The person who directed this video also directed the movie "The Cell" with Jennifer Lopez. It shows. Check that movie out if you haven't before. It's absolutely gorgeous!.
R.E.M. is my favorite band! They have 15 studio albums, and lots of live albums and bootlegs. They sound best live! Two of the members, Mike Mills on bass and Peter Buck on guitar now play in a band called The Baseball Project, where all the songs are about baseball! Lead singer Michael Stipe sings solo and is working on an album. He is a photographer and has put out 3 books on photography. Drummer Bill Berry is playing with another band, the Bad Ends. The small guitar is a mandolin. They have so many incredible songs, both old and new are amazing. Maybe try Radio Free Europe, So. Central Rain, Carnival of Sorts for old ones, and It's the End Of the World As We Know It, Orange Crush, Don't Go Back To Rockville. I could name lots of others, too!!
Rather than a ukulele, Peter Buck is playing a Mandolin, en equally beautiful instrument. When they finished this album, they gave it to the record company, and the record company said "So you made an album with largely acoustic instruments, you want a mandolin-based song to be the single, and you don't want to tour for the record???". Well, the album was a smash and this song was a massive hit :-) AND, the video for this song won multiple awards, deservedly so.
The band was from Athens, Georgia, & As has prob been said 90 times already “losing my religion” is a southern expression for “losing my temper”….is there a double meaning in there?, sure, why not, but….what the listener takes away from obscure-type lyrics are really the most important thingy….just keep that in mind with the origin of the expression.
The B-52s were also from Athens GA, the bands knew each other, REM were encouraged by the meteoric success of B-52s and followed in their footsteps. You’re right about Rapid Eye Movement - it’s specifically WHEN we’re dreaming.
Yes with some very specific visual references like Caravaggio (painted sexy young men) and John the Baptist: martyred by tied to a tree and shot with arrows …
Losing my religion is a southernism for losing my shyte, sometimes my temper, but basically......things are falling apart and completely out of control.The band is from Athens, Georgia......
R.E.M. has always been an excellent alternative rock band. In their early years I think they got labeled indie rock or college rock. But their songwriting is top-notch, with a supreme sense of melody. Micheal Stipe, the lead singer, was quoted as saying “losing my religion” is an old Southern expression for being at the end of your rope, at your wits’ end. The band was unsure a mandolin-based single would work, but it became their biggest tune. And this is another minor key song, specifically A minor. The reason it sounds sad and dark is because that’s the tone you get from minor keys. To hear this song in the opposite, a major key, would sound completely different. And that’s right, this video is heavily artistic. R.E.M. were from a different era when music videos could be works of art.
Totally agreed with your take on the cinematography. R.E.M. really took care in the their music videos, even those that did not make MTV and were only released on VHS compilations (yes, those are two OLD MAN references haha). Stipe wanted the music and images to speak for themselves and was leery of appearing in his music videos for the first several albums. But by this video, he and the band were much more comfortable in front of the camera. Their trademark is often a big emphasis on focus and background/foreground in their videos, which you don't see quite as much in videos nowadays with the HD and 4K we have now. You don't see quite as much of this amount of effort put into music videos now, both due to the capabilities of 4K/HD/personal computing, and the fact the music video was such a big deal between the 1980s and '90s. If you shot a great music video, the record companies saw it as a free 4-minute advertisement on MTV every few hours, to compel viewers to buy the album. Nowadays you can complete 75% of a music video from computer software - and you can spot the videos that do so based on their artificial/fake feel.
R.E.M. was my first introduction to music and is my all-time favorite band. Their catalogue is vast and is definitely a rabbit hole you would want to go through. I could literally recommend about 50 songs for you to react to next but instead of listing so many songs I'll just recommend my all-time favorite R.E.M. song and thats "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" An absolute in your face rock banger!
It's the Glastonbury Festival 2003 live. You won't be disappointed. It's as if Michael Stipe is trying desperately to reach anyone and everyone that is struggling with life.
Glad to hear how much you appreciated the video because it’s all what you said it is. One of the best ever made without a doubt. The song is equally impressive in its composition, arrangement and brilliant production. This was R.E.M. at their slickest, polished, pop peak. If you want to go down the R.E.M. rabbit hole there are so, so many amazing songs to suggest and I have so many songs by them which blow me away to this day. So, I’d have to say, start at the beginning and progress chronologically and you’ll appreciate their evolution as you experience their amazing catalog of brilliant music. So, with that said, you should begin your journey with “Radio Free Europe” which is actually the first song I ever heard by R.E.M. when I was living on campus during my first year in college. The song and the band were like nothing I had ever heard before and I was hooked. Should you decide to react to something other than that suggestion, here are a few others which are my personal favorites “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”, “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”, “Talk About The Passion”, “Fall On Me”, “Gardening At Night”.
