R.E.M

Certain Songs #1764: R.E.M. – “It Happened Today”

March 2, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Collapse Into Now
Year: 2011

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File Under Hooray

After the tour to support Accelerate, Michael Stipe decided that he didn’t want to tour anymore, their second WB contract was ending, Peter Buck suggested that maybe they break up, Mike Mills agreed, and so R.E.M. went into the studio to make one last last album, essentially free to do whatever they wanted.

So, naturally, they made an R.E.M. album, pulling out pretty much all of their bag of tricks: jangly guitars, gorgeous harmonies, dumbass rockers, piano-driven ballads, special guest vocals, swirly experimentation. That was 2011’s Collapse Into Now, as fine of a purposely final album as you’re ever going to find.

Certain Songs #1763: R.E.M. – “Horse to Water”

February 29, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Accelerate
Year: 2008

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File Under Easy

For Accelerate, R.E.M. had changed producers yet again, replacing Pat McCarthy, who’d come aboard during Up, with Jacknife Lee, an Irish producer who’d worked with artists like Snow Patrol, Bloc Party and U2. And indeed, it was the Edge who recommended Lee, who helped R.E.M. the album short, sharp and focused as fuck. It had been two decades since they’d worked so fast.

And so my favorite song on Accelerate was the penultimate track, “Horse to Water,” which starts off with a massive Bill Reiflin drumbeat and Michael Stipe singing over clanking guitar noises.

Certain Songs #1737: R.E.M. – “Man on the Moon”

January 28, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Automatic for the People
Year: 1992

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File Under Andy

“Man on the Moon” just might be my favorite R.E.M song.

Andy Kaufman was only on this planet for 35 years, but he made a helluva impression, to the point where there are people who firmly believe that he’s actually been on this planet for 71 years, having faked his 1984 death.

Certain Songs #1729: R.E.M. – “Perfect Circle (Greensboro 11-10-1989)”

January 17, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Green (25th Anniversary)
Year: 1989

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File Under Friends

This is somewhat convoluted. This version of this song was originally on the VHS of Tourfilm — a concert film from their 1989 tour — but when R.E.M. put out the 25th anniversary edition of Green back in 2014, the bonus disc was basically the audio they used for Tourfilm: a concert that was recorded in Greensboro, North Carolina on November 10, 1989.

Certain Songs #1709: R.E.M. – “Life and How To Live It”

December 18, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables
Year: 1985

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File Under Carpenter

“Live and How To Live It” just might be my favorite R.E.M. song.

For sure, it’s the greatest song I’ve ever seen them play live, the absolute highlight of the second time I saw them; at the Warnors Theatre in Fresno on July 19, 1985.