DOES THIS ONE HAVE SOME LAYERS TO PEEL BACK? First Time Hearing R.E.M. - Losing My Religion Reaction
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- 🎤 About R.E.M.:
R.E.M., an influential alternative rock band, is known for their enigmatic lyrics and unique sound. "Losing My Religion" is arguably one of their most famous tracks, marked by its mandolin riff and introspective lyrics. This song catapulted them into mainstream success, becoming a defining track of the early 90s and an anthem for existential angst.
Join us as we listen to "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. for the first time! The song is celebrated not only for its catchy melody but also for its deep lyrical content that explores themes of doubt, love, and introspection. Watch our reaction to see how we unpack the layers of this iconic track and discover the nuances that have resonated with listeners for decades.
🎵 What to Expect in This Video:
First Impressions: Our initial reactions to the distinctive mandolin intro and Michael Stipe’s haunting vocals.
Musical Analysis: A breakdown of the song’s musical composition, including its use of unconventional rock instruments.
Lyric Interpretation: Delving into the rich symbolism and metaphor used in the lyrics to express feelings of unrequited love and personal crisis.
Song’s Impact: Reflecting on how "Losing My Religion" influenced the music scene in the 90s and its lasting legacy in the world of alternative rock.
🤜🤛 Who We Are:
We’re a couple who loves exploring music that makes you think and feel, delving into songs that have both an emotional pull and a deeper meaning. Join us as we uncover the stories behind influential music tracks and the artists who made them.
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If you enjoyed our reaction to "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M., hit that like button, subscribe, and click the bell. We’re eager to share more reactions to music that challenges and captivates.
💬 Join the Conversation:
What does "Losing My Religion" mean to you? How do you interpret its lyrics and music video? Let us know in the comments below, and suggest other thought-provoking songs for us to react to!
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#REM #losingmyreligion #firsttimereaction
Michael Stipe has been quoted as saying the song has nothing to do with religion but unrequited love. Growing up in the south 'Losing my religion ' is an expression meaning losing ones temper. Can also refer to being frustrated. Heard this all my life.
Back in the day, I heard it meant "At the end of your rope."
Yeah, I've always understood this to be about unrequited love.
Michael STIPE. NOT Sipe.
Yes. When a Southerner says "I'm fixin' to lose my religion", they mean they are about to set aside their religious beliefs and fi*ght you. I.e. Their religious belief is the only thing holding them back. It was a common meme in the 70s and 80s. R.E.M is from Georgia.
I corroborate.
REM was just inducted into the songwriters hall of fame. Congratulations to them.
This song was huge in '91 when it came out! It broke R.E.M. into the mainstream after years of being college radio sweethearts. They we big in the 80s, but only for a specific crowd (college kids). Once this came out,they became a mega band. And with regards to the meaning behind this song, they are from Georgia, and that's a southern expression. Here is the "official meaning": R.E.M.'s song "Losing My Religion" is often misunderstood, but the phrase "losing my religion" is a Southern expression that doesn't actually refer to religion. The phrase can mean "losing one's temper or civility" or "feeling frustrated and desperate". It can also refer to having a crisis of faith in someone or something that was once cherished.
Your explanation was beautifuly phrased. You truly are a Southener.
I think you're on point. A lot of times people point out the Southern meaning of "loosing my religion," but then write off the layer meanings that yes, it is also about a crisis of the spirit. The visual images include Gabriel García Márquez' "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," DaVinci, The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, as well as other images from classical art, literature, and Hindu religion. The story may in fact be about an unrequited love, as Stipe has said, but he certainly used lots of religious references in the song to express it.
Losing my religion is a phrase about getting angry.
This song made them mainstream. They were one the original alternative bands of the 80's and they were big before this but this brought them to the masses.
This was more popular, but they were very well-known since the early 80s.
REM was on a different level.
Ah, yes. The R.E.M. rabbit hole. You're talking about somewhere between 30 and 40 years of music to explore.
Fun fact: The mandolin came out because Peter Buck was bored with the electric guitar. The album was the first album to debut at #1 on the BILLBOARD 200 in history. OUT OF TIME is the album title.
Prime songs include Radio Free Europe, Fall on Me, South Central Rain, The One I Love, It's the End of the World As We Know It, Stand, Orange Crush. And that's JUST THE EIGHTIES!