R.E.M. (the band) took their name from the acronym "Rapid Eye Movement" in the early 80's, formed in Georgia (the US state) by a group of friends - Michael Stipe (vocals), Mike Mills (bass/ keyboards), Peter Buck (guitar/ mandolin) and Bill Berry (drums)... R.E.M. was signed to indie label IRS Records in '82 and their debut album 'Murmur' in 1983 was a surprising success, making the US top 40 ... R.E.M. spent years recording and becoming champions of what became 'alternative rock' that dominated the scene in the 90's w/ bands that were not top-notch musicians, but focused on songs that were not heavily produced ... By their 5th album 'Document' in 1987, R.E.M. was actually getting MTV airplay and the album went platinum... Warner Bros. Records offered R.E.M. 6 to 12 Million $$$ to sign w/ the label... Their 6th album 'Green' was released in 1988 and scored major hits like - 'Stand' ... 'Orange crush'... 🔥and sold 2x platinum eventually. But the next R.E.M record would send them to superstardom in the 90's. Apparently, R.E.M. wanted to focus on making acoustic albums and it resulted in the album 'Out of time' in 1991... 'Losing my religion' became a huge single on MTV and radio and ushered in the 90's alternative rock scene as the album sold 4 million copies in the US, 18 million worldwide ... and charted at #1 in the US and UK... the next acoustic album 'Automatic for the people' in 1992 also went to #1 and sold 4x platinum in the US w/ a string of hits - 'Drive' ... 'Man on the moon' ... 'Everybody hurts'... 🔥 The record even featured former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones arranging the album's orchestral parts. R.E.M. finally opted to tour again in 1994 and return w/ an electric album 'Monster' ... which became another #1 hit w/ the singles - 'Bang and blame' ... "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" ... 'Crush with eyeliner'... However, problems emerged on tour when drummer Bill Berry suffered an aneurysm. After the next album 'The new adventures in hi-fi' (1996), Bill Berry (drums) opted to leave R.E.M. after recovering from his aneurysm... he was not replaced but substituted by session drummers. R.E.M. released 'Up' in 1998, but the alternative rock scene was starting to dissipate in the late 90's as the music trends went against the band... They continued to make records but ceased touring by 2010 and released their final album 'Collapse into now' in 2011 before announcing that R.E.M. were disbanding that year.
Enjoying your take on the cinematic elements of this gorgeous video. Btw, I think the instrument is a mandolin, which is a very old string instrument and maybe inspired the ancient imagery
Mandolin….a bluegrass instrument, but, like the modern guitar I think it has roots in the lute….the European version of the guitar anyway…..the anthropology of the guitar , and stringed instruments, is kinda worldwide, of course….world history is amazing.
So glad you reacted to this wonderful video! The lyrics are great, but the cinematography is also wonderful. Shocking, captivating, weird, creative, engaging....... All those things make it one of my favorite songs and one of my favorite videos of all time. Also the driving beat of the drums contrasted with the ringing and rhythm of the mandolin!
I continue to be impressed by how meticulous you are in breaking down the videos and the research you do into the artists and trying to ascertain the meaning behind the song. I follow some very good reactors but they mostly speculate on the meaning of a song and give off the cuff reactions, which is fine. But you go the extra mile and I appreciate that. To be continued. . .
I'm watching this in November of 2024 and can't believe how much happened this year. Unfortunately much of it was really sad. I hope 2025 is a better year with krss sad news.🙏
There's quite a few artists that came from the state of Georgia... Rock n' roll icon Little Richard was from there... Other bands from Georgia - The B-52's... Collective Soul ... Sevendust ... The Georgia Satellites ... Marvelous 3 ... Baroness ... Mastodon ... Atlanta Rhythm Section ... Jackyl... etc.
Do "It's the End of the World as We Know It" next, then "The One I Love". Get a sense of their earlier stuff before you do their later, arguably more pop sounding hits. Those are amazing as well, but get to know them first. Keep it up, man. Loving your journey.
Dude, great review! I'm halfway through it and I heard you say that you love cinematic videos. I implore you to check out Pink's video U+Ur Hand or Just Like a Pill, which I think may be cinematically more your style. Also, the fabulously produced beautiful trauma with Pink and Channing Tatum. All of her videos are meticulously produced. In her performances, Pink never lip-syncs. She dances, she does aerial acrobatics, she rappels down the sides of buildings, all while singing beautifully. In interviews. I've heard her say that she is not having fun if she is not risking her life. Adrenaline junkie? 20 years after the beginning of her career, she is till in top form and getting fabulous performances. I saw her in September 2023, in Philadelphia, PA her hometown. I only discovered her 2 years ago. I could not have survived the end of a toxic relationship and gotten out of it without Pink, who always roots for the underdog. Her vocals are amazing. She collaborates with many greats, including Eminem, in the "leaked" video Revenge. It's really amusing, kind of like a circus backstage rehearsal. Worth watching, but the audio is mono. I didn't even realize it because I liked the song so much. But if you watch the video and you like the song, I recommend listening to it from the album also. If you'd like something a little earlier, check out the video from her r&b early days. She does the motorcycle stunts from the song There You Go. When she was young she trained for 8 years as a gymnast. She is still in top condition and gives live performances like you would not believe. They are incomparable. There is nothing like them. I'm going to keep peeking in at your channel and see if maybe you'll watch a little Pink with us. I'm really looking forward to watching more of your reactions. It's hard to find anyone that pays attention to lyrics, let alone cinematics. Thanks!
