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."
I’m Gonna DJ
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm collecting vinyl
I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world
Cause if heaven does exist
With a kicking play list
I don't wanna miss it at the end of the world
Hey steady steady
I don't wanna go until I'm good and ready
Its on my mind
Its in my mind
Its what I found
Its what I find
Its on my mind
Its in my mind
Its what I found
Its what I find
And I'll spin my way right through it
Create an easy way jack through it
As I mosh up to the moon
As you circle the room
Music could provide the light you can not resist
You can not resist
You can not resist
And the web is getting tangled
As you wingle and you wangle
When you walk up in Seattle
Where you fought a recent battle
As you enter the battle
Let us raise another vinyl
Raise another vinyl
Raise another vinyl
Because death is pretty final
I'm collecting vinyl
I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world
Hey steady steady
Hey steady steady
I don't wanna go until I'm good and ready
Its on my mind
Its in my mind
Its what I found
Its what I find
Its on my mind
Its in my mind
Its what I found
Its what I find
Hey steady steady
Hey steady steady
I don't wanna go until I'm good and ready
Hey steady steady
Hey steady steady
I don't wanna go until I'm good and ready
Music could provide the light you can not resist
You can not resist
You can not resist, yeah
The song “I’m Gonna DJ” by R.E.M. is an interesting take on the subject of death. The lyrics suggest that the singer is not afraid of death and instead is preparing for it by collecting vinyl records and planning to DJ at the end of the world. The idea of heaven is present, and the singer imagines a version of it with a great playlist that he doesn’t want to miss out on. The repetition of “Hey steady steady” throughout the song suggests a steady determination and a lack of fear on the part of the singer.
The lyrics also touch on the power of music to provide light and resistance. The line “Music could provide the light you can not resist” suggests that music can overcome the darkness and provide hope in even the most dire of situations. The lines “And I'll spin my way right through it / Create an easy way jack through it” reinforce the idea that the singer is not afraid of death and is using music as a way to navigate through it.
Overall, “I’m Gonna DJ” is a unique and thought-provoking song that touches on heavy themes in an upbeat and catchy way.
Line by Line Meaning
Death is pretty final
The idea of death is irreversible and difficult for people to grasp.
I'm collecting vinyl
The singer is gathering vinyl records, perhaps as a hobby or passion.
I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world
The singer plans to DJ music when the phrase 'end of the world' arrives, perhaps referencing an apocalypse or the end of time.
Cause if heaven does exist
If an afterlife where souls go exists, then what follows details the artist's desires.
With a kicking play list
If this afterlife does exist, the artist wants to have a great set of songs prepared.
I don't wanna miss it at the end of the world
The singer is afraid of missing out on this experience at the end of the world or beyond mortality.
Hey steady steady
The singer wants to proceed in a controlled manner or is encouraging someone else to do so.
Its on my mind
The artist is frequently thinking or preoccupied about something.
Its in my mind
The same as the previous line, describing mental preoccupation.
Its what I found
The artist discovered or uncovered something.
Its what I find
The same as the above line, describing the discovery or realization of something.
And I'll spin my way right through it
The artist will easily navigate a situation, possibly referring to the aforementioned end of the world.
Create an easy way jack through it
The singer will make themselves a means for easy enjoyment or participation, possibly through music.
As I mosh up to the moon
The singer will party and enjoy themselves to a wild degree, potentially referencing the moon and its role in human mythology.
As you circle the room
Others will move around the space while the singer performs as DJ.
Music could provide the light you can not resist
Music is capable of giving people inspiration, experience, or a calling they find difficult to ignore, both metaphorically and literally.
And the web is getting tangled
Things are becoming confusing or more complicated, similar to a tangled spider web.
As you wingle and you wangle
People are either struggling or adapting to the situation in different ways.
When you walk up in Seattle
This line isn't immediately clear in meaning, but it may reference Seattle, Washington, as a specific place important to the singer.
Where you fought a recent battle
The artist experienced some type of conflict or struggle in Seattle, potentially metaphorical rather than literal.
As you enter the battle
The artist wants to engage in a struggle or challenge.
Let us raise another vinyl
The artist and others will continue to appreciate and play vinyl records.
Because death is pretty final
Repeating the theme of the first line, death is an ultimate reality that cannot be escaped.
Hey steady steady
Repeating the line from earlier, the artist continues to advise caution and control in the current circumstances.
Hey steady steady
Repeating the above line once more.
You can not resist
Music is too powerful to ignore or refuse.
You can not resist
Repeated for emphasis.
You can not resist, yeah
The same as the above line but with added enthusiasm.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER BUCK, MIKE MILLS, MICHAEL STIPE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind