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."
See No Evil
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's a whole lot more, anyhow
I wanna climb a mountain
I wanna jump, jump, jump, jump a mountain
I understand all destructive urges
It's seems so perfect
I see, I see no evil
I get ideas, notions
I want a nice little boat made out of ocean
I get your point, you're so sharp
Gettin good reactions with 'BeBo' talk
I understand all destructive urges
It's seems so perfect
I see, I see no evil
I understand all destructive urges
It's seems so perfect
I see, I see no evil
Walkin' hand in hand with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin' through Manhattan with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin' hand in hand with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin' in Jackson with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin' in the world with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin' and talkin' with the one I love (I see no evil)
Walkin', walkin' and talkin' with the one I love
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s "See No Evil" express a strong desire for immediacy and the need to satisfy one's wants and desires without restraint. This is evident in the first few lines, where the singer states, "What I want, I want now / And it's a whole lot more, anyhow." The singer is not interested in waiting or delaying gratification; they want it all and they want it now.
The second verse reveals a fascination with destructive urges and a lack of concern for the consequences of these urges. The singer seems to be drawn to the idea of climbing a mountain or jumping over it, even though it may be dangerous or damaging. The line "I see, I see no evil" suggests that the singer is intentionally ignoring the negative repercussions of their actions.
The final verse shifts from this focus on destruction and impulsivity to a more positive outlook. The singer is walking hand-in-hand with their loved one, and they see no evil in the world around them. This can be interpreted as a turning point in the song, where the singer realizes that true happiness is found in the simple pleasures of life, rather than in the pursuit of reckless desires.
Overall, "See No Evil" is a meditation on the complexity of human desires and the struggle between impulse and reason.
Line by Line Meaning
What I want, I want now
I don't want to wait for anything, I want it all immediately
And it's a whole lot more, anyhow
Not only do I want it now, but I want more than what's available
I wanna climb a mountain
I want to take on a challenging and difficult task
I wanna jump, jump, jump, jump a mountain
I want to fully embrace the challenge and conquer it with energy and excitement
I understand all destructive urges
I am aware of my own and others' negative impulses and impulses towards causing harm
It's seems so perfect
Despite the destructive nature of these urges, sometimes they can feel like the only logical or natural choice
I see, I see no evil
Despite the potential for harm or negative outcomes, I choose to focus on the positive and avoid engaging in harmful behavior
I get ideas, notions
I have creative and imaginative thoughts and ideas
I want a nice little boat made out of ocean
I want something that seems impossible or unlikely, like a boat made out of something as vast and powerful as the ocean
I get your point, you're so sharp
I understand and appreciate someone's clear and insightful communication
Gettin good reactions with 'BeBo' talk
I am able to communicate effectively and receive positive feedback for my words or actions
Walkin' hand in hand with the one I love (I see no evil)
Being in love can make one blind to the negative aspects of the world, allowing them to focus only on the positive
Walkin' through Manhattan with the one I love (I see no evil)
Even in a bustling city full of potential dangers or negative energy, being with someone you love can bring a sense of security and positivity
Walkin' in Jackson with the one I love (I see no evil)
Even in a small town or less exciting environment, being with someone you love can make it feel like a perfect and happy place
Walkin' in the world with the one I love (I see no evil)
Being in love can make the world feel like a better, friendlier place
Walkin' and talkin' with the one I love (I see no evil)
Being with someone you love can bring a sense of ease and comfort to everyday activities, making them feel more positive
Contributed by Victoria Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dkroll92
How did I just find this? One of my favorite songs, covered by one of my favorite bands.
ClueSign
A frequent encore on their early 80's shows, often introduced as by Michael as "the best rock song of all time."
Jason Trahan
Where are you unearthing all these gems? Thanks for doing it, by the way.
Caroline More
I really enjoy those great songs performed by R.E.M.
I like to find out everything about my favorite Rock Band. I'm glad you like it 😉
Tectonic Dispatch
been listening to R.E.M. for almost 40 years....never heard this one
Geoffrey Gentry
@K.N. Martin In 1988. It was on their '88 Christmas Fanclub single.
K.N. Martin
When did they record this?
Caroline More
@Tectonic Dispatch You're welcome, it's a pleasure!
Tectonic Dispatch
caroline more thanks for posting these rarities. I really miss having a new R.E.M. album to look forward to. Kinda the soundtrack to my teens, 20’s, and 30’s.😘
Caroline More
It's a cover by R.E.M. Original version by TELEVISION.