HAPPY New Year, big Dogg! it’s the 6th, and said it before, but stands repeating. not, a uke; it’s a mandolin, has eight strings. uke has four. and yeah… especially with the tenor in the singers voice, the higher pitch of the mandy fits very well. u’r right, some very stunningly beautiful photog work. nice pick, good reaction @Anthony!
A way to tell without having to know too much about one instrument's capabilities vs the other's is that a modern mandolin usually has metal strings and produces a very "ringing" sound like you hear here, whereas a modern ukulele has nylon strings and produces a much softer/less ringing sound. Historically, both instruments were strung with gut (I think metal strings were pretty unusual before some point after the Industrial Age revved up - it was "hard" to produce thin wire before there was precision-ish machinery to do so. It *was* produced earlier than the Industrial Age, but not for many instruments - probably extremely expensive, and strings break/wear, so it needs to be purchased over and over and over again through the life of an instrument). Regarding the video - it was HUGELY influential through the 90s (the Cranberries' Zombies came afterwards, for example). I remember seeing it for the first time in 1991 and thinking "whoa, music is... changing, YAY!" (I had a dim view of most of the 80s until fairly recently). It's like a series of oil paintings come to life.
I saw them in a small local venue early on, got to hang out with them for a bit; they were so progressive at the time and what a fun band. If you have reacted to the B-52's, then you have reacted to another band from Athens, Georgia.
The fallen winged man I think was about Icarus (flew too close to the sun). That’s what I always though but I could be completely wrong. Great reaction btw Goes without saying with you
REM is amazing. I saw them a long time ago at the Colombian River Gorge amphitheater in Washington, and it started storming at night while they were playing. Instead of getting offstage, he kicked off his shoes and danced around in the rain during this song. Such a great concert memory!
The mandolin has metal strings, hence the metallic sound. The ukelele has nylon/gut strings and, as you observed, is kind of like a miniature guitar. Very commonly used in Hawaiian music-popular and…? (Definitely on the beach with your honey 😊). As to music videos, I consider them an art form-both low and high. While they were invented by the Record Companies as a means to introduce (push) their clients’ music via MTV and such, some brilliant creative works resulted. My suggestion: react to the music. React to the lyrics (major points for paying attention to them!). React to the music video. Three layers. Use the backspace (?) capability to pause, comment on any/all of those layers, back up & continue. There’s another reactor I follow who is a professional singer & vocal coach-who (my words) enjoys slumming around deconstructing vocal technique of pop/rock singers with a strong emphasis on heavy metal bands. But anyway, she plays a good bit initially-as much as a minute-then starts again from the beginning and stops frequently to comment, frequent short rewinds, until roughly the two third point at which it usually plays until the end (unless something different happens). I’m not saying that model is one you ought to follow BUT you might benefit from aspects of it. You often play up to the end of the first phrase; that’s perfectly reasonable. Backing up a little before you continue would sound better. IF you had things to say about lyrics, music AND video maybe starting again would be justified? Continuing on to end of second phrase or… React. Possibly back up to start of second phrase; if not just a few beats. And so on. Obviously dependent on what/how much you have to say. This might shift some of your reactions to being within the music play while the research would still come after as you’ve been doing it. Bottom line: I (lonely voice in the wilderness) fully support you in reacting on the three levels as noted. You’re interesting, completely capable and urge you to have the confidence to keep on doing what you’re doing. 👍🏿
There is a 20 minute or so film around the time of Reckoning so 84, that you would really love. They consciously put it together to go with their music and it’s not really narrative at all but it has the same vividness in its way and lushness of video. Check it out.
OIngo Boingo disbanded amicably as well. Not many do it. Danny Elfman wanted to focus on his soundtrack career. You should check out "Insanity" from their last album.
This might have been mentioned already, but the band has said that "to lose one's religion" is a southern expression meaning something along the lines of "losing one's mind"...just kind of losing oneself being afraid of losing one's grip on reality....something like that. And I imagine getting caught up in love can definitely do that.
They just liked the sound of the letters R.E.M. To me, their first five records stand way above the rest; six if you count the ‘Chronic Town’ EP, which I think you have to: it’s the first record they ever made. Nobody sounded like them. Stipe closed his eyes and slowly mumbled his words. The rhythm section sounded like they were playing as fast as they could to catch up to the song. Guitar scattered notes like a machine gun, and the music was alive. The words didn’t matter as much as the sound of the words and how they colored the music, and the sum was much greater than the individual parts. The band caught on slowly over a few years and finally started selling a ton of records after a few years, when to me the passion in the music was fading. It was amazing they could keep up that intensity as long as they did. “Carnival Of Sorts”, “ Radio Free Europe”, “Sitting Still”, “Harborcoat”, and “Feeling Gravitys Pull” are early favorites. Thanks!
I am pretty sure that those shots of the old men with beards posing are an attempt to duplicate famous paintings of the seventeenth century in Europe. I am not an art expert but I'm pretty certain that many of the shots are recreation of famous paintings. The shots are beautiful.
