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."
Just A Touch
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you remember? Send us back
A day in the life, well, nobody laughed
Look to the days, how long can this last?
Kevin heard it on the radio, Hugh informed word of mouth
Carla read it in the news, caught it all, just a touch
I have to carry on now that you're gone
A day in the life, nobody laughed
Look to the days, how long can this last?
Kevin heard it on the radio, Hugh informed word of mouth
Oh, Carla read it in the news, caught it all, just a touch
There's someone in our dreams, in our pre-assembled dream
Lord, Dave, William
Well, what in the world? Women in black
Don't you remember? Send the towering past back
A day in the life, well, nobody laughed
Look to the days, how long can this last?
Kevin heard it on the radio, Hugh informed word of mouth
Carla read it in the news, caught it all, just a touch
Can't see where to worship Popeye, love Al Green
I can't see
I'm so young, I'm so goddamn young
The song "Just A Touch" by R.E.M. is a contemplative and melancholy reflection on the fleeting nature of time and how events and people from the past continue to leave a lasting impact on our lives. The lyrics seem to be referencing various individuals who were once a part of the singer's life but are now gone, either physically or emotionally. The phrase "Women in black" could be a reference to mourning or mourning clothes, and the line "Send us back" suggests a desire to return to a simpler time or the past. The next couplet "A day in the life, well, nobody laughed/Look to the days, how long can this last?" seems to imply that the singer is reflecting on an unhappy or unfulfilling period of their life and questioning how long they can continue to endure it.
The verses then shift to references of different people - Kevin, Hugh, Carla, Dave, and William - who represent different ways the singer has heard about events or news. It could be that these people are from the past or simply no longer in the singer's life, but they all serve as reminders of the fleeting nature of time and the impact past events and relationships can continue to have on us. The final verse "Can't see where to worship Popeye, love Al Green/I'm so young, I'm so goddamn young" seems to express a feeling of confusion and uncertainty about life and the future, even though the singer is still young.
Overall, "Just A Touch" is a song that encourages reflection on the nature of time and how the past can continue to shape and influence our lives. The melancholy tone and introspective lyrics provide a space for contemplation and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh well, what in the world? Women in black
The sudden appearance of dark-clad women surprises the singer and raises a questions about their purpose here.
Don't you remember? Send us back
The singer is struggling to make sense of the bizarre situation and appeals to a higher power to return them to a state of normalcy.
A day in the life, well, nobody laughed
Reflecting on a solemn day devoid of joy or laughter.
Look to the days, how long can this last?
Questioning the endurance of a dreary period – can it ever end?
Kevin heard it on the radio, Hugh informed word of mouth
Various sources relayed details of an event to the artist, who cannot confirm the accuracy of what they've heard.
Carla read it in the news, caught it all, just a touch
Someone the singer knows has gleaned information from a news source and shared only a fragment of it with them.
You set the pace of what was to come
A person who was once influential in the singer's life established a trajectory for their future.
I have to carry on now that you're gone
Acknowledging that the aforementioned person is no longer present and that it is up to the artist to make their way forward alone.
There's someone in our dreams, in our pre-assembled dream
A mysterious presence haunts the artist's dreams and seems to have become a part of their subconscious.
Lord, Dave, William
Unclear – likely an allusion to acquaintances of the artist.
Don't you remember? Send the towering past back
The singer is haunted by memories or experiences from the past and wishes they could be erased or undone.
Can't see where to worship Popeye, love Al Green
Unrelated ramblings – Popeye representing strength and Al Green representing love, but unclear how they fit into the song as a whole.
I'm so young, I'm so goddamn young
The singer laments their youth and inexperience, possibly feeling overwhelmed by the confusing events around them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind