R.E.M. released its first singleβ"Radio Free Europe"βin 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"βcareer 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 donβt know how that band does what they do. God, theyβre 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."
Circus Envy
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcome the ugly animal
I hold my breath to watch you swing
My high rope acrobat ball and chain
I'm not afraid, I messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I'm getting tired of your dodgeball circus act
Here comes that awful feeling again
Make way for monster jealousy
The strong man kicked sand into my breakfast cereal bowl
I'd spelled your name with Oatios
He messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am tired of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
(You're mean, mean, mean)
(You tease, tease, tease me)
If I were you I'd really run from me
I'd really, really wish that I were you
When I get loose, I'll climb a tree
And drop a load on your head
This monster in me makes me retch, you messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am jealous of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
(You're mean, mean, mean)
(You tease, tease, tease me)
Do you smell jealousy?
Do you smell jealousy, jealousy, jealousy?
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s "Circus Envy" describe the feelings of a jealous individual who is struggling to come to terms with their emotions. The song is peppered with metaphors and imagery from a circus, giving it a surreal and dreamlike quality. The singer of the song is "tired of [their lover's] dodgeball circus act" and feels trapped in their high-wire relationship with them, likening themselves to a "high rope acrobat ball and chain". The jealousy that the singer feels is personified as a "monster" that makes them "retch" and threatens to "drop a load" on their lover's head.
The chorus features the singer reflecting on the actions of their lover, accusing them of being "mean" and "teasing" them. The singer goes on to issue a warning, suggesting that their lover should "really run" from them, lest they experience the full force of their jealousy.
Overall, "Circus Envy" is a melancholy and introspective song that explores the themes of jealousy, betrayal, and insecurity. The circus imagery serves as a visual metaphor for the singer's feelings of being trapped and exploited by their lover, while the repeated refrain of "Do you smell jealousy?" adds a touch of dark humor to the proceedings.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes that awful feeling again
The singer is experiencing a negative emotion that they have felt before
Welcome the ugly animal
The negative emotion is unwelcome, but the singer still acknowledges it
I hold my breath to watch you swing
The singer is anxiously observing someone or something
My high rope acrobat ball and chain
The thing the artist is observing feels like both a source of fascination and a burden
I'm not afraid, I messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
The artist is admitting fault in a situation, but is also not afraid of the negative consequences
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
The singer is searching for something small and hard to find
I'm getting tired of your dodgeball circus act
The singer is growing weary of a certain behavior or pattern of behavior
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
The artist is attempting to cope with something difficult, but is also struggling
Make way for monster jealousy
The negative emotion the artist is experiencing is jealousy
The strong man kicked sand into my breakfast cereal bowl
Someone stronger or more powerful has disrupted the artist's life in a frustrating way
I'd spelled your name with Oatios
The singer has done something silly or insignificant in an attempt to cope with their negative feelings
He messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
Someone has made a situation worse or undermined the artist's efforts
I am tired of your dodgeball circus act
The singer is fed up with the behavior of someone or something else
If I were you I'd really run from me
The singer is feeling aggressive or dangerous
I'd really, really wish that I were you
The singer wishes they could be someone else in order to avoid their negative feelings
When I get loose, I'll climb a tree
The artist is contemplating an escape
And drop a load on your head
The artist is being intentionally crude or aggressive
This monster in me makes me retch, you messed it, messed it up
The singer feels like their negative emotions are turning them into a monster, and someone else is responsible for exacerbating that feeling
I am jealous of your dodgeball circus act
The singer's negative emotion is specifically jealousy of someone else
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark
The artist is continuing to struggle with something difficult
Do you smell jealousy?
The artist is asking a rhetorical question, suggesting that someone else is also aware of their feelings
Do you smell jealousy, jealousy, jealousy?
The artist is repeating the question, emphasizing the intensity of the negative emotion
(You're mean, mean, mean)
The singer is directing an insult at someone specific
(You tease, tease, tease me)
The artist feels like someone is toying with them or deliberately provoking their negative feelings
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DBS
Here comes that awful feeling again
Welcome the ugly animal
I hold my breath to watch you swing
My high rope acrobat ball and chain
I'm not afraid, I messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I'm getting tired of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
Here comes that awful feeling again
Make way for monster jealousy
The strong man kicked sand into my breakfast cereal bowl
I'd spelled your name with Oatios
He messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am tired of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
If I were you I'd really run from me
I'd really, really wish that I were you
When I get loose, I'll climb a tree
And drop a load on your head
This monster in me makes me retch, you messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am jealous of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
Do you smell jealousy?
Do you smell jealousy, jealousy, jealousy?
Paul Worden
Strong contender for most underrated song in their career. They realised how much of an asset it was to their live set relatively late on for me
nick pearce
Yes up there with Airport Man !
brian henry
@nick pearce π
Lotus Globe
It isn't underrated for me because I also happen to be a Sonic Youth fan and I highly doubt there are many REM fans that love that band as well. I don't know how people don't notice Peter Buck channeling Thurston Moore here. He's obviously never utilized this avant garde noise rock style again because most so called REM "fans" wanted him to go back to the jangly 60's Byrds style guitar sound.
Well screw those posers because I LOVE Peter's guitar tone and dissonant chord progression style just as much as I love that jangly arpeggio reverb style guitar style.
Come to think of it, I wonder now if Thurston's participation on the song Crush With Eyeliner inspired him to take SY's sound in a less hardcore direction and more towards that soft, beautiful, post rock sound that sound begin a year after Monster with the album Washing Machine. Hmmmm....
DBS
Here comes that awful feeling again
Welcome the ugly animal
I hold my breath to watch you swing
My high rope acrobat ball and chain
I'm not afraid, I messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I'm getting tired of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
Here comes that awful feeling again
Make way for monster jealousy
The strong man kicked sand into my breakfast cereal bowl
I'd spelled your name with Oatios
He messed it, messed it, messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am tired of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
If I were you I'd really run from me
I'd really, really wish that I were you
When I get loose, I'll climb a tree
And drop a load on your head
This monster in me makes me retch, you messed it, messed it up
I've got my telescope head in the haystack
I am jealous of your dodgeball circus act
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark
Put pepper in my coffee, I forgot to bark on command
Do you smell jealousy?
Do you smell jealousy, jealousy, jealousy?
Chad Moody
One of the truly underappreciated classics of American popular music history.
Toon Nuyts
What a song!
Jen Gable
I agree ! The whole album is fantastic !
xBlueWolf
Incredibly underrated album and song. Monster was incredibly solid all the way through.
David Bowman
One of their best albums. Easily in their top five. It rocks, it shreds, it kicks ass. Love it.