I can be very wrong about this, but I read that the term “losing my religion” is an a southern saying about someone who made an ass of themselves in public, maybe with a loud argument. If that’s true, the song could be about someone who ended a relationship by saying what he really felt. And it was a relationship that he was trying to cling to by not being himself.
No, it’s to be shocked from what you thought you knew: “When he said that little Joey was actually BILLY’s son, well I just about lost my religion right there.” It means to have your faith deeply shattered, in whatever-not religion necessarily although I love the clearly religious imagery supposing those falls from grace in different eras and faiths.
So the song. This is an absolute masterpiece and the sheer artistry of the video just enchances it. It should be noted that the man in the dark suit standing behind Stipe in the video was his partner at the time and Stipe is talking directly to him. He is clearly obsessed and "losing my religion" is used here to mean that's he's lost all sense of self in attempt to hold on to him at all costs. At least that's the way I see it from my experience in being in a similar situation. Thanks for reading my Master's thesis on the song lol
Stipe, the vocalist, is bisexual, and back in the day it was much harder to come out and date openly. Oone had to rely on subtle cues, and it could be dangerous to openly express your attraction to someone if you didn't know their sexual orientation . This song basically sums up the repression and frustration of feelings that couldn't be openly expressed.
I think Micheal stipe lost a little of his “give a f*ck” when Kurt cobain died….I think he lost a little of his old mojo….also, their drummer, bill berry, had an aneurysm on the road at some point in the mid-90’s, & they all loved each other and they all, I think, got a little disenchanted with it all, & pulled back, if not immediately , shortly thereafter ….that’s kinda just always been my thoughts on them….had they not lost their “give a f*ck” they could’ve kept it going more & conquered the world even further, but they kind of just purposely dropped the ball on their more ambitious leanings and fame (again, my opinion)…which is why a lot of young ppl 15 years ago hadn’t really heard of r.e.m. like they’d heard about all the other truly great bands in rock history, it wasn’t because r.e.m. wasn’t as big as bands can possibly get (Kurt cobain worshipped them), it’s again, because they kinda dropped the ball…… *if* they reunited today and didn’t refuse to play all their old, highly magnificent, material like they used to, they could make about 100 trillion dollars (an exaggeration for effect, but they’d make a f*ck ton of money) touring the world…..but, they always had a lot, lot, lot of integrity….in my old age i dont agree with them politically one iota, but I respect the sh*t out of them….they are truly up there with all the greats in rock history to me, truly, name anyone, put anyone in the mix & r.e.m. will still always be in my top 5 bands of all time, and they could’ve been even greater, but, they kinda concentrated on the more important things in life. This is all just my opinion & my take away from a lifetime of growing up with them & loving their musical gifts….the spectacular run of albums they had from 1983 to 1992 is a very rare thing in the rock/music business, that is to be that consistently great….which, is why there so high on my list. And they’re originality. Anyway, sorry about writing such a long, rambling comment.
Yeah, totally….they were definitely a family and loved each other, so, yeah, their break up was totally chill…..again, I think when their drummer almost died, they really got even closer as a family I think.
Everybody Hurts is my favorite song of theirs. That's a mandolin.
I LOVE this song!! LOVE IT, I could have it on repeat all day long and never tire of it!
The beautiful mandolin ❤️
The person who directed this video also directed the movie "The Cell" with Jennifer Lopez. It shows. Check that movie out if you haven't before. It's absolutely gorgeous!.
I like R.E.M. a lot, but based on their lyrics and the mood of many of their songs, I always thought the name to mean Really Emotional Musicians lol.
REM refers to rapid eye movement while dreaming. Following your dreams with your eyes.
Saw them live twice. They were so far ahead of their time. This song is 30 years old and sounds like it could.have been released yesterday.
agree
R.E.M. is my favorite band! They have 15 studio albums, and lots of live albums and bootlegs. They sound best live! Two of the members, Mike Mills on bass and Peter Buck on guitar now play in a band called The Baseball Project, where all the songs are about baseball! Lead singer Michael Stipe sings solo and is working on an album. He is a photographer and has put out 3 books on photography. Drummer Bill Berry is playing with another band, the Bad Ends. The small guitar is a mandolin. They have so many incredible songs, both old and new are amazing. Maybe try Radio Free Europe, So. Central Rain, Carnival of Sorts for old ones, and It's the End Of the World As We Know It, Orange Crush, Don't Go Back To Rockville. I could name lots of others, too!!
Rather than a ukulele, Peter Buck is playing a Mandolin, en equally beautiful instrument. When they finished this album, they gave it to the record company, and the record company said "So you made an album with largely acoustic instruments, you want a mandolin-based song to be the single, and you don't want to tour for the record???". Well, the album was a smash and this song was a massive hit :-) AND, the video for this song won multiple awards, deservedly so.
The band was from Athens, Georgia, & As has prob been said 90 times already “losing my religion” is a southern expression for “losing my temper”….is there a double meaning in there?, sure, why not, but….what the listener takes away from obscure-type lyrics are really the most important thingy….just keep that in mind with the origin of the expression.
