r/rem Dec 03 '25

Spotify Wrapped/Apple Replay - Megathread

3 Upvotes

Yes, it’s that time of the year again. And no I’m not talking about wrapping presents, eating dry turkey and visiting family members you only hope to see once a year. I’m talking about the inevitable Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay posts. As I’m sure everyone here is a huge fan of the band, it should be no surprise they’ve topped your lists this year. Let’s please try to use this thread to post your end of year streaming lists. Cheers and happy holidays to everyone!


r/rem Sep 08 '25

SotW Song of the Week: Little America

31 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/yL4xn9RVscc?si=SoCNojJOianAzFlq

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rem/littleamerica.html

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. I apologize for the lack of posts over the last couple of days. I got a new job and life has been fairly busy. But today we are back and we are going to be about the closing track to Reckoning and the “Right Side” of the album which of course is “Little America.”

In my opinion this is the perfect way to close the album because it’s such a great bookend to the album with “Harborcoat” which begins the album in a similar way. For “Little America” we get a triumphant electric riff to start the song off with a bang. It feels like something from Murmur but better because there’s more energy, clearer production and just better technical playing. Bill’s speedy hit-hat and kick drum enters the song because the song explodes with Mike’s thunderous bass and Michael’s vocals.

The full drum beat is fast and groovy as Michael sings about how he can’t see himself lacquered up in his thirties. This feeling of youth is talked about in lyrics describing being persevered like flies in jewelry and driving around in their “green shellback” which was their touring van at the time. But it’s also encapsulated in how fast and the tight the band is sounding. Michael seems like he’s feeling more trapped as he sings about “Tar-black br’er sap” which is a reference to the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby where a rabbit gets tricked into fighting a “sticky black Tar baby.” Yes this may sound random and weird but it does feel like Michael’s singing about growing up and feeling the responsibilities that comes with that and leading the life of a rockstar.

The band transitions to the chorus that features some power chords, a progression that’s quirky, and a vocal melody that is catchy but also very Michael if that makes sense. He’s great at crafty one of a kind melodies. Lyrically he sings about a big and noisy wagon which leads me to believe he’s singing about touring life which could also connect to the song’s title. He also references the Roman emperor Caligula who allegedly appointed his horse as consul. What does that have to do with the song? Who knows. But Michael also references Jefferson who was Jefferson Holt, their manager at the time.

We get a nice change in dynamics as the band brings the energy down just a tad to mimic the intro. But they launch loudly into the next verse as Michael sings about preserving the past; “who will tend the farm museums? Who will dust today’s belongings?” These questions brings Michael to an important message of rallying leaders which may have been a hint of his more political driven lyrics that would be featured on later albums. We also get a lyric about Cheyanne on a beach which is random as hell but it wouldn’t be an early R.E.M. song without something like that.

After another chorus we then get a bridge where lyrically it’s mostly the same as the chorus but the music changes slightly. There’s these new fast chord changes, some lose backing vocals and that quick hi-hat.

A drum fill gets us back into another verse that definitely has some of that almost nonsensical songwriting from Michael. But I also think there is some imagery from the band’s early touring days. This would include Greenville (I’m sure they passed by multiple Greenvilles on tour) and Magic Marts (which were convenient stores on the East Coast). There’s also a reference to a historical myth of emperor Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned down. And we get the lyric “reason has harnessed the tame” which would be a slightly altered lyric we would see on the band’s very next song chronically “Feeling Gravitys Pull.”

There’s one last chorus that’s doubled to end the song…at least that’s what you think on a first listen. But after you hear the last notes of the song ring out, there’s some silence before you hear the band fade into a new song/groove entirely. There’s a tom heavy drum beat, a jammy guitar riff and maybe Michael’s most muttered/incoherent vocals ever. It’s extremely short but it’s interesting to what this hinted track was and why it was included. Maybe it was a demo that never turned into a song? Or maybe the band just wanted to do something weird.

I actually think this is a stellar closing track from the band and one of their most interesting song from their first two albums. Musically it has a fantastic riff and although Mike’s bass playing isn’t as flashing as Bill’s drummer or Peter’s riff, it’s a fun bass line when you isolate it from the mix. Michael also shows up big time lyrically. Yes there’s still some gibberish but I actually feel like there’s lyrics that reflect on not only the band touring but also Michael feeling trapped or worried about growing old. This is also fascinating when you think of that lyric that would appear on the opening track from Fables which is about lucid dreams. There’s a cool connection that I think could be analyzed even more. Plus this was a fun song to hear the band play live and to hear Michael change the lyric to “Washington I think we’re lost” after the band dropped their manager Jefferson Holt. From one founding father to another.

