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."
King of Comedy
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make your money with shrewd denial
Make your money expert advice
If you can wing it
Make your money with a power ply
Make your money with a buyout bribe
Make it lie as long as you mean it
Grease the pig, give a squeeze (squeeze me)
Make your money with exploitation
Make it holy illumination
Say a prayer at every station
Don't forget to ask for mercy
Make your money with a pretty face
Make it easy with product placement
Make it charged with controversy
I'm straight, I'm queer, I'm bi
I'm not king of comedy
I'm not your magazine
I'm not your television
Make your money, make it rich
Make it young and make it quick
Make your money on the jukebox, baby
It's pick up sticks
Make your enemies, make your moves
Make your critics fumble through
Make it smart and make it schmooze
Make it look easy
I'm not king of comedy
I'm not your magazine
I'm not your television
I'm not your movie screen
I'm not commodity (all together now)
I'm not commodity
I'm not commodity
I'm not commodity
I'm not commodity
I'm not commodity
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s "King of Comedy" are a commentary on the world of entertainment, particularly the ways in which people in the industry make their money. The first verse describes different methods of making money, from "shrewd denial" to "buyout bribes" to "pretty faces" and "product placement." The chorus, "I'm not king of comedy," is a statement of the singer's refusal to participate in these methods and become a commodified product himself. The second verse adds religious imagery to the mix, suggesting that making money in the entertainment industry often involves finding ways to exploit people's beliefs and emotions. The bridge, "Make your enemies, make your moves," reinforces the idea that the entertainment business is often cutthroat and competitive, with people willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.
Overall, the song seems to be a critique of the entertainment industry's emphasis on image and manipulation over sincerity and authenticity. The singer is rejecting the idea that he needs to make himself into a marketable commodity in order to succeed, and is instead insisting on his own independence and uniqueness.
Line by Line Meaning
Make your money with a suit and tie
Earn money by appearing formal and professional.
Make your money with shrewd denial
Make money by denying the truth.
Make your money expert advice
Earn money by offering professional guidance.
If you can wing it
If you can improvise and confidently talk your way through a situation.
Make your money with a power ply
Make money with a powerful tactic or strategy.
Make your money with a buyout bribe
Gain wealth by making bribes to take over another company.
Make it lie as long as you mean it
Deceive others and make them believe what you're saying by convincing them that it's true.
I'm not king of comedy
I'm not a master of humor or satire.
Grease the pig, give a squeeze (squeeze me)
Flatter and sweet-talk someone to gain their favor and try to get them to do what you want.
Make your money with exploitation
Gain wealth by exploiting others.
Make it holy illumination
Elevate or sanctify something to make it appear more meaningful or valuable.
Say a prayer at every station
Appeal to a higher power for guidance and success at every opportunity.
Don't forget to ask for mercy
Admit fault and ask for forgiveness to avoid punishment or criticism.
Make your money with a pretty face
Use physical attractiveness to make money.
Make it easy with product placement
Feature a product or service in a subtle, non-intrusive way to sell more of it.
Make it charged with controversy
Make something controversial or provocative to stir up interest or attention.
I'm straight, I'm queer, I'm bi
I do not conform to traditional societal expectations surrounding sexuality.
Make your money, make it rich
Try to make as much money as possible and accumulate wealth.
Make it young and make it quick
Create something that appeals to a young audience and has a quick, immediate impact.
Make your money on the jukebox, baby
Earn money by selling records or music through a jukebox or similar device.
It's pick up sticks
It's easy to do or achieve.
Make your enemies, make your moves
Take action against your enemies and try to outmaneuver them.
Make your critics fumble through
Cause critics or those who oppose you to struggle and appear less effective or coherent.
Make it smart and make it schmooze
Make your product or service appear intelligent and impressive while also ingratiating yourself to potential buyers or supporters.
Make it look easy
Make what you're doing seem simple and effortless, even if it's not.
I'm not your magazine
I'm not a source of entertainment or information typically found in a magazine.
I'm not your television
I'm not a screen for passive consumption of media content.
I'm not your movie screen
I'm not a surface for displaying moving images and sounds for entertainment.
I'm not commodity (all together now)
I'm not a product or object to be bought and sold for profit.
I'm not commodity
I am not a commodity that can be traded or sold.
I'm not commodity
I am not an object with a determined value that can be bought or sold.
I'm not commodity
I am not an asset or consumer good that can be marketed or sold to make a profit.
I'm not commodity
I am an individual with my own worth.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryuhza
A lot of people seem apprehensive about this track, including the band members themselves, but I love how much they experimented with their sound. For what it's going for, I think it sounds great.
Oreius
It's one of my personal favs....Peter Bucks Tone is insane on this magical Track ...
lekus
Can't fault a single song off Monster, they're all so good in their own way.
Awesomeness in abundance.
supererik man
i remember being in pre-k coming back from school and going into my brother's cds just to find that album and would play it like every day lol
supererik man
my favorite REM album!!
12twelve12
Massively underrated.
David Bowman
One of their best albums. In their top five.
Michael P
Make that Money YOU Commodities... I'm a licenced broker who said, 'Im not your television. Quit Wall Street. Amen."
Karl Bryant
I forgot how great and unique of a tune this is! glam rock influence.
Cheryl Loman
My favorite song on this album - would play this album constantly when my kids were babies! I loved the 90s!