The B-52s were also from Athens GA, the bands knew each other, REM were encouraged by the meteoric success of B-52s and followed in their footsteps.
You’re right about Rapid Eye Movement - it’s specifically WHEN we’re dreaming.
This is a video masterpiece! Most of the visuals are similar to Renaissance art.
Yes with some very specific visual references like Caravaggio (painted sexy young men) and John the Baptist: martyred by tied to a tree and shot with arrows …
Yes!! I've always loved this video - so beautiful and expressive.
Losing my religion is a southernism for losing my shyte, sometimes my temper, but basically......things are falling apart and completely out of control.The band is from Athens, Georgia......
My absolute favorite song back then, even if I misunderstood it back then. But the feeling was right!
R.E.M. has always been an excellent alternative rock band. In their early years I think they got labeled indie rock or college rock. But their songwriting is top-notch, with a supreme sense of melody. Micheal Stipe, the lead singer, was quoted as saying “losing my religion” is an old Southern expression for being at the end of your rope, at your wits’ end. The band was unsure a mandolin-based single would work, but it became their biggest tune. And this is another minor key song, specifically A minor. The reason it sounds sad and dark is because that’s the tone you get from minor keys. To hear this song in the opposite, a major key, would sound completely different. And that’s right, this video is heavily artistic. R.E.M. were from a different era when music videos could be works of art.
Totally agreed with your take on the cinematography. R.E.M. really took care in the their music videos, even those that did not make MTV and were only released on VHS compilations (yes, those are two OLD MAN references haha). Stipe wanted the music and images to speak for themselves and was leery of appearing in his music videos for the first several albums. But by this video, he and the band were much more comfortable in front of the camera.
Their trademark is often a big emphasis on focus and background/foreground in their videos, which you don't see quite as much in videos nowadays with the HD and 4K we have now. You don't see quite as much of this amount of effort put into music videos now, both due to the capabilities of 4K/HD/personal computing, and the fact the music video was such a big deal between the 1980s and '90s. If you shot a great music video, the record companies saw it as a free 4-minute advertisement on MTV every few hours, to compel viewers to buy the album. Nowadays you can complete 75% of a music video from computer software - and you can spot the videos that do so based on their artificial/fake feel.
R.E.M. was my first introduction to music and is my all-time favorite band. Their catalogue is vast and is definitely a rabbit hole you would want to go through. I could literally recommend about 50 songs for you to react to next but instead of listing so many songs I'll just recommend my all-time favorite R.E.M. song and thats "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" An absolute in your face rock banger!
Definitely show us your reaction to Everybody Hurts. There's a live version that is so emotional to watch. Michael Stipe is amazing!
It's the Glastonbury Festival 2003 live. You won't be disappointed. It's as if Michael Stipe is trying desperately to reach anyone and everyone that is struggling with life.
I agree! The video alone will tear your heart out, the live version actually stomps the piss out of it.
I think he's playing a mandolin; my father used to play one many years ago.
Glad to hear how much you appreciated the video because it’s all what you said it is. One of the best ever made without a doubt. The song is equally impressive in its composition, arrangement and brilliant production. This was R.E.M. at their slickest, polished, pop peak. If you want to go down the R.E.M. rabbit hole there are so, so many amazing songs to suggest and I have so many songs by them which blow me away to this day. So, I’d have to say, start at the beginning and progress chronologically and you’ll appreciate their evolution as you experience their amazing catalog of brilliant music. So, with that said, you should begin your journey with “Radio Free Europe” which is actually the first song I ever heard by R.E.M. when I was living on campus during my first year in college. The song and the band were like nothing I had ever heard before and I was hooked. Should you decide to react to something other than that suggestion, here are a few others which are my personal favorites “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”, “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”, “Talk About The Passion”, “Fall On Me”, “Gardening At Night”.
It's basically bringing Renaissance art to life. Very much Caravaggio lighting.
Michael Stipe can sing me literally anything! His voice is perfect. Also today is his birthday so this was amazing!
The vídeo was inspired by a Gabriel Garcia Marquez'tale called "A very old man with enormous Wings"
R.E.M. (the band) took their name from the acronym "Rapid Eye Movement" in the early 80's, formed in Georgia (the US state) by a group of friends - Michael Stipe (vocals), Mike Mills (bass/ keyboards), Peter Buck (guitar/ mandolin) and Bill Berry (drums)... R.E.M. was signed to indie label IRS Records in '82 and their debut album 'Murmur' in 1983 was a surprising success, making the US top 40 ... R.E.M. spent years recording and becoming champions of what became 'alternative rock' that dominated the scene in the 90's w/ bands that were not top-notch musicians, but focused on songs that were not heavily produced ...
By their 5th album 'Document' in 1987, R.E.M. was actually getting MTV airplay and the album went platinum... Warner Bros. Records offered R.E.M. 6 to 12 Million $$$ to sign w/ the label... Their 6th album 'Green' was released in 1988 and scored major hits like - 'Stand' ... 'Orange crush'... 🔥and sold 2x platinum eventually. But the next R.E.M record would send them to superstardom in the 90's.
