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."
It's A Free World Baby
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never got to sleep
You go ahead
You can get whatever you want
There's a feeling in my belly
It's the new tomorrow scene
It's an interesting job
It's the fireworks
[Chorus:]
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I hit my head (he hit his head)
I can't feel anything
You gave too much away
You came to say
It's a free world baby
And you gave too much away
(get whatever you want)
Me, I'm tired of this candy
My teeth ache my head
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
[Chorus]
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
[Chorus]
(repeat last verse)
The lyrics of R.E.M.'s song "It's A Free World Baby" are a mix of confusion and detachment, where the singer seems disillusioned with his surroundings and his place in them. The song begins with the singer saying that he hasn't slept and he's hungry, indicating that he's physically and emotionally drained. He then hesitantly tells the listener that they can get whatever they want and that he's feeling a strange sensation in his belly related to anticipating a "new tomorrow scene." He then speaks of an "interesting job" and "fireworks," which could be interpreted as symbols of excitement and possibility.
The chorus then kicks in, with the singer repeating that he "doesn't need it" and that he's hit his head, to the point where he can't feel anything. The lyrics then speak of something being given away and a "free world baby," which could be a commentary on a society where everything is attainable, and people can have whatever they want, but at what cost? The second verse talks about the singer's exhaustion with the excess and indulgence around him, mentioning "boys in bed, girls in bed" and the ache in his teeth and head. However, the song ends with a message of hope, where the singer wishes everyone sweet dreams and looks forward to waking up to a new day tomorrow.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a sense of disconnection and disorientation with the world around the singer, contrasted with a sense of hope for the future. It's possible that the song is a comment on consumerism and society's obsession with possessions and gratification.
Line by Line Meaning
I was hungry when I said
I made a statement impulsively without really meaning it, as I was feeling hungry
I never got to sleep
I didn't get enough sleep last night, which may have contributed to my current state
You go ahead
I'm giving you permission to do as you please
You can get whatever you want
There are no limits to the choices you can make
There's a feeling in my belly
I have a sensation in my stomach that may be related to my emotions
It's the new tomorrow scene
I'm sensing a change in the environment or society that signals a new era
It's an interesting job
The work I'm involved in is stimulating and challenging
It's the fireworks
The situation is exciting and explosive
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I'm claiming that I don't require something, despite being offered it
I hit my head (he hit his head)
There was a physical impact on my head, which may have caused injury or disorientation
I can't feel anything
I'm so overwhelmed that I've become numb to my senses
You gave too much away
You revealed more information or emotion than was necessary or appropriate
You came to say
You arrived to deliver a message or point of view
It's a free world baby
We're living in a society that allows us to make our own choices and pursue our interests
get whatever you want
Take advantage of the freedom you have and go for what you desire
Me, I'm tired of this candy
I'm exhausted with the simplistic and shallow pursuits that have been occupying me
My teeth ache my head
I'm experiencing physical discomfort from consuming too many sugary treats
Boys in bed, girls in bed / All now go to sleep
Everyone is retiring for the night and heading to bed
Sleep, sweet dreams / Wake to a new today tomorrow
May you rest well and have a peaceful night's sleep so that you can wake up ready to face a fresh day tomorrow
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL BERRY, PETER BUCK, MICHAEL MILLS, MICHAEL STIPE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Larry Taint
Lyrics:
I was hungry when I said
I never got to sleep
You go ahead
You can get whatever you want
There's a feeling in my belly
It's the new tomorrow scene
It's an interesting job
It's the fireworks
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I hit my head (he hit his head)
I can't feel anything
You gave too much away
You came to say
It's a free world baby
And you gave too much away
(get whatever you want)
Me, I'm tired of this candy
My teeth ache my head
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I hit my head (he hit his head)
I can't feel anything
You gave too much away
You came to say
It's a free world baby
And you gave too much away
(get whatever you want)
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
Jock Tamson
Great song not heard it 8n years but it's pretty much the perfect REM song
Larry Taint
Lyrics:
I was hungry when I said
I never got to sleep
You go ahead
You can get whatever you want
There's a feeling in my belly
It's the new tomorrow scene
It's an interesting job
It's the fireworks
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I hit my head (he hit his head)
I can't feel anything
You gave too much away
You came to say
It's a free world baby
And you gave too much away
(get whatever you want)
Me, I'm tired of this candy
My teeth ache my head
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
I don't need it (I don't need it)
I hit my head (he hit his head)
I can't feel anything
You gave too much away
You came to say
It's a free world baby
And you gave too much away
(get whatever you want)
Boys in bed, girls in bed
All now go to sleep
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
Sleep, sweet dreams
Wake to a new today tomorrow
Alessandra Lima
Heard this song in 2011 when I was searching for Friends's sountrack and it was my first contact to REM. Until now, is one of my favorite bands
subwaygoddess1
Love it! ✌️🎶💙
Gina Ferreira
Achei essa música que amo!!!
Yoav Rabinovich
Great song!
Wee Grego
my all time fav of REM
Rodrigo Rossi
Why this song isn't in Spotify?
Bob Marley
It’s on a sound track, not a released album.
i always sang this son on karaoke.....i really like it