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."
Only in America
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've seen those shirts in British shops
With American places across the chest
Brooklyn LA Dallas Chicago
But do people in America wear ones of British towns
Some American states are bigger than countries
So how small a city do you think you're gonna get
But I saw a t-shirt in Primark
So maybe there's
Maybe there's
Maybe there's a market for
Easterhouse
Wishaw
Livingston
East Kilbride
Airdrie
Aberdeen
Carlisle
Preston
Farnborough
Bridgend
Bridlington
Newcastle
Exeter
Maidstone
Whitburn
Uddingston
Kirkcaldy
Bootle
Kingston upon Thames
Middlesborough
Margate
Bellshill
Montrose
Loughborough
Gloucester
Sidcup
Aberdare
Peterborough
Hull
Birkenhead
And Bradford
People in America should wear Easterhouse t-shirts
I looked it up
I looked it up
And found that in Japan
A company was making
For reasons unknown
T-shirts displaying the name of a place
And what's it called
What's it called
Cumbernauld
Luton
Wakefield
Wigan
Doncaster
Kings Lynn
Studley
Blackpool
Halifax
Inchinnan
Avebury
Wolverhampton
Burnley
Aldershot
Bolton
Swansea
Morecambe
Kilmarnock
Dumfries and Galloway
Dennistoun
Coatbridge
Coleraine
Stourbridge
Winchester
Pocklington
Stockton on Tees
Toonheid
Toonheid
Toonheid
And Saltcoats
In "Only in America," R.E.M. questions the norms of American culture and consumerism. The song begins with Michael Stipe asking if people in America wear t-shirts with British place names on them, pointing out that he has seen these types of shirts in British shops with American place names on them. He lists off a number of smaller British towns and asks why they don't have representation on American t-shirts, sarcastically suggesting that people in America should wear Easterhouse t-shirts.
The verses continue in this vein, with Stipe highlighting the vast size differences between American states and questioning how small of a city someone would want to wear on their chest. He also mentions that he looked up a company in Japan that was making t-shirts with British town names on them, despite having no connection or knowledge of those places. The chorus then repeats the list of British towns Stipe mentioned, ending with him emphatically chanting "Toonheid" and "Saltcoats."
Overall, "Only in America" critiques the commodification of cultural and geographic identities, suggesting that these things have been reduced to meaningless symbols that can be bought and sold. The song's irony and dark humor underscore its commentary on the workings of consumer capitalism.
Line by Line Meaning
Do people in America wear Easterhouse t-shirts
Are Easterhouse t-shirts worn in America?
You've seen those shirts in British shops
You may have seen these shirts in shops in Britain before
With American places across the chest
The shirts have American places printed across them
Brooklyn LA Dallas Chicago
Specifically, the places printed on the shirt are Brooklyn, LA, Dallas, and Chicago
But do people in America wear ones of British towns
However, are there shirts in America with British towns printed on them?
Some American states are bigger than countries
Certain states in America are larger in size than some entire countries
So how small a city do you think you're gonna get
Given that fact, how small of a city do you think has a chance of appearing on a shirt in America?
But I saw a t-shirt in Primark
Despite this, I came across a shirt in Primark
For Akron Ohio
That shirt was for the city of Akron, Ohio
So maybe there's
So, it's possible
Maybe there's
Perhaps there are
Maybe there's a market for
A market might exist for
Easterhouse Wishaw Livingston East Kilbride Airdrie Aberdeen Carlisle Preston Farnborough Bridgend Bridlington Newcastle Exeter Maidstone Whitburn Uddingston Kirkcaldy Bootle Kingston upon Thames Middlesborough Margate Bellshill Montrose Loughborough Gloucester Sidcup Aberdare Peterborough Hull Birkenhead And Bradford
Cities and towns such as Easterhouse, Wishaw, Livingston, East Kilbride, Airdrie, Aberdeen, Carlisle, Preston, Farnborough, Bridgend, Bridlington, Newcastle, Exeter, Maidstone, Whitburn, Uddingston, Kirkcaldy, Bootle, Kingston-upon-Thames, Middlesbrough, Margate, Bellshill, Montrose, Loughborough, Gloucester, Sidcup, Aberdare, Peterborough, Hull, Birkenhead, and Bradford
People in America should wear Easterhouse t-shirts
It would be great if people in America wore Easterhouse t-shirts
I looked it up
I searched for more information
And found that in Japan
I discovered that in Japan
A company was making
A company was producing
For reasons unknown
Without any disclosed reasons
T-shirts displaying the name of a place
T-shirts with the name of a location printed on them
And what's it called
What is the name of this location?
What's it called
Can you tell me the name?
Cumbernauld Luton Wakefield Wigan Doncaster Kings Lynn Studley Blackpool Halifax Inchinnan Avebury Wolverhampton Burnley Aldershot Bolton Swansea Morecambe Kilmarnock Dumfries and Galloway Dennistoun Coatbridge Coleraine Stourbridge Winchester Pocklington Stockton on Tees Toonheid Toonheid Toonheid And Saltcoats
Locations such as Cumbernauld, Luton, Wakefield, Wigan, Doncaster, Kings Lynn, Studley, Blackpool, Halifax, Inchinnan, Avebury, Wolverhampton, Burnley, Aldershot, Bolton, Swansea, Morecambe, Kilmarnock, Dumfries and Galloway, Dennistoun, Coatbridge, Coleraine, Stourbridge, Winchester, Pocklington, Stockton on Tees, Toonheid, Toonheid, Toonheid, and Saltcoats
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Michael McGowan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walt Sherwood
Me too Pete, love how the movie ended with John about to go over the waterfall right into this song...........dam, I miss John Candy !
Ricardo Rojas
John Candy, a Canadian, playing an American🇺🇸, invading ...better said, getting in a "skirmish" with Canadians @ the border! Ha! Ha! Also loved him in "Stripes"(1981) as "Ox", with Russell(Harold Ramos) and, of course, the magnificent Sgt. Hulka(Warren Oates). Go Army!😀
Mr Bungle
love that movie, filmed in my home town!
Pete Crigler
Thank you for posting this! Have been looking for this since I first saw Canadian Bacon!
Константин Мста
В России тоже многие любят этот фильм и дядю Мура!
a
R.I.P. Jay Black 🥀, the singer of the original version by Jay & The Americans 🇺🇸
Victor Velazquez
"Canadian Bacon"(1995) brought me here. P.S. God bless America 🇺🇸. ☺
ThisGuy Here
Me too!
Harold Sherwood
i miss JOHN CANDY, hope ya made it over the Falls, John !
Mr. Diaz
I didn't know this song but i watched Canadian Bacon and found out this great song