Apparently, R.E.M. wanted to focus on making acoustic albums and it resulted in the album 'Out of time' in 1991... 'Losing my religion' became a huge single on MTV and radio and ushered in the 90's alternative rock scene as the album sold 4 million copies in the US, 18 million worldwide ... and charted at #1 in the US and UK... the next acoustic album 'Automatic for the people' in 1992 also went to #1 and sold 4x platinum in the US w/ a string of hits - 'Drive' ... 'Man on the moon' ... 'Everybody hurts'... 🔥 The record even featured former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones arranging the album's orchestral parts.
R.E.M. finally opted to tour again in 1994 and return w/ an electric album 'Monster' ... which became another #1 hit w/ the singles - 'Bang and blame' ... "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" ... 'Crush with eyeliner'... However, problems emerged on tour when drummer Bill Berry suffered an aneurysm.
After the next album 'The new adventures in hi-fi' (1996), Bill Berry (drums) opted to leave R.E.M. after recovering from his aneurysm... he was not replaced but substituted by session drummers.
R.E.M. released 'Up' in 1998, but the alternative rock scene was starting to dissipate in the late 90's as the music trends went against the band... They continued to make records but ceased touring by 2010 and released their final album 'Collapse into now' in 2011 before announcing that R.E.M. were disbanding that year.
Enjoying your take on the cinematic elements of this gorgeous video. Btw, I think the instrument is a mandolin, which is a very old string instrument and maybe inspired the ancient imagery
This video also touches on the short story A very old man with enormous wings , look it up
Watch R.E.M "The One I Love" which was filmed in the Morton Theatre in Athens, GA during its restoration.
Visuals are like paintings.
It is highly artful…..the video has giant vibes of renaissance painting…..it’s a beautiful video for sure.
Mandolin….a bluegrass instrument, but, like the modern guitar I think it has roots in the lute….the European version of the guitar anyway…..the anthropology of the guitar , and stringed instruments, is kinda worldwide, of course….world history is amazing.
REM is an amazing band
I'm here for all aspects of your reaction. Visual, lyrical and emotional. Some setting moods look like the old Dutch painter's compositions.
So glad you reacted to this wonderful video! The lyrics are great, but the cinematography is also wonderful. Shocking, captivating, weird, creative, engaging....... All those things make it one of my favorite songs and one of my favorite videos of all time. Also the driving beat of the drums contrasted with the ringing and rhythm of the mandolin!
So glad you really appreciated the video
I continue to be impressed by how meticulous you are in breaking down the videos and the research you do into the artists and trying to ascertain the meaning behind the song. I follow some very good reactors but they mostly speculate on the meaning of a song and give off the cuff reactions, which is fine. But you go the extra mile and I appreciate that. To be continued. . .
Your reactions are so authentic. I hadn't made the connection to The Cranberries' Zombie video, but now I totally see it.
I'm watching this in November of 2024 and can't believe how much happened this year. Unfortunately much of it was really sad. I hope 2025 is a better year with krss sad news.🙏
There's quite a few artists that came from the state of Georgia... Rock n' roll icon Little Richard was from there...
Other bands from Georgia - The B-52's... Collective Soul ... Sevendust ... The Georgia Satellites ... Marvelous 3 ... Baroness ... Mastodon ... Atlanta Rhythm Section ... Jackyl... etc.
Ray Charles, James Brown, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers, OutKast,…
I recommend next the official video of Everybody Hurts!
Do "It's the End of the World as We Know It" next, then "The One I Love". Get a sense of their earlier stuff before you do their later, arguably more pop sounding hits. Those are amazing as well, but get to know them first. Keep it up, man. Loving your journey.
Yes. The earlier records are the best. Unique
Dude, great review! I'm halfway through it and I heard you say that you love cinematic videos. I implore you to check out Pink's video U+Ur Hand or Just Like a Pill, which I think may be cinematically more your style. Also, the fabulously produced beautiful trauma with Pink and Channing Tatum. All of her videos are meticulously produced.
In her performances, Pink never lip-syncs. She dances, she does aerial acrobatics, she rappels down the sides of buildings, all while singing beautifully. In interviews. I've heard her say that she is not having fun if she is not risking her life. Adrenaline junkie? 20 years after the beginning of her career, she is till in top form and getting fabulous performances. I saw her in September 2023, in Philadelphia, PA her hometown.
I only discovered her 2 years ago. I could not have survived the end of a toxic relationship and gotten out of it without Pink, who always roots for the underdog. Her vocals are amazing. She collaborates with many greats, including Eminem, in the "leaked" video Revenge. It's really amusing, kind of like a circus backstage rehearsal. Worth watching, but the audio is mono. I didn't even realize it because I liked the song so much. But if you watch the video and you like the song, I recommend listening to it from the album also.
If you'd like something a little earlier, check out the video from her r&b early days. She does the motorcycle stunts from the song There You Go. When she was young she trained for 8 years as a gymnast. She is still in top condition and gives live performances like you would not believe. They are incomparable. There is nothing like them. I'm going to keep peeking in at your channel and see if maybe you'll watch a little Pink with us.