At the 1992 Grammy Awards, "Losing My Religion" won two awards, one of which was Best Short Form Music Video - In the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards the video won six awards, including Video of the Year :)
I have a good friend from down in Georgia (where REM is from) who has a tough-as-nails grandma who, when she gets frustrated or wants to tell anyone how she’s at the end of her wits with us or whatever is going on, will sometimes say “y’all got me loosing my religion!”
I’ve always understood it as a mostly southern saying to express distress, frustration, anger, etc. 😊
R.E.M. puts out cerebral music and lyrics. A truly unique sounding band.
It's fun to watch reaction videos of this song. Those who watch the lyric video usually get what the song's about. Those who watch the music video pretty much have your reaction: confusion. Now just listen to the tune without the video in your head and you'll hear meaning pretty clearly. Cool reaction folks.
To me, the phrase "losing my religion" means losing faith or belief in something, it doesn't have to be specifically related to religion itself. Religion is pretty much synonymous with belief or faith.
The band is from Athens, Georgia. The term 'Losing My Religion' down South (especially in Georgia) means getting pissed off...losing one's mind (as in 'angry' or frustrated)...losing one's temper. Obviously, in this song, the phrase 'Losing my religion' may also be a double entendre, where it's trying to convey mental anguish and frustration, while at the same time also conveying losing faith. But in reality, that phrase down South where R.E.M is from, means anguish and frustration.
There's such a thing as just enjoying the song and quit trying to figure it out. Enjoy people. My favorite by them is It's The End Of The World As We Know It. Think it came out in '84, but not sure.
1987, from the album DOCUMENT.
The 80s, more rocky, stuff worth some attention too. It's the End of the World, Orange Crush, Fall On Me, and The One I Love are cracking tunes
Throw Driver Eight in the mix, and you literally would have mentioned every song I was thinking of ;D
I'm a metal🤘🏽 head but when REM comes on I can jam to them also 😁
I was always told that "Losing My Religion" was slang for losing your temper or losing your cool... But who knows what they meant by it...
Southern slang, & they were from/living in/going to school in Georgia, so poetry, & poetic double meanings aside, thats defnitely a part of it
I'm 35 and this is one of my early favorites; discovering music as a kid, I heard this and couldn't have connected more intimately with a song.
Every time I hear it I have nostalgia like no other mother and yea it's just an incredible song.
Many great songs come out of your comfort zone and need to be felt, not explained. I promise you it's worth it.
Michael stipe said this song was about obsession and unrequited love. Confessing your love for someone and then realising "oh no, Ive said too much"
Yeah, more like being at war with himself over what to do rather than losing his mind. I never gave it much thought and back in the day we really didn't. It's kind of funny how much younger people analyze things.
I remember being told "losing my religion" is a southern expression for "can't cope anymore"; "can't deal". Although the video production team used religious imagery, it's not about religion but about unrequited love.
The band is from Athens, Georgia. The term 'Losing My Religion' down South (especially in Georgia) means getting pissed off...losing one's mind (as in 'angry' or frustrated)...losing one's temper. Obviously, in this song, the phrase 'Losing my religion' may also be a double entendre, where it's trying to convey mental anguish and frustration, while at the same time also conveying losing faith. But in reality, that phrase down South where R.E.M is from, means anguish and frustration.
Btw, although most people consider R.E.M's genre of music to be Alternative Rock, it's not actually 'Rock'. Their genre of music can be considered 'Alternative Folk'. But if 'Rock' is being used to describe them, then I would describe their genre as 'Folk Rock'. Ask me tomorrow, and I might give a different answer...LOL
Or Indie Rock
The lyrics of the song is supposed to be about unrequited love.
Yup. Having the guts to finally tell someone that you've known for awhile that you love them only to have them basically say, "thanks but no thanks".
Michael Stipe is brilliant.
In the 90's, we were used to videos that didn't really 'mean' anything. It was all up to the director's imagination. We just went with the images and grooved to the song.
Even though I never really understood the song, I felt the emotion. Of course Rapid Eye Movement is our deepest sleep. I love their music.
Thanks for tackling this one. it’s my favorite REM song.
As many have commented here, the title is a slang Southern expression that can mean different things, but it is like feeling defeated, lost, trapped, depressed, etc. And in the context of the song, it refers to unrequited or spurned love.
