bout to be some grown man business going on
She know I'm finna throw it long
When I step inside the booth, I'm William Wallace with the Braveheart
Turn that bitch into a graveyard
Same as on the field, they double checking me like State Farm
I'm not the one you wanna face guard
Pull off in the Chevy like I'm whippin in a race car
Been known to get off to a great start
Fk a open mic, I'm hitting stages out in Vegas, I can have ya favorite waitress playin wit herself to Dre R
I been tryna tell these niggas, I was finna blow
I'm just really getting started, even tho I had them bars when I was livin in the Lo
Still I always played the background, never really had to be the star of any show
But it's crazy looking back now, spittin overseas just cuz I was Lil Bro
Now they really bout to know
I'm a Afterhours king, I just sit up on the throne
I just sit up on the throne
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
She just hit up on the phone
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
Oh, I better be alone, huh
Bout to be some grown man business going on
She know I'm finna throw it long
When I walk up in the mall, I need someone to carry bags out
Just bought some new shit I can brag bout
Might just hit the club, have em comp a cpl bottles for me
Tell em fk it, bring the mag out
Might just take a picture wit a bitch who tryna model for me
I'm the one she wanna tag now
Throw a cpl dollars, bet that bitch'll make it wobble for me
She throw that booty like a rag doll
But if shawty that raw, put her on the team
You know I get that pussy for the free
I be up at rhino, you can find me every week
But if she ain't really fine, all I'm tryna do is eat (Pause)
You know I do it for The League
Flow so cold, I'm just coolin off the beat
Erybody talkin bout I better not change, but as soon as I get on, still be cool enough to speak
I'm a Afterhours king, I just sit up on the throne
I just sit up on the throne
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
She just hit up on the phone
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
Oh, I better be alone, huh
Bout to be some grown man business going on
She know I'm finna throw it long
I'm a Afterhours king, I just sit up on the throne
I just sit up on the throne
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
She just hit up on the phone
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
Oh, I better be alone, huh
Bout to be some grown man business going on
She know I'm finna throw it long
Get familiar with the king
In R.E.M.'s song "Afterhours," the song's narrator is boasting about his wealth, prominence, and reputation with women. The opening lyrics see him sitting on a throne as an "afterhours king," with a woman calling him up on the phone, as he prepares to engage in some "grown man business." The rest of the song features him detailing his exploits in clubs, malls, and other settings, with women vying for his attention and affection. He frequently references his status as a member of "The League," which implies an exclusive and elite social circle.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on hip-hop culture's celebration of wealth, success, and sexual conquest, with the singer embodying many of the genre's common tropes and stereotypes. The lyrics are filled with braggadocio and swagger, with the singer claiming to be above the rest in terms of his looks, style, and personality. However, there is also a sense of loneliness and detachment running through the song, as the singer is constantly seeking validation and affirmation from those around him, rather than finding happiness and fulfillment within himself.
Line by Line Meaning
Afterhours king, I just sit up on the throne
I am in control of my afterhours activities and just enjoy my personal time
Got a pretty lil thing who just hit up on the phone
A woman I am romantically involved with is trying to contact me
Talkin bout she comin thru and I better be alone
She wants to come over and be intimate with me without any interruptions
Oh, I better be alone, huh
It is important that I am not disturbed during this private time
Bout to be some grown man business going on
I will be engaging in mature activities
She know I'm finna throw it long
She is aware that I am physically capable and willing to have sexual intercourse
When I walk up in the club, tell waitress put the glass down
I request that the waitress stops serving drinks and pays close attention to me
Out the bottle if it's Jack now
I prefer to drink Jack Daniel's whiskey straight from the bottle
Got a couple models tryna get up in the background
Attractive women are trying to get my attention from a distance
Got a couple dollars if I need to bring the cash out
I am always prepared to spend money when necessary
Erywhere I go, I cash out
I spend a lot of money wherever I am
99 problems but she tryna throw it back now
While I have many issues, this woman is trying to engage in sexual activity
But if shawty act out, cut her from the team
If this woman behaves poorly or negatively impacts my life, I will end our relationship
She knows I ain't lookin for a queen
My search for a romantic partner is not focused on finding someone to fulfill a traditional queen-like role
All the bitches jockin when I pull up on the scene
Many women are interested in me when I arrive at a location
Got that pussy wet as Thompson wit a pull up from the three (Splash)
This woman is highly aroused and excited about engaging in sexual activity with me
You know I do it for The League
I engage in these activities for my own personal enjoyment and fulfillment
Flow so cold, I'm just coolin off the beat
My music style is very relaxed and smooth
Erybody talkin bout I better not change, but as soon as I get on, still be cool enough to speak
Despite potential success and fame, I will remain grounded and approachable
When I step inside the booth, I'm William Wallace with the Braveheart
When I enter the recording booth, I feel powerful like the character William Wallace from the film Braveheart
Turn that bitch into a graveyard
My music is so intense and powerful that it can completely dominate a listener's senses
Same as on the field, they double checking me like State Farm
Similar to how insurance company State Farm double checks their claims, others are cautious and aware of my impact
I'm not the one you wanna face guard
Others are intimidated by me and do not want to directly compete against me
Been known to get off to a great start
I am typically successful and accomplish a lot at the beginning of a task or project
Fk a open mic, I'm hitting stages out in Vegas, I can have ya favorite waitress playin wit herself to Dre R
I am beyond just performing at open mic nights and have moved on to performing at larger venues such as those in Las Vegas
I been tryna tell these niggas, I was finna blow
I have been predicting and anticipating my own success for a while
I'm just really getting started, even tho I had them bars when I was livin in the Lo
Despite having a talent for music when I lived in LA, I am just now starting to gain recognition and success
Still I always played the background, never really had to be the star of any show
I have typically been a supporting role in the music industry and have not sought out the spotlight
But it's crazy looking back now, spittin overseas just cuz I was Lil Bro
Despite my humble beginnings, I have been able to perform internationally
Now they really bout to know
My talent and success is about to become much more widely known
When I walk up in the mall, I need someone to carry bags out
I typically make large purchases when shopping and need assistance carrying them out
Just bought some new shit I can brag bout
I am excited about my recent purchases and like to show them off
Might just hit the club, have em comp a cpl bottles for me
I may go to a club and request that someone else pays for my drinks
Tell em fk it, bring the mag out
I am willing to pay a lot of money for an extravagant experience
Might just take a picture wit a bitch who tryna model for me
I may take a photo with a woman who is interested in modeling
I'm the one she wanna tag now
This woman now wants to be associated with or tagged by me on social media
Throw a cpl dollars, bet that bitch'll make it wobble for me
I am willing to spend money on a woman and she will likely dance provocatively for me
She throw that booty like a rag doll
This woman has a very loose and suggestive dancing style
But if shawty that raw, put her on the team
If this woman is very attractive and skilled, she may become a part of my social or romantic circle
You know I get that pussy for the free
I am often able to engage in sexual activity without paying for it
I be up at rhino, you can find me every week
I am a regular customer at the Rhino, a strip club
But if she ain't really fine, all I'm tryna do is eat (Pause)
If a woman is not attractive, I will only associate with her in order to get something to eat
Get familiar with the king
Learn more about me and my lifestyle as a successful musician and afterhours king
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Andre Riddick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aurora Barajas
The group hug at 2:28 is so wholesome, I love them
O J
One of the best parts of my young life was The Velvet Underground
A J
One of the best parts of my young life was REM.