I'm really looking forward to watching more of your reactions. It's hard to find anyone that pays attention to lyrics, let alone cinematics. Thanks!
HAPPY New Year, big Dogg!
it’s the 6th, and said it before, but stands repeating.
not, a uke; it’s a mandolin, has eight strings. uke has four. and yeah… especially with the tenor in the singers voice, the higher pitch of the mandy fits very well.
u’r right, some very stunningly beautiful photog work.
nice pick, good reaction @Anthony!
A way to tell without having to know too much about one instrument's capabilities vs the other's is that a modern mandolin usually has metal strings and produces a very "ringing" sound like you hear here, whereas a modern ukulele has nylon strings and produces a much softer/less ringing sound.
Historically, both instruments were strung with gut (I think metal strings were pretty unusual before some point after the Industrial Age revved up - it was "hard" to produce thin wire before there was precision-ish machinery to do so. It *was* produced earlier than the Industrial Age, but not for many instruments - probably extremely expensive, and strings break/wear, so it needs to be purchased over and over and over again through the life of an instrument).
Regarding the video - it was HUGELY influential through the 90s (the Cranberries' Zombies came afterwards, for example). I remember seeing it for the first time in 1991 and thinking "whoa, music is... changing, YAY!" (I had a dim view of most of the 80s until fairly recently). It's like a series of oil paintings come to life.
I saw them in a small local venue early on, got to hang out with them for a bit; they were so progressive at the time and what a fun band.
If you have reacted to the B-52's, then you have reacted to another band from Athens, Georgia.
R.E.M. was 4 goofy guys who made magic when they played together.
The fallen winged man I think was about Icarus (flew too close to the sun). That’s what I always though but I could be completely wrong. Great reaction btw Goes without saying with you
That was my impression as well, maybe because I was a Lit major in college ha.
REM is amazing. I saw them a long time ago at the Colombian River Gorge amphitheater in Washington, and it started storming at night while they were playing. Instead of getting offstage, he kicked off his shoes and danced around in the rain during this song. Such a great concert memory!
I'm with you on the video. It is fantastic! I love the song as well.
The video Is indeed a masterpiece full of symbolisms.
The mandolin has metal strings, hence the metallic sound. The ukelele has nylon/gut strings and, as you observed, is kind of like a miniature guitar. Very commonly used in Hawaiian music-popular and…? (Definitely on the beach with your honey 😊).
As to music videos, I consider them an art form-both low and high. While they were invented by the Record Companies as a means to introduce (push) their clients’ music via MTV and such, some brilliant creative works resulted.
My suggestion: react to the music. React to the lyrics (major points for paying attention to them!). React to the music video. Three layers. Use the backspace (?) capability to pause, comment on any/all of those layers, back up & continue.
There’s another reactor I follow who is a professional singer & vocal coach-who (my words) enjoys slumming around deconstructing vocal technique of pop/rock singers with a strong emphasis on heavy metal bands. But anyway, she plays a good bit initially-as much as a minute-then starts again from the beginning and stops frequently to comment, frequent short rewinds, until roughly the two third point at which it usually plays until the end (unless something different happens).
I’m not saying that model is one you ought to follow BUT you might benefit from aspects of it. You often play up to the end of the first phrase; that’s perfectly reasonable. Backing up a little before you continue would sound better. IF you had things to say about lyrics, music AND video maybe starting again would be justified? Continuing on to end of second phrase or… React. Possibly back up to start of second phrase; if not just a few beats. And so on. Obviously dependent on what/how much you have to say.
This might shift some of your reactions to being within the music play while the research would still come after as you’ve been doing it.
Bottom line: I (lonely voice in the wilderness) fully support you in reacting on the three levels as noted. You’re interesting, completely capable and urge you to have the confidence to keep on doing what you’re doing. 👍🏿
There is a 20 minute or so film around the time of Reckoning so 84, that you would really love. They consciously put it together to go with their music and it’s not really narrative at all but it has the same vividness in its way and lushness of video. Check it out.
I’m not much into alternative rock although I do appreciate it however REM is a fantastic group that would have survived any era of music
Hit their early stuff. really great music
OIngo Boingo disbanded amicably as well. Not many do it. Danny Elfman wanted to focus on his soundtrack career. You should check out "Insanity" from their last album.
Great reaction. Check out "Everybody Hurts" next :)
This might have been mentioned already, but the band has said that "to lose one's religion" is a southern expression meaning something along the lines of "losing one's mind"...just kind of losing oneself being afraid of losing one's grip on reality....something like that. And I imagine getting caught up in love can definitely do that.
Love this!