The rock critics used to call REM's lyrics "elliptical" and it's a word that makes sense. The lyrics loop back upon themselves, not necessarily traveling a straight line or telling a narrative. But here's the thing: that's an appropriate aesthetic goal, in and of itself. It doesn't "have to make sense." A song can suggest, it can hint, it can peek around the corner and then avert its eyes. One of the things that's so magical about "Losing My Religion" is how its meaning seems to morph upon repeated listens. Did you have a fight with your lover today? This song will sound different. Did your boss unexpectedly resign today? This song will sound different. Did you get a parking ticket today? Did it rain when the weatherman said sunshine? And so on... For me, this song is a personal reckoning with the establishment, discovering the things you always trusted and "knew" to be good have come up empty and meritless. We all face this crisis at least once in life. It's discovering your hero is not so heroic, that there's a man behind the curtain, that there is no Santa Claus. Oh no...I've said too much! (On second thought, I haven't said enough.)
I feel like this is about someone losing their faith. That's just how it hits me.
My Mom is a mega R.E.M. fan, and this song is a frequent sound in my home... And I've been trying to emulate Michael Sipe ever since
I first saw these guys in '82 at the October Fest in Milwaukee. They were considered the new hot band to watch. Me, I had a great time. I recommend everyone to go there.
Love their sound. plenty of top-notch material 👌
Fall on me. So. Central Rain. Huge catalog of greats. An intelligent band.
This song made me cry because it is so beautiful and alive to our Christian religion 🥺😢
Just enjoy the music. Cause that what it's all about, the music.
I never understand why reactors think songs or videos are all literal. There is a huge percentage of songs that are a jumble of ryhmes, random thoughts, or just word salad. Then if its successful a director will make a video and put his own spin on it... that once again often means nothing. It seems that some people expect all song lyrics to make sense. A lot do, but a lot don't. If in doubt, check the source and see what they intended.
I added my own comment here, similar to yours. It's perfectly acceptable for a song to "not make sense" - who says it has to? Does a Picasso painting "make sense?" It's its own reality, and it has an aesthetic merit all its own.
Yes, reactors are always analyzing lyrics at a literal stand point. Videos don’t help, the generations that did not grow up watching conceptive videos have a hard time interpretating songs. Even as a MTV OG I probably did not like most videos because they were too conceptual and sometimes distracted from the song.✌🏽
Agreed, it is art and if what you draw from it doesn't exactly match what the artist(s) had in mind when writing/recording it, so what? Enjoy the ride.
For my daily moment of self importance, I urge you to please consider "Texarkana" somewhere along your tour of the R.E.M. rabbit hole.
I will wait here, smile if/when you get to that one, and promise not to be offended when what you take away from it differs from what I take.
I remember when this song and video were released, and it was fire. Maybe you have to be living in that period, but no one was trying to logically analyze it. It was Art, you see, and we were content to let things be beautiful, strange or wonderful. Deconstruction we left up to the media analysts who you could tune into if you liked. You had to be there, I guess?
They didn’t grow up with them.
"Losing my religion" is an old southern expression for having a fit.. the song is about a guy who loved a woman who didnt love him back.. he tried to confess it to her, they even had some good times together but he never found the right words, and she never understood.
One of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. And an amazing video..
His dance moves in this video were inspired from Sinead O'Connor's The Emperor's New Clothes video.
Now do, It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)👌
You guys gotta "Hear" and "SEE" Lisa Fischer performing her Grammy Award Winning hit "How can I Ease the Pain?...( The "LIVE" Version please) You gotta watch her do THIS ONE!!! You'll be totally Amazed!
Good song ....even sampled on rap tracks
I'm glad that you mentioned about the unsubscribing, I just discovered that I'd been unsubscribed too.
Other tracks by REM which I recommend are:
"The One I Love",
"Orange Crush",
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)",
"Stand",
"Man on the Moon",
"Driver 8",
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?",
"Radio Free Europe",
"Shiny Happy People" feat' Kate Pierson of The B-52's.
There are many more but these are good ones to continue with.
I won't repeat what everyone else has said about the meaning of the song. I will add this however: the music video, while confusing everyone because it is interpreting the lyrics too literally, is, of course, a stunning work of art in its own right. It draws on High Renaissance art for its inspiration and many of the visual scenes/vignettes are direct references or recreations of paintings, drawings, and inventions from that time period/artistic epoch. For those who know art history, there are so many Easter Eggs!! I remember being totally gobsmacked by this video when it first came out. Nothing like it had ever been done before. Groundbreaking.
The song is a masterpiece. Everything REM touches is gold.
He is losing his dream.....losing his hope for love with a particular person. He is questioning if his affection is felt by the other person and real or just his fantasy. He is losing his faith in himself.
First CD I bought was REM's Automatic for the People...still one of my favorites of all time
The song is a 'Masterpiece of Masterpieces" in music. Next topic of conversation...
