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."
Maps And Legends
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
Called the fool and the company
On his own, where he'd rather be
Where he ought to be
And he sees what you can't see, can't you see that?
(He sees what you can't see)
Maybe he's caught in the legend
Maybe he's caught in the mood
Maybe these maps and legends
Have been misunderstood
Down the way, the road's divided
Paint me the places you've seen
Those who know what I don't know
Refer to the yellow, red, and green
(Can't you see that?)
Maybe he's caught in the legend
Maybe he's caught in the mood
Maybe these maps and legends
Have been misunderstood
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
The map that you've painted doesn't seem real
He just sings whatever he's seen
Point to the legend, point to the east
Point to the yellow, red, and green
Maybe he's caught in the legend
Maybe he's caught in the mood
Maybe these maps and legends
Have been misunderstood
Have been misunderstood
(Maps and legends)
(Maps and legends)
Is he to be reached? He's not to be reached (maps and legends)
Is he to be reached? He's not to be reached (maps and legends)
Is he to be reached? He's not to be reached anymore (maps and legends)
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s "Maps and Legends" is a song that features a narrator who observes an enigmatic, unreachable figure who may be stuck in a myth or mood, represented by the maps and legends of the title. The repeated phrase, "He's not to be reached, he's to be reached," speaks to how the singer and the listener are unable to connect with this person, who seemingly prefers to remain alone in his own world. Despite being labeled a fool, he seems content in his isolation, as the lyrics say "On his own, where he'd rather be/ Where he ought to be/ And he sees what you can't see." The singer hints at a possible source of the person's alienation, asking if "the maps and legends" have been misunderstood.
The second half of the song is more cryptic but seems to be describing a journey, with the "yellow, red, and green" being referenced as markers on a divided road. The lyric "The map that you've painted doesn't seem real" speaks to the possibility that the singer and the subject exist in different realities or understandings of the world. The song ends on a repeated question, "Is he to be reached?" emphasizing the disconnect between the singer and the subject.
Line by Line Meaning
He's not to be reached, he's to be reached
Despite what others may think, he is not unapproachable; he is someone worth connecting with.
Called the fool and the company
Others criticize him, but he is content with being alone and true to himself.
On his own, where he'd rather be
He is comfortable in solitude and prefers it to being surrounded by insincere people.
Where he ought to be
He knows where he belongs in life and doesn't care about conforming to societal norms.
And he sees what you can't see, can't you see that? (He sees what you can't see)
He understands things that others don't and wishes others would recognize that.
Maybe he's caught in the legend
Perhaps he is seen as a myth or misunderstood by others.
Maybe he's caught in the mood
He may seem distant or unapproachable due to his demeanor, but this may not be an accurate reflection of who he truly is.
Maybe these maps and legends have been misunderstood
The way others perceive him may not be accurate, and their preconceived notions are based on a misinterpretation of who he is.
Down the way, the road's divided
There are various paths one can take in life, and he prefers taking the one less traveled.
Paint me the places you've seen
He is interested in hearing about what others have experienced in life, and wants to learn from their stories.
Those who know what I don't know
He recognizes that there are people who have knowledge and experiences that he doesn't, and he wants to learn from them.
Refer to the yellow, red, and green (Can't you see that?)
He is urging people to pay attention to the signs around them and make decisions based on what they observe.
The map that you've painted doesn't seem real
The way others view the world and the way they perceive him is not an accurate representation of reality.
He just sings whatever he's seen
His music is a reflection of his life experiences and what he has observed in the world.
Point to the legend, point to the east
He is pointing out that there are many interpretations of what's real, and people should be open to different perspectives.
Maybe he's caught in the legend
His reputation and perceived persona may not be a reflection of who he truly is, but rather a fictionalized interpretation of him.
Maybe he's caught in the mood
People may interpret his demeanor as standoffish or unapproachable, when in reality he is just being introspective.
Maybe these maps and legends have been misunderstood
The way others view him may not accurately reflect who he is as a person.
Is he to be reached? He's not to be reached (maps and legends)
His reputation may make it difficult for some to get close to him, but this perception is based on a misunderstanding of who he is.
Is he to be reached? He's not to be reached anymore (maps and legends)
Despite the challenges he faces, he is still someone worth pursuing a connection with.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind