The Ballad of R.E.M in Fifty Songs

by Alicia

The task felt daunting, at best.  I have made lists of my favorite Smiths songs and now felt like the right time to get into my thoughts about R.E.M.  There are over 200 songs to choose from and potentially listen to and then decide which ones make the cut and which ones wind up on the honorable mentions list.

R.E.M is a band, to me, that isn’t about making a name from hit after hit or single after single.  I listen to each R.E.M. album as a composed set of songs or stories that are meant to be together in the order which the band intended.  There were huge hits for the band, sure.  Losing My Religion and The One I Love secured R.E.M in the rock mainstream to make them incredibly recognizable.  Still, R.E.M. has a tremendously beautiful body of work that clearly makes them standout as icons.

This is what makes ranking R.E.M songs difficult.  So, instead of listing songs in order of popularity, chart topping, or any of that criteria, I decided to rank the songs based on how I have been impacted then and now.

And I came up with 50 (well, 49 and was able to find another song to add that I had forgotten about and even as the songs shift and move up or down and here and there, 50 seemed like a good number.) If you, yourself, are also a R.E.M fan, you may notice the list is heavy handed with choices from Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Document, Life’s Rich Pageant, and Green.  This validated my favorite R.E.M albums while I was making my list.  I’m interested in what you like.  What would you choose?  Do you have a Top 10?

Let’s Begin the Begin with Number 50

50. Endgame
Maybe there is some purpose in choosing the song Endgame to complete the list at number 50 due to its namesake alone.  I also chose it because, how many other bands include a song so lovely with sparse vocals and virtually no lyrics?  The band has an amazing vocalist and the audience is still treated to this lovely serenade of strings and an accompanying instrumental melody that sounds like a summer breeze.   The track is found at the end of the first side of the Out of Time album as if it is intermission or giving us all time to breathe out.  it is meditative, it is quite lovely and it is even more proof that R.E.M. can do anything, say almost nothing at all, and be brilliant.

49. The Flowers of Guatemala
The ambient lullaby that is Flowers of Guatemala could initially be mistaken as beauty.  To the ear, it is quite a beautiful song.  Stipe, however, describes the flowers ‘covering everything’ as a symbol of the genocide in the late 1970s of the Mayan Indian population in Guatemala.  Something he’s never seen before – the narrator sings.  R.E.M. has never been shy to voice political opinions.  The song wouldn’t be the only one with lyrics full of meaning and protest.

48. At My Most Beautiful
From the album, Up.  At My Most Beautiful is a love song in a love song complete with backing harmonies that go: Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Do Dooooo Ahhhhh I love that.  The lyrics flow like a comfortable conversation.  “I’ve found a way/I’ve found a way/a way to make you smile.”  Stipe sings most earnestly and almost in a coy sort of way that feels playful and quite shy.  I like having to contemplate who I am at ‘my most beautiful’ what type of actions do I take and what type of words do I say.  I thought about my husband and who he is at his most beautiful.  Everything about this is honest, simple and fantastic.

47. Letter Never Sent
Reckoning is an R.E.M. album that really captures the classic R.E.M. sound we had come to love.  The song, Letter Never Sent is no exception to this.  In this song, as well, we get a good feel for the backing vocals of Mike Mills.  R.E.M. is more about Mike Mills than some have ever noticed.  You hear a song like this and every memory of R.E.M. just comes flooding back to you.

46. Low
Track 3 on one of my very favorite R.E.M. albums, Out of Time.  Low is dimly lit and dark and low.  If the word ‘low’ could be a sound I think it could very well be this song.  If the song was a season it would be winter.  But, as expected, there is a visceral beauty here.  All the senses engaged, the narrator of the song outlines his experience as raw and pure as it happens.  He begins, “Dusk is dawn is day/Where did it go/I’ve been laughing/Fast and Slow”  You can feel this.  The percussion is a bongo beat that steadily jumps around along with the vocals.  The strings sink down on command.  It’s an artful song… no matter what you think it is about.

45. (Don’t Go Back) to Rockville
This is R.E.M.’s ode to country twang in every note and every word of this song.  It has even been categorized as ‘jangle pop’ or ‘country rock’ by some.  This is a R.E.M classic.  Theme-wise, I would say the song focuses on the dangers of going back to where you once called home.  That could be a home town, a home job, or something in the past that didn’t serve you.  What is there not to like about this?  It is indeed jangly rock goodness that screams early R.E.M.

