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."
Leave
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing could be bring me near
Where is the road I follow
To leave, leave?
It's under, under, under my feet
The sea spread out there before me
Where do I go when the land touches sea?
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me down
To leave, believe it
Leave it all behind
Shifting the dream
Nothing could bring me further
From my old friend time
Shifting the dream
It's charging the scene
I know where I marked the signs
I suffer the dreams of a world gone mad
I like it like that and I know it
I know it well, ugly and sweet
That temper madness with an even extreme
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me down
I say that I'm a bantam lightweight
I say that I'm a phantom airplane
That never left the ground
Lift my hands, my eyes are still
I'll walk into the sea
Lift myself a different place
Just leave it
I've longed for this to take me
I've longed for my release
I've waited for the callin'
To leave
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me down
To leave, believe it
Leave it all behind
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me
That's what keeps me down
To leave, believe it
Leave it all behind
Leave, leavin'
Leave, leave, leave
Leave, leave, leavin'
Leave, leave, leave
The song "Leave" by R.E.M. is a contemplative and introspective exploration of the singer's desire to leave behind the burdens and constraints of his current life. The singer expresses a sense of detachment and disassociation from the world around him, declaring that nothing could bring him closer or nearer. He wonders where the road he needs to follow to leave can be found, and reflects on the trust he has in the beliefs that keep him grounded. Despite feeling a sense of captivity, the singer knows that leaving behind everything that is familiar will be difficult, yet it's what he needs to do.
The singer shifts his dreams and looks towards a new reality, something that is not possible with his old friend time. He has marked the signs of his journey and knows how to find his way. The singer acknowledges that the world can be chaotic and even insane, yet he finds beauty in the ugliness and sweetness. The extreme nature of life tempers his madness and motivates him to leave.
The singer describes himself as a "bantam lightweight" and a "phantom airplane that never left the ground," which can be interpreted as a sense of inadequacy and a feeling of never having achieved his potential. However, he is determined to leave behind this life and move on to something better. He lifts his hands, closes his eyes, and walks into the sea, summoning the courage to let go of everything he knows and embrace something new.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing could be bring me closer
Nothing is powerful enough to bring me closer to what I want
Nothing could be bring me near
Nothing can bring me close to where I want to be
Where is the road I follow
I am unsure of the path I am supposed to take
To leave, leave?
Is it possible for me to leave everything and move on?
It's under, under, under my feet
The path I'm seeking is right under my feet
The sea spread out there before me
I see my future ahead of me, vast and unknown like the sea
Where do I go when the land touches sea?
I am uncertain about where to go when faced with challenges and obstacles
There is my trust in what I believe
My faith in my beliefs is what I rely on in difficult times
That's what keeps me
My beliefs and faith keep me grounded
To leave, believe it
To move on, I need to have faith and believe in myself
Leave it all behind
I need to leave my past behind and move forward
Shifting the dream
I'm changing my perspective
Nothing could bring me further
Nothing can take me further from what I used to be, and closer to what I want to become
From my old friend time
Time can be my friend or my enemy in terms of reaching my goals
It's charging the scene
I'm taking charge and making changes
I know where I marked the signs
I have a plan and know where to look for guidance
I suffer the dreams of a world gone mad
I am burdened by the world's chaos and confusion
I like it like that and I know it
I am comfortable in the midst of chaos and uncertainty
I know it well, ugly and sweet
I am very familiar with the good and the bad in my life
That temper madness with an even extreme
I balance crazy and extreme aspects of my life by finding a peaceful middle ground
I say that I'm a bantam lightweight
I think of myself as small and unimportant
I say that I'm a phantom airplane
I feel invisible and forgotten
That never left the ground
I haven't taken off yet and achieved my dreams
Lift my hands, my eyes are still
I am ready to let go and move on, but hesitant and still
I'll walk into the sea
I am willing to take risks despite the unknown outcome
Lift myself a different place, just leave it
I am ready for a different life and am willing to let go of my current one
I've longed for this to take me
I have waited for an opportunity to escape my current situation
I've longed for my release
I want to be set free from my current life
I've waited for the callin'
I am waiting for a sign or a push to start something new
Leave, leavin'
I am finally leaving everything behind
Leave, leave, leave
I have moved on and left my past behind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@driver8M3
One of my favorite songs in their entire catalog.
@generaseven
This is my favorite song by a group...ever.
@seanfoxhall6761
Same 👌
@aristidescordeiro7198
agree with u freaks! love 🧡
@raphaelarbogast6699
all the same ^^ especially the version of the movie "A Life Less Ordinary" i love !!!
@saraht903
Same
@roygav
You knows you've spent a great deal of time with this wonderful album when the opening chords for "Departure" immediately starts playing in your head after this...
@hiraldosternflyer7112
I have that feeling with all their albums. :)
@alestipe
well said
@generaseven
So true. I've gone through five cds of this since 96. No joke.