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."
Be Mine
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never thought of this as funny
It speaks another world to me
I wanna be your Easter bunny
I wanna be your Christmas tree
I'll strip the world that you must live in
Of all its godforsaken greed
I'll pluck the thorns out of your feet
You and me
You and me
And if I choose your sanctuary
I want to wash you with my hair
I want to drink of sacred fountains
And find the riches hidden there
I'll eat the lotus and peyote
I want to hear the caged bird sing
I want the secrets of the Temple
I want the finger with the ring
You and me
You and me
You and me
And if you make me your religion
I'll give you all the room you need
I'll be the drawing of your breath
I'll be the cup if you should bleed
I'll be the sky above the Ganges
I'll be the vast and stormy sea
I'll be the lights that guide you inward
I'll be the visions you will see
The visions you will see
You will see
You will see
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s "Be Mine" tell a story of devotion and sacrifice. The singer is declaring their love for someone and promising to do whatever it takes to make their life better. They are willing to strip away the negative elements of the world and provide sanctuary for their beloved. The imagery of being an Easter bunny and Christmas tree implies a desire to be a source of joy and comfort. The lyrics also hint at a desire for spiritual growth and exploration, as the singer mentions wanting to experience the sacred fountains and secrets of the Temple.
The haunting melody and Thom Yorke's emotive vocal delivery add to the sense of longing and devotion in the song. The repetition of "you and me" at the end of each verse emphasizes the connection between the singer and their beloved. The repeated line, "You will see" at the end of the song can be interpreted as a promise that the singer's devotion will eventually be understood and reciprocated.
Overall, "Be Mine" is a powerful expression of love and devotion that transcends physical and material desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought of this as funny
I find it profound and thought-provoking
It speaks another world to me
It resonates with me on a deeper level
I wanna be your Easter bunny
I want to bring you joy and happiness
I wanna be your Christmas tree
I want to be the centerpiece of your life
I'll strip the world that you must live in
Of all its godforsaken greed
I will remove the negative influences from your life
I'll ply the tar out of your feathers
I'll pluck the thorns out of your feet
I will help you overcome your obstacles and pain
And if I choose your sanctuary
I want to wash you with my hair
I want to drink of sacred fountains
And find the riches hidden there
If I become part of your sacred space, I want to fully immerse myself in it and discover its depths
I'll eat the lotus and peyote
I want to hear the caged bird sing
I want the secrets of the Temple
I want the finger with the ring
I want to experience all of the mystical and spiritual things that life has to offer
And if you make me your religion
I'll give you all the room you need
I'll be the drawing of your breath
I'll be the cup if you should bleed
If you make me your guiding principle, I will give you space and support you in times of need
I'll be the sky above the Ganges
I'll be the vast and stormy sea
I'll be the lights that guide you inward
I'll be the visions you will see
The visions you will see
You will see
You will see
I will be a guiding force in your inner and outer journeys, providing light and inspiration
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
Together, we are united and unstoppable
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stjop
Uh, speed zone up here, Tim
I never thought of this as funny
It speaks another world to me
I wanna be your Easter bunny
I wanna be your Christmas tree
I'll strip the world that you must live in
Of all its godforsaken greed
I'll ply the tar out of your feathers
I'll pluck the thorns out of your feet
You and me
You and me
And if I choose your sanctuary
I want to wash you with my hair
I want to drink of sacred fountains
And find the riches hidden there
I'll eat the lotus and peyote
I want to hear the caged bird sing
I want the secrets of the Temple
I want the finger with the ring
You and me
You and me
You and me
And if you make me your religion
I'll give you all the room you need
I'll be the drawing of your breath
I'll be the cup if you should bleed
I'll be the sky above the Ganges
I'll be the vast and stormy sea
I'll be the lights that guide you inward
I'll be the visions you will see
The visions you will see
You will see
You will see
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
You and me
AMJH 4LAH
One of my absolute favourite R.E.M. songs. SO underrated ❤
Paul Taylor
For me one of the greatest songs ever. This should’ve been a single off NAIHF
Fred H
The record label wanted it as lead single. Personally I'm glad the band stuck with EBow
нσт gιяℓѕ
Music is one of the most basic things in life. Music is what teaches us.
Snatch
La musica non tradisce.C'e' sempre e smuove ricordi odori visioni...
Rajat Malik
the barking of a dog and gruntling of a Pig is more melodious than whatever music the world has made ...
dmta™
@Rajat Malik ok
mark b
God I love this song so much. So cool the way the intensity keeps building, using Peter Buck's mantra-like guitar playing. Always my fav off New Adventures.
(P.S.- I was wrong, it was bassist Mike Mills on lead. Why they never told me is beyond me...)
ChronicTown
It’s Mike Mills playing guitar. 🙂
mark b
@ChronicTown I knew if I took it for granted that the band's lead guitarist played it on one of the album's best rockin' songs, I'd get burned.