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."
Turn You Inside‐Out
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking for to lay to waste
Of all the things I cannot taste
And this is not the racy race, they spoke loud
(I believe in what you do)
(I believe in watching you)
(I believe in what you do) it's what you do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Given the choice
Given the heart
Given the tool
Given the word
Given the cheers
(I believe in what you do)
(I believe in watching you)
(I believe in what you do) it's what you do
(I believe in watching you)
(I believe in what you do)
(I believe in watching you) I, I, I, I, I
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I believe in what you do
I believe in watching you
I believe in what you do (given the choice)
I believe in watching you (given the heart)
I believe in what you do (given the tool)
I believe in watching you (given the word)
I believe in what you do (given the cheers)
I believe in watching you
I could, I
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Given the choice
Given the heart
Given the tool
Given the word
Given the cheers
Given the cheers
Given the choice
Given the choice
Given the choice
The lyrics to R.E.M.'s song "Turn You Inside-Out" are cryptic and abstract, as with many of their songs. The song seems to be about a struggle for power, dominance, or control. The first verse starts with the singer, who could be anyone from a politician to a pop star, wanting to "lay to waste" something, someone, or some idea. It's not clear what that is, but it seems to be something he or she can't taste, meaning it's intangible, like a concept or a feeling. The singer also mentions a "racy race" that "they" spoke loud about. This could be a reference to a political race or a competition of some kind.
The chorus is where the song gets its title. The singer says "I could turn you inside-out, what I choose not to do." This line is repeated later in the song, with the addition of "I believe in what you do" and "I believe in watching you." The singer seems to be holding back some kind of power or ability, perhaps out of fear, respect, or some other reason. The second verse adds more ambiguity to the situation, with the singer listing off different things he or she has been given, like a choice, a heart, a tool, a word, and cheers. It's not clear who or what is giving these things, but they seem to be interconnected.
Overall, "Turn You Inside-Out" is a song that leaves a lot up to interpretation. It could be about anything from a relationship to a political movement to a personal struggle. The lyrics are intentionally vague and poetical, leaving the listener to draw their own conclusions.
Line by Line Meaning
Divide your cultured pearls in haste
Hurry up and break apart your valuable possessions without care
I'm looking for to lay to waste
I am searching for something to destroy or waste
Of all the things I cannot taste
There are things in life that I can't experience or understand
And this is not the racy race, they spoke loud
This is not a competition, despite what others may say
Given the choice, given the heart, given the tool, given the word, given the cheers
With the opportunity, willingness, ability, language, and support to succeed
(I believe in what you do), (I believe in watching you), (I believe in what you do) it's what you do, (I believe in watching you)
I have faith in your actions and will observe them closely
I could turn you inside-out, What I choose not to do
I am capable of destroying you, but I have decided not to
I believe in what you do (given the choice), I believe in watching you (given the heart), I believe in what you do (given the tool), I believe in watching you (given the word), I believe in what you do (given the cheers), I believe in watching you
I have faith in your ability, motivation, resources, communication, and encouragement to succeed and will keep observing you
I could, I
I have the capacity to harm you
Given the choice, given the heart, given the tool, given the word, given the cheers, given the cheers, given the choice, given the choice, given the choice
With multiple chances and support to succeed
I could turn you inside-out, What I choose not to do
I am powerful, but refrain from using my power to harm
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL BERRY, PETER BUCK, MICHAEL MILLS, MICHAEL STIPE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J Bolo
Divide your cultured pearls in haste
I'm looking for to lay to waste
Of all the things I cannot taste
And this is not the racy race, they spoke loud
it's what you do
(I believe in watching you)
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Given the choice
Given the heart
Given the tool
Given the word
Given the cheers
it's what you do
(I believe in watching you)
I, I, I, I, I
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I believe in what you do
I believe in watching you
I believe in what you do (given the choice)
I believe in watching you (given the heart)
I believe in what you do (given the tool)
I believe in watching you (given the word)
I believe in what you do (given the cheers)
I believe in watching you
I could, I
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Given the choice
Given the heart
Given the tool
Given the word
Given the cheers
Given the cheers
Given the choice
Given the choice
Given the choice
MÁRCIO GOMES
Divide your cultured pearls and paste
I'm looking for to lay to waste
Of all the things I cannot taste
and this not the racy race
They spoke loud
I believe in what you do
I believe in watching you
It's what you do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Given the choice
Given the heart
Given the tool
Given the word
Given the cheers
I believe in what you do
I believe in watching you
It's what you do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
I could turn you inside-out
What I choose not to do
Dan
I'm old enough to have followed and loved REM from the beginning and all these years later I am still listening to their stuff.. and I can now answer the question as to the best REM song and album. Finally, I can declare that Turn you inside out and Green is the best.. hands down. Unrivalled and still as fresh today as back in 1988 when I was 20 years old.
Terry Engel
You are correct sir.
Christopher M. Heaps
Word.
CEDRIC HERRERA
This is timeless rock. This will always sound amazing.
Pant-Hooting Chimp
One of the greatest bands of all-time. I really miss them! This song and the whole of the Green album really brings back lots of fond memories for me. It still sounds so fresh and relevant today too.
Sheila
World Leader Pretend
Stephanie Inman
Have to agree
Jess S
Agreed. In 2021 bro.
PARANOOB
Green. ❤
Lord Rahl
This is one of those songs that make you fell like a bad ass.✌✌✌