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."
Supernatural Superserious
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes from somewhere
But they would just as soon forget
And disguise
At the summer camp where you volunteered
No one saw your face, no one saw your fear
If that apparition had just appeared
Took you up and away from this place
Of your teenage station
Nobody cares, no one remembers and nobody cares
How you cried and you cried
"He's alive, he's alive"
How you cried and cried
And you cried and you cried
If you call out "safe"
Then I'll stop right away
If the premise buckles
And the ropes start to chafe
The details smart
But the story's the same
You don't have to explain
You don't have to explain
Humiliation
Of your teenage station
Yeah, you cried and you cried
"He's alive, he's alive"
How you cried and you cried
And you cried and you
Realized your fantasies
Are dressed up in travesties
Enjoy yourself with no regrets
Everybody here
Comes from somewhere
That they would just as soon forget
And disguise
Yeah, you cried and you cried
"He's alive, he's alive"
Yeah, you cried and you cried
And you cried and you cried
(Oh, you cried and you cried)
(Oh, you cried and you cried)
Now there's nothing dark
And there's nothing weird
Don't be afraid, I will hold you near
From the seance where you first betrayed
An open heart on a darkened stage
A celebration
Of your teenage station
It's an experience, sweet, delirious
Supernatural, super serious
An experience, sweet, delirious
Supernatural, super serious
Wow
The song "Supernatural Superserious" by R.E.M. is about the experience of being a teenager, the feeling of humiliation, the desire to forget the past and the realization that our fantasies are often just a dressed-up version of something else. The lyrics suggest that everyone has a past they would like to forget, scarred by events and feelings that were difficult to deal with at the time. They now want to disguise it and move on. The singer describes a summer camp where he once volunteered, where nobody knew his face, and nobody saw his fear. He wonders what would happen if a supernatural apparition appeared and took him away from that place. The experience is about the celebration of teenage life - the sweet, delirious experience that was supernatural and super serious.
The song is about nostalgic memories of youthful exuberance and freedom from the constraints of maturity. It is upbeat and joyful, filled with catchy hooks and emotional lyrics. It's a song that celebrates life on the edge, of being wild and free, without a care in the world. However, the lyrics also have a darker, more introspective side. They suggest the reality of the past that we've left behind, and the pain and humiliation that we've experienced there.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody here
Everyone present in this scenario
Comes from somewhere
Came from a particular origin
But they would just as soon forget
However, they might prefer to ignore or hide that past
And disguise
And pretend to be someone else
At the summer camp where you volunteered
In a summer camp where you worked voluntarily
No one saw your face, no one saw your fear
No one noticed your face, no one noticed your fear
If that apparition had just appeared
If a ghost-like figure suddenly showed up
Took you up and away from this place
Lifted you away from this location
And sheer humiliation
And the intense feeling of shame
Of your teenage station
Due to your adolescence
Nobody cares, no one remembers and nobody cares
No one cares or recalls about that experience
How you cried and you cried
How you wept uncontrollably
"He's alive, he's alive"
Repeating the phrase 'he is alive' while crying
If you call out "safe"
If you say 'safe' out loud
Then I'll stop right away
I will quit doing what I'm doing immediately
If the premise buckles
If the initial plan gets distorted
And the ropes start to chafe
And the ropes begin to rub uncomfortably
The details smart
The details cause emotional pain
But the story's the same
However, the narrative remains identical
You don't have to explain
You don't need to elaborate
Humiliation
Feeling of extreme embarrassment
Of your teenage station
During your younger years
Yeah, you cried and you cried
Yes, you cried non-stop
"He's alive, he's alive"
Uttering the words 'he's alive' repeatedly while crying
How you cried and you cried
How you wept intensely
And you cried and you cried
And you continued crying for a long time
Realized your fantasies
Understood your dreams
Are dressed up in travesties
Are disguised as a false, absurd image
Enjoy yourself with no regrets
Have fun without feeling remorseful
Now there's nothing dark
Now there is nothing frightening or ominous
And there's nothing weird
And there is nothing strange or odd
Don't be afraid, I will hold you near
Don't worry, I'll be close to you
From the seance where you first betrayed
From the meeting where you initially double-crossed someone
An open heart on a darkened stage
An exposed heart on a dimly lit platform
A celebration
A joyous occasion
Of your teenage station
From the time of your youth
It's an experience, sweet, delirious
It is a thrilling, intoxicating event
Supernatural, super serious
It is an unusual and significant event
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francesco Miccoli
REM wrote the history of rock. One of the best bands ever. Music misses them
Felix OnTour
Timeless masterpiece! 2022 who's still listening?
IAmKrow
Here I am. I still remember when this came out, wow, time flies
Annie
2023. I shall never, ever stop listening
Wart
Fuckin timeless masterpiece
ace spades
<<<<<Right here
Piotr Ka
me ! 2023
Flashpoint922
R.E.M. is back! This song is all over modern rock radio. I'm glad they are getting the attention they deserve. The new record will be amazing.
mrgiskard
This reminds me a lot of their earlier songs. REM is one of those bands which really are one of a kind and as time goes by I realize more and more how incredibly wonderful they are.
mark hamer
This song has everything. Harmonies to die for. Peter Buck jangling away as always. Fantastic lyrics. I am not a huge fan of Rem's later output but this song hits the mark in every way.