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."
Redhead Walking
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ramen mein delights
When ginger hair gets all fired up
She beats them in the night
That redhead walking, uh
Don't get close
She'll warn you with her growl
Out there a redhead walkin'
Redhead walkin'
The redhead walkin'
Better listen keep your distance from the crimson crime warpath
O kiss that girl
Kiss that girl
Kiss that girt
Yeah, she'll cut your heart like diamonds
End of story
You bet you're gonna lose it to that hellbound crimson glory
There - a redhead walkin'
A redhead walkin'
A redhead walkin'
Heed what this wise man says
Keep away from redheads...
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s song "Redhead Walking" tells a tale of a fierce and fiery redhead who's not to be messed with. The song describes the various silver-dressed darlings and ramen mein delights out there, but none of them compare to the titular redhead. When she's all fired up, she can beat anyone in the night, warning those who get too close with her growl. The redhead is described as a bud cuttin', star-studded, leather-chested girl, and those who try to get on her path will find themselves on the crimson crime warpath. The lyrics warn listeners to keep their distance and to heed the wise man's advice to stay away from redheads.
While the lyrics seem to paint a picture of a tough and intimidating woman, there may be more to the story. The lyric "kiss that girl" suggests that there may be a romantic element to the tale, and the mention of cutting hearts like diamonds could be interpreted as a warning to potential love interests. The song's overall meaning may be open to interpretation and could be seen as a cautionary tale about falling for someone who may be dangerous.
Overall, "Redhead Walking" is a unique and evocative song with intriguing lyrics that invite interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Out there are silver dressed darlings
There are alluring women dressed in silver outside
And ramen mein delights
And there are delicious ramen noodles to eat
When ginger hair gets all fired up
When a woman with red hair becomes passionate
She beats them in the night
She overpowers and defeats them at night
That redhead walking, uh
That redheaded woman who's walking by
Don't get close
Don't approach her
She'll warn you with her growl
She'll give you a warning sound like an animal would
She's a bud cuttin', star studded, leather chested girl
She's a woman who's sharp, famous, and has a tough exterior
Out there a redhead walkin'
A redheaded woman is walking outside
Redhead walkin'
That redheaded woman walking by
The redhead walkin'
That specific redheaded woman who's walking by
Better listen keep your distance from the crimson crime warpath
It's better to stay away from this dangerous redhead
O kiss that girl
Oh, to be intimate with that woman
Kiss that girl
To kiss that desirable woman
Kiss that girt
It might just be a mispronunciation of 'girl'
Yeah, she'll cut your heart like diamonds
She'll break your heart in a sharp and painful way
End of story
That's the conclusion
You bet you're gonna lose it to that hellbound crimson glory
You will definitely lose your heart to this fiery and dangerous woman
There - a redhead walkin'
There she is, a redheaded woman walking by
Heed what this wise man says
Listen to this person who has wisdom to share
Keep away from redheads...
Stay away from women with red hair, especially if they have dangerous vibes
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MikesOrganicVideos
You don’t want to see them leave, but you love watching them walk away.