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."
Me In Honey Ft. Kate Pearson
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking ugly and mean
I knew what you were saying
You were saying to me
Baby's got some new rules
Baby, said she's had it with me
It seems a shame you waste your time on me
Left me to love
What it's doing to me
There's a lot of honey in this world
Baby, this honey's for me
You've got to do what you do
Do it with me
It seems a shame you waste your time for me
Left me to love
What it's doing to me
Oh, oh
Knocked silly
Knock flat
Sideways down
These things they pick you up
And they turn you around
Say your piece
Say you're sweet for me
It's all the same to share the pain with me
It's all the same, save the shame for me
Left me to love
What it's doing to me
Baby's got some new rules
Baby, says she's had it with me
There's a fly in the honey
And baby's got a baby with me
That's a part
That's a part of me
Left me to love
What it's doing to me
Left me to love
What it's doing to me
What about me?
What about me?
Oh, oh, oh
The song "Me In Honey" by R.E.M. featuring Kate Pierson takes us on a journey of self-discovery and a struggle with a failing relationship. The song begins with the singer observing themselves as ugly and mean, which could be interpreted as a reflection of a defective relationship or inner turmoil. The chorus of the song refers to the sweetness in life as honey and how it's available to the singer, despite feeling unworthy. This aspect, in turn, reveals a longing for acceptance and desire to patch things up. However, the singer seems to question his or her worth, questioning why anyone should waste their time on them.
The song's lyrics suggest a struggle with a relationship that is pulling the singer down, with the phrase "Left me to love what it's doing to me" being repeated frequently in the song, emphasizing the damaging effect the relationship is having. The song's use of the metaphor "There's a fly in the honey, and baby's got a baby with me" may shed some light on what's causing the relationship's difficulties, as having a baby might be making it hard for the couple to balance their time focusing on the baby rather than each other. The song ends with the singer questioning what about themself while contemplating a challenging situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I sat there looking ugly
I was sitting there feeling unattractive and angry
Looking ugly and mean
My facial expressions displayed my strong negative emotions and anger
I knew what you were saying
I understood the words you were speaking to me
You were saying to me
Your words were directed towards me specifically
Baby's got some new rules
My partner has set new rules for our relationship
Baby, said she's had it with me
My partner has reached her limit with me
It seems a shame you waste your time on me
I feel guilty that my partner is spending time on me despite my negative behaviours
It seems a lot to waste your time for me
I feel like my partner's time is too valuable to be 'wasted' on me
Left me to love
I am alone to deal with the effects of love
What it's doing to me
The impact love is having in my life
There's a lot of honey in this world
There is a lot of opportunity and sweetness in this life
Baby, this honey's for me
I am focusing on enjoying the good things in life for myself
You've got to do what you do
You need to do what's right for you
Do it with me
But include me in your plans and decisions
Knocked silly
I feel disoriented and confused
Knock flat
I feel defeated and powerless
Sideways down
I've been taken down a path I didn't expect
These things they pick you up
Despite the hardships of life, there are still good things that can lift you up
And they turn you around
These good things can completely change your perspective
Say your piece
Speak your mind
Say you're sweet for me
Validate my worthiness and value in our relationship
It's all the same to share the pain with me
I am willing to share in the difficult times and emotions that come with a relationship
It's all the same, save the shame for me
I am taking responsibility for my mistakes and feeling guilty about them, so don't concern yourself with feeling ashamed on my behalf
There's a fly in the honey
A problem or negative situation has arisen within our otherwise good relationship
And baby's got a baby with me
My partner and I have a child together, which complicates our issues and adds further stress to our relationship
That's a part
Our shared responsibility for our child is part of what we need to work through in our relationship
Of me
It is a part of me that I can't ignore or escape
What about me?
What about my feelings and how I'm being affected by this relationship?
Oh, oh, oh
Expressing strong emotions and frustration about the difficulties of the relationship
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL BERRY, PETER BUCK, MICHAEL MILLS, MICHAEL STIPE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PatoMeza1980
This song is, literally, just TWO CHORDS. And it's amazing. A perfect close for a perfect album.
@freakodeluxe
REM were masters of turning simple chords into epic music
@BradfordPost
I know. I heard it on the radio today for the first time and really enjoyed it.
@johnsalisbury1707
Its all about the syncopation this one! Superb.
@curly_wyn
The album is awesome, but it’s not perfect, and that’s because of one thing: the sequencing. The album is very disjointed because the way the tracks are arranged makes no sense.
@squirrelbutler2119
@@curly_wyn Yeah....no.
I fell in love with this album because the songs were all really good. And the ordering didn't change anything.
So...No. This album was and is great.
@chriso.8806
I can't get their voices out of my mind today. The harmonization between both Michael and Kate is so beautiful. I wish they did more music together.
@baybydilly742
They did "Shiny Happy People" together...
@patriciapatricia1397
I always loved her harmonizing bits in Iggy Pop’s “candy.” https://youtu.be/6bLOjmY--TA
@harryjames9050
This is my favorite track thanks to Kate. I got to shake her hand before a B-52 concert