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We're Not Who You Think We Are

Out of Time

Certain Songs #1733: R.E.M. – “Me in Honey”

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Album: Out of Time
Year: 1991

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File Under Baby

“Me in Honey” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song.

Some of you might be worried that I skipped “Country Feedback.” Don’t worry, there is a live version from 1998 coming up soon enough where Michael Stipe makes like Van Morrison and Peter Buck channels Neil Young.

The spring of 1991 was a weird time.

Not only was my band falling apart — the greatest band I was ever going to play in (or at least until last year) — I was dealing with the sputtering ending of the longest relationship I’d ever had, as well as looking for a new place to live that was closer to the Tower District. All of this was in the shadow of the pointless Gulf War 1.0.

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Certain Songs #1731: R.E.M. – “Shiny Happy People”

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Album: Out of Time
Year: 1991

File Under Shine

I know, I know: many of you hate this song. Hell, R.E.M. hates this song: not only did they never play it in concert, Michael Stipe once uttered the immortal phrase “I hate that song, Space Ghost” on a very popular late-night TV show.

It often shows up on lists of “worst songs by great bands,” (which is insane while Around The Sun exists), but you know what? Y’all need to calm down. Because “Shiny Happy People” is a fucking great song. Don’t @ me.

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Certain Songs #1730: R.E.M – “Losing My Religion”

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Album: Out of Time
Year: 1991

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File Under Spotlight

So let’s dispel a couple of myths surrounding Out of Time up front. It is neither R.E.M.’s “mandolin album,” nor is it their “switching instruments album.” Are there a couple of songs where Peter Buck plays mandolin? Yes, but there were more on Green. Are there songs where Bill Berry plays bass and doesn’t play drums? Yes, but those are drumless tracks. Does Mike Mills play a lot of keyboards on the record? Yes, but same goes for Lifes Rich Pageant.

That said, Out of Time does feature fewer uptempo straight-up electric guitar-based rock songs than any R.E.M. album previously released, and the arrangements are lusher, fuller and more experimental as well.

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