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."
Bang and Blame
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not my fault, you used to be so in control
You're going to roll right over this one
Just roll me over, let me go
You're laying blame
Take this as no, no, no, no, no
You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing, so let it go
If you could see yourself now, baby
The tables have turned, the whole world hinges on your swings
Your secret life of indiscreet discretions
I'd turn the screw and leave the screen
Don't point your finger
You know that's not my thing
You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
To blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing, so let it go now
You've got a little worry
I know it all too well
I've got your number
But so does every kiss and tell
Who dares to cross your threshold
Happens on you way
Stop laying blame
You know that's not my thing
You know that's not my thing
You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Then blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing so let it go, you
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Then blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing so let it go
You kiss on me
Tug on me
Rub on me
Jump on me
You bang on me
Beat on me
Hit on me
Let go on me
You let go on me
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s song Bang and Blame seem to be about a tumultuous relationship where one person is pointing fingers and laying blame on the other, causing the other person to feel helpless and wanting to be let go. The singer seems to be saying that they are not at fault for the other person's actions or attitudes and that they cannot be held responsible. The lines "If you could see yourself now, baby, it's not my fault, you used to be so in control" suggest that the other person has lost control and is blaming the singer for it. The lines "Your secret life of indiscreet discretions, I'd turn the screw and leave the screen" may be suggesting that the other person is hiding something and the singer would expose it if pushed.
The refrain of "Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, then blame, blame, blame" seems to be a play on words, suggesting that the other person is both physically "banging" on the singer and figuratively "blaming" them at the same time. The lines "You've got a little worry, I know it all too well, I've got your number, but so does every kiss and tell" suggest that the other person might have a reputation for gossiping or being dishonest. Overall, the song seems to be about a toxic relationship where blame is being passed around, leaving both parties feeling trapped and helpless.
Line by Line Meaning
If you could see yourself now, baby
The singer is pointing out how the addressee has changed, perhaps not for the better.
It's not my fault, you used to be so in control
The singer is absolving themselves of blame for the addressee's loss of control
You're going to roll right over this one
The singer predicts that the addressee's current situation is going to be problematic for them
Just roll me over, let me go
The artist is asking the addressee to release them from blame or responsibility
You're laying blame
The artist is accusing the addressee of unfairly placing blame on others
Take this as no, no, no, no, no
The singer is rejecting the addressee's attempt to shift blame onto them
You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
The singer is describing the addressee's actions as forceful and aggressive
Then blame, blame, blame
The artist notes that the pattern of aggressive actions followed by blame is ongoing
It's not my thing, so let it go
The artist doesn't want to be involved in the addressee's blame game
The tables have turned, the whole world hinges on your swings
Now it is the addressee who is in control and has great influence over everything
Your secret life of indiscreet discretions
The singer knows about the addressee's hidden, potentially scandalous behaviors
I'd turn the screw and leave the screen
The artist would apply pressure and make the addressee's secrets public knowledge
Don't point your finger
The singer doesn't want the addressee to blame them for anything
You know that's not my thing
The singer repeats that they have no interest in the addressee's blaming habits
You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Again, the singer describes the addressee's actions as aggressive
To blame, blame, blame
And again, the addressee follows up their aggression with blame
You've got a little worry
The artist is aware that the addressee has some anxiety or fear
I know it all too well
The singer understands the addressee's feelings or situation intimately
I've got your number
The singer has figured out the addressee's true character or motivations
But so does every kiss and tell
Others have also learned the addressee's secrets and may be spreading them around
Who dares to cross your threshold
The addressee does not take kindly to those who challenge or question them
Happens on your way
This is just the way the addressee operates
Stop laying blame
The singer is urging the addressee to take responsibility for their actions, rather than blaming others
You let go on me
The artist is asking the addressee to relax their hold or aggression toward them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Integritydefins
If you could see yourself now, baby
It's not my fault, you used to be so in control
You're going to roll right over this one
Just roll me over, let me go
You're laying blame
Take this as no, no, no, no, no
You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Then blame, blame, blame
You bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing, so let it go
If you could see yourself now, baby
The tables have turned, the whole world hinges on your swings
Your secret life of indiscreet discretions
I'd turn the screw and leave the screen
Don't point your finger
You know that's not my thing
You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
To blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing, so let it go now
You've got a little worry
I know it all too well
I've got your number
But so does every kiss and tell
Who dares to cross your threshold
Happens on you way
Stop laying blame
You know that's not my thing
You know that's not my thing
You came to bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Then blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing so let it go, you
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Then blame, blame, blame
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
It's not my thing so let it go
You kiss on me
Tug on me
Rub on me
Jump on me
You bang on me
Beat on me
Hit on me
Let go on me
You let go on me
@bleep77
There are certain 90’s songs that give me an overwhelmingly painful and bittersweet sense of nostalgia. This is definitely one of them.
@jjstraka1982
One of those songs that reminds me of playing my radio low all night in my bedroom. This one especially reminds me of hearing music while half awake and half asleep at 3am.
@strykerlandwill
The 90's are a boss son. You'd be well advised to keep the 90's out of your mouth.
@Zerschmetterling-pg3ph
Ahh, bleep77 the old hypocrite. Commenting the 100th song with the same text...
@bleep77
@@Zerschmetterling-pg3ph “This is definitely one of them”. What part of that statement did you not understand? “There are certain songs...” Songs, not song. Learn to read before making dumbass comments like the one you just made. It’s my comment, and I can put it anywhere and anytime I want, loser.
@markkrull556
Yes it does for me to
@davidschlessinger9945
one of REM's best songs
@mattjm82
Just stepping into REM at 41 years old. Yes, I have said many times in the last few weeks "Why haven't I given these guys a chance". Better late than never ! Enjoying the ride.
@Adriortizblackstock
Don’t feel bad. That’s how I feel at 32 years old. I remember my parents listening to them when I was little but I never paid attention nor appreciated their music
@lawrencehorner8418
I know that feeling when it comes to other great bands I wish I had given a listen to sooner. I'm 57, and although I've loved R.E.M.'s sound since I first heard them when I was around 20, I've only recently discovered a host of other great bands - The Hoodoo Gurus, The Feelies, The Dream Syndicate, and The Church. I have to admit, the Internet and sites like YouTube make it much easier to discover new music than it was back in the day.