They just liked the sound of the letters R.E.M. To me, their first five records stand way above the rest; six if you count the ‘Chronic Town’ EP, which I think you have to: it’s the first record they ever made. Nobody sounded like them. Stipe closed his eyes and slowly mumbled his words. The rhythm section sounded like they were playing as fast as they could to catch up to the song. Guitar scattered notes like a machine gun, and the music was alive. The words didn’t matter as much as the sound of the words and how they colored the music, and the sum was much greater than the individual parts. The band caught on slowly over a few years and finally started selling a ton of records after a few years, when to me the passion in the music was fading. It was amazing they could keep up that intensity as long as they did. “Carnival Of Sorts”, “ Radio Free Europe”, “Sitting Still”, “Harborcoat”, and “Feeling Gravitys Pull” are early favorites. Thanks!
I liked R.E.M when I was in college but haven't listened to them after I got back from Iraq.
I am pretty sure that those shots of the old men with beards posing are an attempt to duplicate famous paintings of the seventeenth century in Europe. I am not an art expert but I'm pretty certain that many of the shots are recreation of famous paintings. The shots are beautiful.
Little Guitar=Mandolin
Check out some Bill Monroe and/or Ricky Scaggs.
I can be very wrong about this, but I read that the term “losing my religion” is an a southern saying about someone who made an ass of themselves in public, maybe with a loud argument. If that’s true, the song could be about someone who ended a relationship by saying what he really felt. And it was a relationship that he was trying to cling to by not being himself.
No, it’s to be shocked from what you thought you knew: “When he said that little Joey was actually BILLY’s son, well I just about lost my religion right there.” It means to have your faith deeply shattered, in whatever-not religion necessarily although I love the clearly religious imagery supposing those falls from grace in different eras and faiths.
I always heard it used as “loss of faith”, coming to doubt what used to be your foundation of belief, everything you used to hold as true and Truth.
So the song. This is an absolute masterpiece and the sheer artistry of the video just enchances it. It should be noted that the man in the dark suit standing behind Stipe in the video was his partner at the time and Stipe is talking directly to him. He is clearly obsessed and "losing my religion" is used here to mean that's he's lost all sense of self in attempt to hold on to him at all costs. At least that's the way I see it from my experience in being in a similar situation. Thanks for reading my Master's thesis on the song lol
I'd love to see you do a music journey through the group Duran Duran. You won't be disappointed!
Everbody Hurts next, pretty please
Great to see you doing so well.. Everybody Hurts should be next from them 😊
❤❤❤❤❤❤
These guys slept on my friends couch back in like 1982…
Thanks a lot. I love this song and I'll be singing it at the grocery store for at least a week. I'll tell the people around me it's your fault. 🙂
You should watch the video for "Lightening Crashes" by Live. It has some interesting visuals also.
Lots of great songs by this band, but I'm going to recommend Radio Song. I think you'd appreciate it 😁
Not a Ukulele but a Mandolin.
I think my favorite is Orange Crush
It's a mandolin 😊
Stipe, the vocalist, is bisexual, and back in the day it was much harder to come out and date openly. Oone had to rely on subtle cues, and it could be dangerous to openly express your attraction to someone if you didn't know their sexual orientation . This song basically sums up the repression and frustration of feelings that couldn't be openly expressed.
I suggest Orange Crush next. It is a banger.
I think Micheal stipe lost a little of his “give a f*ck” when Kurt cobain died….I think he lost a little of his old mojo….also, their drummer, bill berry, had an aneurysm on the road at some point in the mid-90’s, & they all loved each other and they all, I think, got a little disenchanted with it all, & pulled back, if not immediately , shortly thereafter ….that’s kinda just always been my thoughts on them….had they not lost their “give a f*ck” they could’ve kept it going more & conquered the world even further, but they kind of just purposely dropped the ball on their more ambitious leanings and fame (again, my opinion)…which is why a lot of young ppl 15 years ago hadn’t really heard of r.e.m. like they’d heard about all the other truly great bands in rock history, it wasn’t because r.e.m. wasn’t as big as bands can possibly get (Kurt cobain worshipped them), it’s again, because they kinda dropped the ball…… *if* they reunited today and didn’t refuse to play all their old, highly magnificent, material like they used to, they could make about 100 trillion dollars (an exaggeration for effect, but they’d make a f*ck ton of money) touring the world…..but, they always had a lot, lot, lot of integrity….in my old age i dont agree with them politically one iota, but I respect the sh*t out of them….they are truly up there with all the greats in rock history to me, truly, name anyone, put anyone in the mix & r.e.m. will still always be in my top 5 bands of all time, and they could’ve been even greater, but, they kinda concentrated on the more important things in life. This is all just my opinion & my take away from a lifetime of growing up with them & loving their musical gifts….the spectacular run of albums they had from 1983 to 1992 is a very rare thing in the rock/music business, that is to be that consistently great….which, is why there so high on my list. And they’re originality. Anyway, sorry about writing such a long, rambling comment.
Yeah, totally….they were definitely a family and loved each other, so, yeah, their break up was totally chill…..again, I think when their drummer almost died, they really got even closer as a family I think.
Orange crush Vietnam Nam version
Happy New Year…..
Wtf did you just drink in the bottle that looked red? Looked delicious for some reason
No Uke! It's a Mandolin!
The group name does not have to have a meaning, just be dectinive as to not cause confusion over the rights to their songs
Always disliked this song; but I do like the group
Censored video. Pathetic.