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."
The Apologist
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now that I'm at peak
You know at first it really hurt
We joke about these things
I've skirted all my differences
But now I'm facing up
I wanted to apologize for
Everything I was so
I'm sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry
Did you understand me right?
The people here are good
They tell me what I should have done
And offer what I could
I'm good, all is good
All's well, no complaints
When I feel regret
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
I live a simple life
Unfettered by complex sweets
You think this isn't me?
Don't be weak
There I go
I'm so sorry
Thank you for being there for me
Thank you for listening, goodbye
I can forfeit selfishness
I hope for you that you apply
This happiness
This peacefulness
This peacefulness
I'm sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry, so sorry
So sorry
I live a simple life
Unfettered by complex sweets
You think this isn't me?
You're so sweet
I'm so sorry
Thank you for being there for me
Thank you for listening, goodbye
The Apologist by R.E.M. seems to be a song about taking responsibility for one's actions and seeking forgiveness. The title character, "the apologist," seems to be someone who has made mistakes in the past and is now trying to make amends. The song begins with the apologist acknowledging that he has been given this name, and that he has reached a peak in his life where he feels ready to face up to his past mistakes. Initially, he struggled with the label, but now he is ready to apologize for everything he has done wrong.
As the song progresses, we hear the apologist express regret and offer apologies for everything that he has done wrong. He acknowledges that he has been offered guidance and support from those around him, and that he is grateful for their help. He talks about living a simple life, free from complications and excess, and hopes that others can find joy and peace in this way of living. Ultimately, the apologist seems to be seeking redemption and a chance to start again.
Overall, the lyrics of The Apologist seem to be about the universal human experience of making mistakes and seeking forgiveness. The song is an emotional reflection on the process of acknowledging faults, seeking help, and doing better in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me the apologist
I am known for apologizing to those who I may have wronged in the past
And now that I'm at peak
Now that I have achieved something, I am reflecting on my past actions
You know at first it really hurt
At first it was difficult to hear people speak badly about me
We joke about these things
Even though it may hurt, I try to use humor to diffuse the situation
I've skirted all my differences
I have ignored or avoided addressing the issues between us
But now I'm facing up
I am now taking responsibility for my actions
I wanted to apologize for
I feel the need to apologize for
Everything I was so
All of my past mistakes and wrongdoings
I'm sorry, so sorry
I am very sorry
Did you understand me right?
Do you understand where I am coming from?
The people here are good
The people around me are kind and supportive
They tell me what I should have done
They give me advice on what I could have done differently
And offer what I could
They are supportive of me and offer their help where they can
I'm good, all is good
Everything is okay now
All's well, no complaints
Everything is fine and I have no complaints
When I feel regret
When I feel remorse
I get down on my knees and pray
I turn to prayer as a source of comfort
I live a simple life
I live an uncomplicated lifestyle
Unfettered by complex sweets
Without the distractions of overly indulgent things in life
You think this isn't me?
Do you think this is something I am not capable of?
Don't be weak
Don't underestimate me
There I go
Here I am again, apologizing
Thank you for being there for me
Thank you for supporting me
Thank you for listening, goodbye
Thank you for hearing me out, goodbye
I can forfeit selfishness
I am willing to let go of my selfishness
I hope for you that you apply
I hope that you can also let go of your selfishness
This happiness
This state of being happy
This peacefulness
This state of being peaceful
You're so sweet
You are very kind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@denisefreitas6727
Up is an amazing album.
@paulelliott3220
Another brilliant song
I buy all of their material - live REM
@haleyanne86
Wait...there's a 25th anniversary of this album?!? I need it!
@delboy20091
Has anyone else bought this new remaster? it's brilliant, highly recommend it.
@panaboy01
no its a scam
@fredh1720
Great song. My favourite of the two R.E.M. "I'm sorry" songs.
★★★★
@nao-mivoid675
awww but i like the other one
@matteomaioli58
The highlight of the album
@cleacamargo1778
Amo demais está banda❤❤❤❤
@user-vv7og1gt7t
So sorry seems to be what we are always saying to make life simple, thank you for being there and listening ❤