I'll walk you through this one, because R.E.M. can be a bit of a mindfuck, lol. The song has nothing at all to do with God or Religion. They're just evoking that imagery.
First understand the notion of the "Collective Unconscious" as defined by Carl Jung, which proposes that people's minds work in roughly the same way because of shared societal experiences.
Here's the example I always use: Close your eyes and imagine the black empty void of space. Slowly a balloon floats into view. Focus on the balloon.
Now describe the balloon. It was a red latex balloon, filled with helium, a white string dangling from the knot. Probably a glimmer of light highlighting the upper right side of the balloon.
Was my guess correct? Is that what you imagined?
You were prompted to visualize a balloon, that is all. It could have been blue, green, yellow... it could have been a hot air balloon, a weather balloon, a mylar balloon shaped like a Pikachu, lol. But odd are your mind settled on the red latex balloon with a string. Most people do.
If I was a magician, I would have claimed I just read your mind, but I didn't. Collective experiences, usually from childhood create a base from which all our cognition is formed, so we're all very predictable. And I won't guess right in every case, but I will in the majority of cases. That's the whole point.
Now that you understand that, apply the same reasoning to the lyrics. Take each phrase as it's own thing and make a mental image of it. Now as you string each phrase together, those pictures in your mind tell a story which runs much deeper than the lyrics.
"That's me in the corner"... like a shy dude at a party, there are other people around such that he needs to say "I'm that one specifically", and why is he in the corner, his back to two walls, closed off from the people in his surroundings? That's a pretty accessible mental image.
"That's me in the spot light"... Not where a shy person wants to be, all eyes on them.
Step through the lyrics line by line and you get a tale of nervous trepidation and self-doubt, specifically, it seems with a prospective romantic partner. That much is pretty obvious from the lyrics just taken at face value. But if you visualize it, your mind fills in a lot more nuance and detail. It's the same reason the book is always better than the movie, lol.
A lot of music is meant to be heard this way, visualizing the lyric. It's not something that you should have to think about or analyze, it's just part of the experience and should come naturally. I think music videos and vapid songs about "Big Butts" and whatnot have robbed people of their ability to experience music in that manner without making a deliberate effort to do so. It's not just about what they're saying, it's how they are choosing to say it, and what they are intentionally not saying as well.
R.E.M., David Bowie, Savatage, Billy Joel, Type O Negative, Nirvana, Chris Cornell, Tool, Blue Oyster Cult, Bruce Dickinson (solo, not with Maiden)... they all do this. Some of them very intentionally, others it seems to just innately be their style. This is almost foundational to grunge music in general and most Prog music as well.
Just close your eyes, listen to a song and try to make a "music video" in your head based on the lyrics. You will be much more immersed in the song. But if you need to try and do this, R.E.M. is probably not the band to start with, lol... they leave a lot more to the listener's interpretation than most. That's what makes their music compelling, but they can be hard to keep up with. If you need to practice that kind of listening, I'd suggest starting with David Bowie's album "Diamond Dogs". Lots of literary references in there to keep it more on rails, but the same concepts apply. That will be more accessible. Billy Joel as well, he uses that imagery to draw you into his songs but he doesn't employ much ambiguity so what he's trying to convey is always more clear. Nirvana and R.E.M. are on the distant side of the spectrum from that, leaving a lot more to individual interpretation.
What a great interpretation!!
IT'S ONE OF THE BEST SONGS I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE. IT'S A CLASSIC FROM THE 90s. 😉😉😎😎😜😜
The album Out of time where this song came from was brilliant. For me, 2nd to Automatic for the people album. So many great songs to check out.
Perfect song.
Thanks, kids! a weird video, but if you just listen to the music and lyrics you will get more out of it.. such a beautiful song... appreciate your reaction...
My favorite song by them!! It also means losing your mind!! I listens too this song everyday. I am from the South.
"That's me in the corner..." 👍
I always associated this with a relationship and basically giving up everything to stay with the person and "losing my religion" i.e. losing your deepest felt things to try and "keep up with you." Perhaps because I had feelings for someone at the time, so it hit me that way. But I could be wrong based on my own thoughts at that time. Great song however you interpret it!
This is southern slang for being at the end of your rope
Love This Song This Was Huge In The 90's REM Were a Great Band and Put Out Some Great Music In The 90's.
That was released in 1991 2 yrs before I retired and I still haven't figured out the meaning by listening to it. BUT there are explanations online ! lol I do enjoy the music of it.