44. Me & Honey
Back to the last track on Out of Time.  I adored the B52s and I adored Kate Pierson.  She is a lovely pairing to sing this duet with Michael Stipe.  I love singing along and taking the Kate Pierson harmonies.  The song can be both happy and sad.  The vocals are charming and almost rejoicing.  From what I’ve heard about the song’s origin, it was written about pregnancy and feeling alone and being alone.  Michael Stipe had a way of making every song matter.

43. So. Central Rain
Fans of R.E.M.s ‘old stuff’ will know the song So. Central Rain.  This is a quintessential R.E.M. song, otherwise known as a classic.  I think we love to love this.  The chorus repeating, “I’m sorry” is heartbreakingly beautiful.

42. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
The first single off the album Monster, What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? comes right out of the gate with abrasive guitar that envelopes you as you listen.  The video is fantastic.  It open with a blue hued band and we see Michael Stipe from the neck down only for the first verse.  The camera, shaky and the singer awkwardly moving his feet.  We see this shirt Stipe is wearing.  It has a giant star right in the center.  Mike Mills is wearing this fancy, sparkling Elvis-esque suit with flames running down the sides.  Lights are flashing and every once in a while, the camera meets up with Stipe’s eyes.  Is it okay to admit I may have a little crush on Michael Stipe here?  This seems like the right time.

Regarding what the song itself and what it was inspired by – that is an entirely different story.  It is fairly widely known Dan Rather was randomly attacked and the assailant repeated to him, “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”  Apparently, Mr. Rather knew about the song and was fine with it.  Stipe had this way of writing songs using cultural nuances like this with a story and a past.

41. Moral Kiosk
Murmur is an absolutely brilliant album that I can listen to over and over again.  Each track is amazing.  Moral Kiosk has this energy that makes you want to sway and dance.  R.E.M was known for muddled lyrics and vocals, perhaps, being very dirty and down in the mix -especially for the album Murmur.  Moral Kiosk is not any different.  I’m not sure I know all the words but yet I can sing along.  What magic is this? Something very attractive, to me, about R.E.M. was the way they could write a song called Moral Kiosk and it sounds brilliant without ever truly knowing what the song is about.  Priding themselves on allowing for the listener to interpret the song is a stance I stand behind and always have as a musician and as a listener.

40. Gardening at Night
The only problem with this song, many other R.E.M. fans might say, is that it is way too low on my list.  I’m not sure how it landed here.  I think the only reason is because I’ve listening to it so many times that is may be slightly suffering from the law of diminishing returns.  That said, it deserves better.  It’s a cool song.  The song first appeared on the band’s debut album, Chronic Town.  There is another vocal mix of the song that appears on R.E.M. Eponymous that I tend to like a little bit better.  In the Eponymous version, Stipe is singing with a bit more conviction.  He enunciates a bit more and seems more emotional.  No matter which version you like best, it’s a subtle rock song that works so well it’s difficult not to notice.

39. Underneath the Bunker
It is mysterious and grabs your attention from the very first note.  Not a lot of lyrics or vocals to this one.  It is almost an instrumental and yet, again, something lovely this way comes.  The song is about a minute and a half long and still checks all the boxes.

38. Daysleeper
My favorite song from the album, Up.  The song has a crescendo that brings tears to my eyes.  The song clearly was meant for Stipe’s voice.  The piano melody played by Mike Mills is a bright and twinkling light that cascades around the song as it plays.  My husband is the host of a morning show and wakes up at 3:45am which also draws me to this song as he is somewhat of a Daysleeper at times. “It’s furious balancing.”

37. Talk About the Passion
Another classic R.E.M song from the album Murmur.  “Not everyone can carry the weight of the world.”  I reminded myself of this lyric through college and the rest of my life.

36. Can’t Get There From Here
A cassette tape exists where a friend of mine and I sing 6 or 7 R.E.M. songs.  We sound drunk but I swear to you we are perfectly sober.  We sang Can’t Get There From Here.  We take turns singing it and play around with Stipe’s deep growling tones.  The singing it really ridiculous but it’s also very funny and sincere.  All the nuances of the songs, like the ‘eeeh!” that starts it all off are mimicked to the best of our ability and you can tell we are having the time of our lives.

35. Stand
From the album, Green, the song Stand was a popular single for R.E.M. and, perhaps, solidified their constant presence and reign on college radio.  I loved the dance in the video.  I wanted to be one of those cool 90s teens or twenty somethings.  I love the end of the video when each member of R.E.M jumps and lands on the ground one at a time.  This may also be Michael Stipe’s finest moment in hair.

