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."
PILLS
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at me
I say what I want to see
You've been in a dream
Dream of me
See peaks meet soft sky, swollen sea
Call it what you want
Call for me
When you look around stretch out
Just wait, you will get the right taste
I want the whole piece and all my cherries
I want the whole piece and all my cherries
Sour heat, sweat until I add it up
Keep it neat, I can fill my own cup
Sour heat, sweat until I add it up
Keep it neat, I can fill my own cup
Sour heat, I can fill my own cup
I reached for the arms that knew me
From my ship of friends
While I learned all the love that holds me
Goes out and comes in
I want the whole piece and all my cherries
I want the whole piece and all my cherries
I am the whole piece
The lyrics of R.E.M.'s song "Pills" evoke a sense of introspection and self-discovery. It speaks of being lost in the chaos and confusion of life ("I've been in the weeds") while yearning for clarity ("Look at me, I say what I want to see"). The line "You've been in a dream, dream of me" suggests a connection between two individuals, where one person is the subject of the other's dreams.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of seeking fulfillment and satisfaction in life. The imagery of "peaks meet soft sky, swollen sea" conveys a sense of vastness and grandeur, perhaps symbolizing the desire for something more than what is currently experienced. The repeated lines "Sour heat, sweat until I add it up, keep it neat, I can fill my own cup" can be interpreted as the singer taking control of their own life, acknowledging their ability to find their own happiness and satisfaction.
The later part of the song delves into the theme of seeking comfort and support from others. The line "I reached for the arms that knew me from my ship of friends" suggests a longing for familiar faces and the feeling of being understood. It reflects on the importance of love and connection in navigating through life's challenges.
Overall, the lyrics of "Pills" explore the complexities of personal growth, the search for fulfillment, and the significance of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been in the weeds
I've been overwhelmed and lost in difficult situations
Look at me
Pay attention to me, see who I truly am
I say what I want to see
I manipulate my perception to suit my desires
You've been in a dream
You've been living in a state of illusion
Dream of me
Imagine me, create an idealized version of me
See peaks meet soft sky, swollen sea
Witness the meeting of grand and beautiful elements of nature
Call it what you want
Assign your own interpretation to it
Call for me
Summon me, ask for my presence
Silent in my belly
Unspoken thoughts and desires within me
When you look around stretch out
When you explore and observe your surroundings
Just wait, you will get the right taste
Be patient, eventually you will experience what you desire
I want the whole piece and all my cherries
I desire completeness and fulfillment in every aspect
Sour heat, sweat until I add it up
Unpleasant experiences and hard work until it becomes worthwhile
Keep it neat, I can fill my own cup
Manage things properly, I can take care of myself
I reached for the arms that knew me
I sought the support of those who understood me
From my ship of friends
From the collective group of friends I have
While I learned all the love that holds me
While I experienced the affection that supports and embraces me
Goes out and comes in
Fluctuates, both given and received
I am the whole piece
I perceive myself as complete and interconnected
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Ella Boissonnault, Sander Bryce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jass2889
Hey now, take your pills and
Hey now, make your breakfast
Hey now, comb your hair and off to work
Crash land, no illusions, no collision, no intrusion
My imagination runs away
I know, I know, I know what I am chasing
I know, I know, I know that this is changing me
I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight
I am flying on a star, star, star
I will make it through the day
And then the day becomes the night
I will make it through the night
Hey now, take the U-Bahn, five stops, change the station
Hey now, don't forget that change will save you
Hey now, count a thousand-million people, that's astounding
Chasing through the city with their stars on bright
I know, I know, I know what I am chasing
I know, I know, I know that this is changing me
I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight
I am flying on a star, star, star
I will make it through the day
And then the day becomes the night
I will make it through the night
I don't mind repeating, I am not complete
I have never been the gifted type
Hey, man, tell me something, are you off to somewhere?
Do you want to go with me tonight?
I know, I know, I know that this is changing
We walk the streets to feel the ground I'm chasing: ÜBerlin
I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight
I am flying on a star, star, star
I will make it through the day
And then the day becomes the night
I will make it through the night
@tatiana3403
harry: "my father didn't strut"
his father:
@alexis5020
Stop 😂✋
@mashilahcummings4538
Best comment I've seen by far.
@tatiana3403
@Mashilah Cummings thank you :))
@user-rd2lv6fx7m
OMG😂😂😂
@Checkmate777
I don’t get the James potter jokes was he in a Harry Potter movie or something
@christya3970
I love how he is simultaneously looking like a total dork and demonstrating some serious skills.
@naju9862
I could watch him all day
@paulburrows8165
Whooping what do you do dance
@naju9862
It means I dont get tired of watching him move the way he does. It's fascinating. Plus, I love this spng and I love R.E.M. so... I could watch this all day.