One of my favourite songs…🇨🇦🖖🏻
The imagery and the video was taken from the work of a renaissance era painter, Caravaggio. If you go back and look at some of the art books devoted to Caravaggio, they are beautiful, and this video is completely on the nose as far as paying homage to them.
Ha! I love this song! I have no idea WTF he's singing about, but I love the sound of it. :)
An old southern saying, what happened, did you lose your religion “?” It’s a phrase to indicate a loss of patience, relationships etc… The video is trippy but it really if you watch it again, it makes sense. Fallen angels etc…❤❤❤
Great reaction as always. Welcome to the club lol i never understood the video either. This song was played daily on MTV in the early 90's.
Amazing song! 🤩🔥
Automatic for the People is sublime - check out the songs off that album.
Your next REM should be *Shiny Happy People,* which includes guest vocalist Kate Pierson, giving you reason to branch into of the B-52's (who you haven't reacted to yet).
would love some reactions to Mumford and Sons
Almost everything they do is just great !
One of my favourite bands, it was the first album I bought. Listen to one of their early hits "Fall On Me", great song!
If you want a song with layers: REM - It’s the End of the World as We Know It.
Love the reaction.
Honestly i dont need to understand the song, i just love the song, always have, never thought, what is he talking about??? I just hear it, and crank it up!!
This song has always been a mystery to me
People don’t still think that these “first time hearing” channels are actually hearing these songs for the first time 😂😂🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
A lot of 80's alternative rock is more mellow. Considering punk was a thing, and metal was a thing, the alternative was something different to not just pop, but both of those as well.
My fave song of R.E.M. is "Drive" ... < give it a listen, too! No reaction needed, but a listen to ...
REM is one of a kind, unique style
Stand in the place you were was their biggest song
Just love it period! ❤
One of the great "chorusless" songs.
The live version is sooo good.
You finally got around to REM's best song. Next up should be "Man on the Moon"
I remember this song well because my fam and many of my friends and cousins had REM on the reel to reel tapes back in the day. I don't know if you guys have seen those or not. You can Google them. Big ass tape wheels if you ask me. 😆One of my brothers actually learned to play this on a guitar and he said it was one of the easiest. I've never played a guitar so i have no clue. Sounds easy but it's not the same as playing it. Anyways. Growing up in that era, this great music got rooted deep into me. Great era!
And yeah. I never figured out this song. And it looks like Google is confused as well. But hey. We can still try, right.
Its about a failing relationship/marriage brilliant song
This is a good one but, my all time favorite from R.E.M. is by far "The One I Love" a little more rock, and great harmonies!
Please react to "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M. next. You will need to do some research on what it's all about beforehand but it's a kick ass song!!
Welcome to the 60s where you have to think. Play Bob Dylan!
The video seems like a statement of Science vs. Faith. How modern science always opens up more issues with faith.
Okay, now you have to do "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby and The Range
I've never been into pop music but Out of Time & Automatic for the People were of the time albums.
Still like the Murmur album best - the very early REM.
Radio Free Europe.
Sam is adorable.
"Man on the Moon" might be their best-known song these days.
I like Orange Crush.
Green is the best album of R.E.M. Especially the song Örange Crush
Deep song 🫵😳
Next up: Shiny Happy People
Aside from some of the more new wave-style bands, like say Talking Heads, REM was one of the first true blue alternative rock bands from the 80s. What definitely made them stand out was their style of music along with Michael Stipe's cryptic but creative lyrics. Some of their songs, like losing my religion and everybody hurts have some deep meanings, but some depends on how the listener interprets the lyrics. They kept it going for about 30 years. If you want more,check out bang and blame,near wild heaven and their first minor hit , radio free Europe.
Dig deeper, guys...it's not about religion at all.
REM music is like looking at a piece of fine art.
The best songs are the ones which make you think.
You should try Hot Tuna. The Phosphorescent Rat album.
2 tracks, "I See the Light" and "Easy Now." Just to name 2.
And The Move have many great songs on their albums.
One of many great R.E.M tracks. I do despise all music videos however.
This was UGE when it came out! Loved this song... Next Up for you is; "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" especially after the B.S. in the world over the last four (4) years, the song made a HUGE Comeback in 2020!!
I second this suggestion.
R.E.M. always have a lot to unpack in their lyrics. Very similar to David Bowie and Billy Joel in lyrical style.
This one always makes my allergies act up.
Check out It's the end of the world as we know it. Great song.
I think you'd like "Orange Crush" by them 👍