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."
These Days
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I can, and I can
March into the ocean, march into the sea, had a hat
I put it down and it sunk, reached down
Yanked it up, slapped it on my head
All the people gather
Fly to carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
All of a sudden, these days, happy throngs, take this joy
Wherever, wherever
I wish to eat each one of you, and you, me, you
If I can, and I can
We have many things in common, name three (three, three, three)
I had a hat and it sunk, reached down
Yanked it up, slapped it on my head
All the people gather
Fly to carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
We are concerned, we are hope despite the times
All of a sudden, these days, happy throngs, take this joy
Wherever, wherever you go
And I'm not feeding off you, I will rearrange your scales
If I can, and I can
I wish to eat each one of you, and you, me, you
I had a hat and it sunk, reached down
Yanked it up, slapped it on my head
All the people gather
Fly to carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
We are concerned, we are hope despite the times
All of a sudden, these days, happy throngs, take this joy
Wherever, wherever you
Carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
We are concerned, we are hope despite the times
All of a sudden, these days, happy throngs, take this joy
Wherever, wherever you go
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s These Days have long been debated by fans and critics alike, with many interpretations arising from the abstract language used. A popular interpretation is that the song is about the things we have in common as human beings, and how we all carry burdens but can find hope and joy in coming together.
The opening line, "I'm not feeding off you, I will rearrange your scales," suggests that the singer is not interested in taking from others but rather wants to change the way they see the world. The following lines about marching into the ocean and reaching down to retrieve a hat could be seen as metaphorical images of taking risks and diving into the unknown.
The chorus, "All the people gather, fly to carry each his burden," speaks to the idea that we all have our own struggles and challenges, but we can find support and comfort by coming together. The repetition of "we are young despite the years" and "we are concerned, we are hope despite the times" emphasizes the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
The final lines of the song, "I wish to eat each one of you, and you, me, you," may seem strange at first but can be interpreted as a desire to understand each other on a deeper level and to truly share in each other's experiences. Overall, the song is a call to come together and find hope and joy despite the trials we may face.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not feeding off you, I will rearrange your scales
I don't need you to survive, but I will change your perspective if I can
If I can, and I can
I am capable of making changes
March into the ocean, march into the sea, had a hat
Taking a risk, even though I might lose something along the way
I put it down and it sunk, reached down
Experienced a setback, but picked myself back up
Yanked it up, slapped it on my head
Persisted through my struggles and made it through
All the people gather
We are all together in this
Fly to carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
We support each other through tough times and still have hope
We are concerned, we are hope despite the times
Our worries do not stop us from being optimistic
All of a sudden, these days, happy throngs, take this joy
Recently, there has been a surge of happiness among us all
Wherever, wherever
No matter where we are or what we face, we will still find joy
I wish to eat each one of you, and you, me, you
I want to experience life through the perspectives of others, and want others to do the same for me
We have many things in common, name three (three, three, three)
Despite our differences, we have many things in common that connect us together
Carry each his burden, we are young despite the years
We aid each other during challenging times despite our age
Wherever, wherever you go
No matter where you go, the happiness and hope we have will follow you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: John Michael Stipe, Michael E. Mills, Peter Lawrence Buck, William Thomas Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind