R.E.M.'s Five Best Songs
After almost 30 years of pioneering alternative rock music, R.E.M. announced this week that they were calling it quits. The Athens, Georgia outfit were groundbreakers in the alternative, college rock scene of the 1980’s that also produced such acts as The Replacements and The Pixies. Their 1991 single “Losing My Religion” thrust the band into the mainstream where they became a mainstay with their lyrically rich, melody-driven pop gems, and their groundbreaking videos. 1992’s Automatic for the People continued the momentum created by “Losing My Religion” and is on almost every list of rock’s greatest albums. It included the hits “Everybody Hurts,” and “Man on the Moon.” The Grammy-winning boys from Athens will leave a void in the alternative rock scene that will be impossible to fill. They secret to R.E.M.’s success was always the connection their fans felt with their songs. Here are the five that have meant the most to me.
1 – Man on the Moon – My favorite of all R.E.M.’s lyrics. This ode to doomed comedian Andy Kaufman truly shows the unlimited possibilities of a simple pop song. The chorus is brilliantly catchy. Easily one of their best live songs as well.
2 – Everybody Hurts – The insanely famous and touching guitar work by Buck is also insanely simple, another of R.E.M.’s strengths. R.E.M. were never pretentious musically, and never put more into a song than the song required. And consider the lyric. Perfectly understated and beautiful. Alternative rock’s comforting, heartbreaking anthem.
3 – Nightswimming – Automatic for the People’s underrated gem. In fact, “Nightswimming” may be the most underrated song in all of popular music. Oddly structured, without a typical verse/chorus pattern, “Nightswimming” is mesmerizing and beautiful.
4 – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It – Forget the fast-paced lyric and how poorly it has been copied since. Like any great pop song, “End of the World” and its melody stick in your head like the gum you fell asleep chewing, even if you can’t remember the words.
5 – So. Central Rain – Jangly, guitar-pop at its best. Stipe’s vocal is terrific, and the simple repetition of “I’m Sorry” during the chorus is perfect. R.E.M. just finding their stride as major artists.
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