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."
Get Up
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where does time go? (get up, get up, get up)
I don't know, oh
Sleep, sleep, sleepy head (get up, get up, get up)
Wake it up, up (get up, get up)
You've got all your life (way up ahead)
(Get up, get up, get up)
I've seen you lay and pine (get up, get up)
I've seen you lay and pine (get up, get up)
Life is rough, rough (get up, get up, get up)
I've seen you laying down (get up)
With the loving kind (get up, get up)
I know life is hard, hard (where goes your time?)
Where to turn, where to turn? (get up, get up)
Dreams, they complicate my life (dreams, they complement my life)
D-d-dream time
Dreams, they complicate my life (dreams, they complement my life)
This time, no escape, I wake up (get up, get up)
Get up, get up
Get up
Get up
Get up, get up, get up
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s song "Get Up" are about the struggle to break free from the limitations of sleep and dreams in order to live a more fulfilling life. The song begins with the line "Sleep delays my life", which suggests that the singer feels that they are missing out on something by spending too much time asleep. They wonder where time goes, and lament their lack of understanding about its fleeting nature. The repetition of the phrase "get up" throughout the song is a call to action, urging the listener to wake up from their slumber and make the most of their time.
The next verse mentions how dreams can complicate the singer's life. While dreams can sometimes be a source of inspiration or insight, they can also distract from the reality of the present moment. The line "I've seen you lay and pine" suggests that the singer has observed another person struggling with the same issues of sleep and dreaming. The repetition of "get up" and "wake it up" emphasizes the urgency of taking action to escape the limitations of dreamland and move forward in life.
The final repetition of "get up" is a final call to action, encouraging the listener to take control of their life and make the most of every moment. Overall, the song is a reminder to not let time slip away, and to actively pursue a fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep delays my life (get up, get up)
The act of sleeping postpones me from doing productive things, so I need to wake up and start working
Where does time go? (get up, get up, get up)
I'm not sure where time passes, so I need to stop procrastinating and do something with my time
I don't know, oh
I'm clueless about how to utilize my time efficiently, and that's frustrating
Sleep, sleep, sleepy head (get up, get up, get up)
I keep falling asleep excessively, and I need to break that habit by motivating myself to get up
Wake it up, up (get up, get up)
I need to activate my body and brain by waking up from my slumber
You've got all your life (way up ahead) (get up, get up, get up)
I have my entire life ahead of me, and I shouldn't waste it by sleeping all day long; I need to start working towards a better future
Dreams, they complicate my life (dreams, they complement my life)
While dreams can give me hope and drive, they can also lead to confusion and unfulfilled expectations
I've seen you lay and pine (get up, get up)
I've observed you lying down, pining away while you waste precious time
Life is rough, rough (get up, get up, get up)
Life is challenging and demanding, so I need to be proactive and not let obstacles stop me from reaching my goals
I've seen you laying down (get up)
I've seen you being passive and not taking any action that can lead to progress
With the loving kind (get up, get up)
I need to be more attentive to the goodness around me and move forward with positivity
I know life is hard, hard (where goes your time?)
I acknowledge that life is tough, but instead of complaining or feeling sorry for myself, I need to use my time wisely
Where to turn, where to turn? (get up, get up)
I'm not sure which direction to take in life, but it's better to make a choice and move forward rather than staying stagnant
D-d-dream time
The chorus emphasizes that dreams can both help and hinder progress
This time, no escape, I wake up (get up, get up)
I can't keep avoiding my responsibilities or hoping for immediate, effortless success; I need to wake up and take charge of my future
Get up, get up
Repeatedly urging myself to rise from bed and take action
Get up
The repeated phrase implies another call to action and intensifies the urgency behind the song's message
Get up, get up, get up
The song ends with a final, strong plea to motivate and inspire the listener to stand up and start working towards their goals
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Michael Stipe, Michael E. Mills, Peter Lawrence Buck, William Thomas Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Zasloff
Michael was, without a doubt, one of the greatest lead singers in pop music history, but he wouldn't have been quite so remarkable without the endlessly inventive backing vocals of Mike and Bill, and that's never been so plain as on this number.
Antonio Gramsci
One of the most complex, intense, and perfect pop songs ever written. My god.
Frank Marsh
@Fennec Fanatic Well I always thought Pop Song was probably a temporary working title but they never came up with a proper name so they just kept it. It was the first song on the album and it had a catchy melody. I saw them play it on the Document tour when it didn't have a name yet. Michael Stipe said in the October 1992 issue of Q magazine: "It's a complete piss-take. I guess it's the prototype of, and hopefully the end of, a pop song. It would be the last pop song ever."
Fennec Fanatic
@Frank Marsh I think Pop Song 89 might be poking fun at the super produced pop music of the time lol
Frank Marsh
@Γιάννης Λάμπρης Pop means popular music as in verse, chorus, bridge type music. In Europe the term pop music is used to describe everything from Led Zeppelin to ABBA. They used to have pop festivals in America that would have everything from hard rock to folk to soul music. Jimi Hendrix became famous because of his performance at the Monterey Pop festival. Michael Stipe has frequently used the term pop music to refer to R.E.M. music. They even had a song called Pop Song 89: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjMwfDFypa4
prof shad
@thankyou2532 just because its not as popular doesn't mean it still isn't pop. You need to learn more.
Sonja R
It makes the hairs on my neck stand up! They were absolute geniuses.
Mike Utleys
THIS IS....when REM was REM..this was when it was magical. and you either know why, or you dont....
Sam Mencia
Those of us on ground floor in Aug 82 disagree.
I was at the pre show for the cancelled Bburg show.
I interviewed Peter.
I held Jeffersons letter in my own hands and read it.
CT to LRP is the best.
Alex L
REM changed a lot. 'This is when REM was REM is a bogus statement.' Anyway I love this song. On the Green tour, Stipe said this was his favourite.