But what do you think of this tune? Is this one of the band’s better closing tracks? What do you think the song is about? Favorite lyrical or musical moments? And did you ever catch it live?


r/rem 16h ago

Very few people have ever seen this REM caricature

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76 Upvotes

This is a one-of-a-kind caricature drawn by two time Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist Mike Lukovich… With band autographs…


r/rem 14h ago

Does anyone know what concert this setlist could be?

14 Upvotes

I bought a second hand tape that is a live recording of an R.E.M. concert, the label claimed October 2nd, 1984, in New Orleans. But a quick look on setlist fm proved that to be incorrect. I tried identifying all the songs in order on the tape but couldnt recognize some of them. Any one have any ideas what concert this actually was?

EDIT: FOUND IT! Its Boca Raton, Florida. Sptember 29th, 1984


r/rem 1d ago

Michael Stipe for High Times (1998)

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220 Upvotes

r/rem 1d ago

Peter Buck on loudersound

18 Upvotes

Interesting read that popped up on my phone. Apologies if this was already posted.

https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/r-e-m-guitarist-peter-buck-says-band-will-never-reform


r/rem 2d ago

Question About Lyrics

15 Upvotes

I had always took for granted that the R.E.M. lyrics published online came from the band. But in a recent discussion of the lyrics to Sitting Still it was mentioned that Stipe didn’t remember the lyrics and used the lyrics published online during the Olympia concerts. Which got me wondering where these lyrics online actually came from, particularly the IRS albums. Anyone know?


r/rem 2d ago

Dead Letter Office Tribute to R.E.M in Milwaukee last night.

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18 Upvotes

r/rem 3d ago

REM in an NFL commercial??

14 Upvotes

Watching the World Cup final and they just played an NFL commercial at halftime. And the soundtrack for the commercial was It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).

First of all, huh? Second, has anyone ever heard REM used in a TV commercial before? Such an odd choice in 2026. Would REM have signed off on that? I don’t remember them selling control of their catalog rights away like a bunch of other older bands.


r/rem 3d ago

Horses just don't gossip anymore

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19 Upvotes

r/rem 3d ago

Dead Letter Office Tribute to R.E.M last night in Bettendorf, IA

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14 Upvotes

r/rem 3d ago

REM - The Passenger @ Wien (Vienna) - 1998

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30 Upvotes

r/rem 3d ago

parody Collegehumor did of It’s The End of The World as We Know It. Pretty cool.

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7 Upvotes

r/rem 4d ago

Dead Letter Office Tribute to R.E.M last night in New Berlin, IL.

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26 Upvotes

r/rem 5d ago

try not to breathe

93 Upvotes

has to be my favourite song from these guys, it hits so unbelievably deep. it’s a really personal song for me and nothing comes close. instrumentation and lyrics are genuinely perfect

man do i love this band, what would we do without them!


r/rem 5d ago

Help finding the name of this instrumental track

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16 Upvotes

Hey I found this song on a bootleg cd my uncle got me, but he doesn't remember what the name was or where he found it online so he doesn't know either. if anyone can tell me it would be much appreciated


r/rem 5d ago

Dead Letter Office Tribute to R.E.M last night in Louisville, KY.

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25 Upvotes

r/rem 5d ago

Crush With Eyeliner - - Big Money Egg at Maryland Meadworks 07/11/2026

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15 Upvotes

My band played at an REM tribute show in Hyattsville Maryland last weekend. We were the first electric band after a few acoustic acts. I had just asked the sound person to turn up my guitar in the monitor. She sort of shrugged and then totally overdelivered. . .


r/rem 6d ago

Ba-ba-ba ba ba BA

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176 Upvotes

me singing this every time I order lunch at Dig…


r/rem 6d ago

R.E.M. – Leaving New York Isolated Bass

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18 Upvotes

As Requested :)


r/rem 6d ago

Peter Buck interview in the new Mojo

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53 Upvotes

He's pretty definitive about the prospect of an R.E.M. reunion.


r/rem 6d ago

Unflappable.

5 Upvotes

r/rem 6d ago

What's the line?

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42 Upvotes

r/rem 7d ago

I have two copies of Life’s Rich Pageant… but with different graphics and spine colors

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58 Upvotes

Is either one of these the preferred version?


r/rem 7d ago

Admission: Sitting Still

20 Upvotes

Just was looking at the lyrics online & the version of this song I’ve been singing for the last 40 years is a little different:

“Up to pry & Katie buys her kitchen sacks but not me &
Sitting’s not for love making, wasted time sitting still

I’m the sign and you can’t read
I’m the sun and you’re nocturnal
We could bind a nemesis!
We could gather throw a fit!”