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."
Country Feedback
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh
This flower is scorched
This film is on
On a maddening loop
These clothes
These clothes don't fit us right
I'm to blame
It's all the same
You come to me with a bone in your hand
You come to me with your hair curled tight
You come to me with positions
You come to me with excuses
Ducked out in a row
You wear me out
You wear me out
We've been through fake-a-breakdown
Self hurt
Plastics, collections
Self help, self pain,
EST, psychics, fuck all
I was central
I had control
I lost my head
I need this
I need this
A paper weight, junk garage
Winter rain, a honey pot
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
A hotline, a wanted add
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
Crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
"Country Feedback" is a heartfelt and introspective song by R.E.M that explores themes of desperation, regret, and loss. The opening lines "This flower is scorched, this film is on, on a maddening loop" sets the tone for the entire song. The flower being scorched is a metaphor for something withering away, while the film on a maddening loop suggests being stuck in an endless cycle of pain and suffering. This is further emphasized in the repetition of the lines "It's all the same, it's all the same," which reinforces a sense of hopelessness and despair.
The following verse is about a relationship that has run its course, with clothes that don't fit and excuses being made by both partners. The line "You come to me with a bone in your hand" suggests a confrontation, perhaps even a physical fight, and "You wear me out, you wear me out" emphasizes the emotional exhaustion that comes with such a toxic relationship.
The next verse delves deeper into the singer's personal struggles, including self-harm, therapy ("EST, psychics"), and a sense of lost control. The repeated refrain "I need this" can be interpreted in a few different ways - it could be a plea for help, a cry for attention, or a self-destructive desire to hold onto pain.
Overall, "Country Feedback" is a poignant and relatable song that captures the complexity of human emotion and the difficulty of letting go of something that is no longer serving us.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
Counting off, setting the pace.
Oh
The singer sighs with resignation.
This flower is scorched
A metaphor for something beautiful being destroyed.
This film is on
The situation is unavoidable.
On a maddening loop
The same frustrating thing keeps happening.
These clothes
The singer is dissatisfied with their appearance.
These clothes don't fit us right
The singer is dissatisfied with their appearance.
I'm to blame
The artist takes responsibility for the situation.
It's all the same
The situation is stagnant and unchanging.
You come to me with a bone in your hand
The other person is offering something of little value.
You come to me with your hair curled tight
The other person is trying to look their best, but it's not impressive.
You come to me with positions
The other person has a strong stance on something.
You come to me with excuses
The other person has a reason for why something can't be done.
Ducked out in a row
The other person is avoiding confrontation.
You wear me out
The other person is exhausting the singer.
We've been through fake-a-breakdown
The situation has already been broken and rebuilt falsely.
Self hurt
The pain inflicted on oneself.
Plastics, collections
Material possessions that are not fulfilling.
Self help, self pain,
Attempts to heal oneself that only cause more suffering.
EST, psychics, fuck all
Attempts to find meaning in new age practices.
I was central
The artist feels important.
I had control
The artist feels in charge.
I lost my head
The singer's emotional control is slipping.
I need this
The artist is desperate for something to hold on to.
A paper weight, junk garage
The singer is surrounded by useless and forgotten things.
Winter rain, a honey pot
The singer is caught in a situation that is both refreshing and sticky.
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
Society has placed labels on love.
A hotline, a wanted add
The artist is searching for something and resorts to seeking help through ads and hotlines.
It's crazy what you could've had
The artist feels regret for not having something they used to.
I, I need this
The singer emphasizes their desperation.
Crazy what you could've had
The singer feels regret for not having something they used to.
Crazy what you could've had
The artist feels regret for not having something they used to.
I need this
The artist is desperate for something to hold on to.
It's crazy what you could've had
The artist feels regret for not having something they used to.
I need this, I need this
The singer emphasizes their desperation.
Crazy what you could've had
The artist feels regret for not having something they used to.
Crazy what you could've had
The singer feels regret for not having something they used to.
I need this
The singer is desperate for something to hold on to.
I need this
The singer is desperate for something to hold on to.
Crazy what you could've had
The artist feels regret for not having something they used to.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael E. Mills, John Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oyvay3000
One, two, three, four
Oh
This flower is scorched
This film is on
On a maddening loop
These clothes
These clothes don't fit us right
I'm to blame
It's all the same
It's all the same
You come to me with a bone in your hand
You come to me with your hair curled tight
You come to me with positions
You come to me with excuses
Ducked out in a row
You wear me out
You wear me out
We've been through fake-a-breakdown
Self hurt
Plastics, collections
Self help, self pain,
EST, psychics, fuck all
I was central
I had control
I lost my head
I need this
I need this
A paper weight, junk garage
Winter rain, a honey pot
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
A hotline, a wanted add
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this
I, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need this
I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
@98dannyel
This flower is scorched, this film is on
On a maddening loop, these clothes
These clothes don't fit us right
I'm to blame
It's all the same
It's all the same
You come to me with a bone in your hand
You come to me with your hair curled tight
You come to me with positions
You come to me with excuses
Ducked out in a row
You wear me out
You wear me out
We've been through fake-a-breakdown
Self-hurt, plastics, collections
Self-help, self-pain
EST, psychics, fuck all
I was central, I had control
I lost my head
I need this, I need this
A paperweight, junk garage
Wedding ring, a honey pot
Crazy, all the lovers have been tagged
A hotline, a wanted ad
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need it, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this, I, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
I need this, I need this
It's crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
I need this, I need this
Crazy what you could've had
Crazy what you could've had
@kevobrien4329
Greatest REM song ever written in my opinion. Peace and love to all from Ireland 🇮🇪
@madeco_39
Italian flag. 😊
@matouscervenka7248
Agree! Best REM song ever. And this live version is a brilliant!
@shakaboom1000
Kev in Clontarf?😂 Totally agree
@thomashabing1127
@@madeco_39that’s Ireland🇮🇪 this is Italy 🇮🇹
@joeyattaway756
Love you back
@shannoncaskey5294
I could listen to this song everyday until I die and I’d still not have heard it enough.
@scotthowe6324
I feel the same
@stevehamkins9989
agreed. Absolutely beautiful and emotionally powerful.
@matouscervenka7248
yes!!!