34. Try Not To Breathe
I’m going to get real here when I write about this song and say I have a really hard time listening to it.  This doesn’t change the fact that it makes the list and it doesn’t change the fact that the song is one of R.E.Ms best.  Try Not To Breathe is a song about a dying woman.  “these are the eyes that I want you to remember” stays with me and I think of my mom and when she would look over at me when she was in her hospice bed as if she wanted to just take in that moment of being able to look at me for the last time.  The song makes me cry with the memories it brings to me.  It also makes me remember my mom which is always necessary.

33. Stumble
My band mate David gave me his vinyl Chronic Town when he found out I was collecting records.  I never much listened to the album Chronic Town before that.  The gift was a precious one for certain.  Ever since he gave the album to me I have been able to take the much needed time with it.  I was entranced by the song Stumble.  I listened to it on repeat for a week or so after falling in love with it.  I think the idea of stumbling through the yard as a simile for stumbling through life is appealing and true.

32. Orange Crush
The song is honest and brutal.  I learned more about history from R.E.M than anything I learned in classes in school.  Orange Crush is about Agent Orange, a chemical used by the US during the Vietnam war.  Those exposed to it, later, developed cancer and had children with birth defects.  The song is not about the popular orange soda.  I never thought otherwise but I also didn’t know a lot about the Vietnam war either.  R.E.M making staying political and meaningful while teaching and informing.

31. World Leader Pretend
I always want to sing along with this song and Michael Stipe’s voice is too low for me to come very close.  I can harmonize with it to a certain degree and I know ever word.  Basically, I have memorized every R.E.M song (okay not every song but most) this one is included.  The narrator comes clean in this one and states, “this is my mistake, let me make it good.”  I like how there is not much structure to the song, in that, lyrics don’t rhyme and weren’t intended to sound great together but rather to tell a story.  “this is my life and I am World Leader Pretend.”  I’m not sure if this is about a real leader we have had or if it references how our leaders are pretend.  It fits the album Green like a glove.

30. Let Me In
If you didn’t know, Michael Stipe and Kurt Cobain were close friends.  The song Let Me In was for him.  The tribute is incredible.  The guitar, which I have read was Kurt’s guitar given to Peter Buck by Courtney Love, was played during this song.  The guitar sounds like it is howling or shouting.  There is an undeniable ache to the song.  All of the elements come together.  An electric organ joins the guitar, vocals, and shaking tambourine about mid way through the song.  It feels perfectly messy and lonely.

29. Half A World Away
The feel of Out of Time is that of being out at sea.  This song, especially, has a sea shanty sway about it.  Stipe sings, “I had too much to drink, I didn’t think I didn’t think of you.” There is a harpsichord and mandolin.  “My mind is racing, as it always will” Lyrics painting the picture of what it is like to love someone from far away or not be somewhere that needs you.

28. Shaking Through
The jangly guitar of Peter Buck appearing again from start to finish in the song Shaking Through.  This song makes me emotional because of all the experiences I’ve had and how we all have been shaking through and stumbling.  The earnestness in the song draws me to it.

27. Drive
The first time I heard Drive, the first track on the R.E.M album, Automatic for the People, I knew there was a change.  This was not the R.E.M. from before, this was something new.  The song is ominous and a little foreboding.  I was instantly attracted to it.  I remember my parents had a video camera and I used it to film my bedroom, just moved the camera around with the song Drive playing in the background… as if to say, check out how cool I am and the cool music I listen to okay?  That meant a lot to me.  Music meant a lot to me and it nurtured identity.

26. Man on the Moon
Another track from Automatic for the People, this song was for Andy.  “Andy Kaufman in the wrestling match/yea yea yea yea.”  In the music video Stipe is walking around in a cowboy hat taking rides from semi trucks and singing with the cacti.  This tribute song became a pop/rock classic.  I recently watched an interview where Michael Stipe said had an idea to write a song with a lot of yea yeas in it.  His friendship with Kurt Cobain included discussions where Kurt said his songs have a lot of yea yeas in them.  This song was a challenge for Stipe in a very playful sort of way.  For me, it brings back me back to so many years ago and friends I used to know.

25. Losing My Religion
The only reason this song isn’t higher on my list is that is was so popular.  For some, this is the first song thought of when asked who R.E.M is.  This song was huge for the band.  It is a great song.  The mandolin which is heard a lot on Automatic for the People is brought to light for rock musicians everywhere.  You can use a mandolin in a rock song? Awesome.  Of course I also adore how Stipe took a southern phrase and made it into an iconic song.  Why would he not?

24. Standing Still
Pure R.E.M. song that is one you might choose if you wanted to represent the band with one song.  The song reminds me of road trips which seems ironic as the name of it is Standing Still.

23. Radio Song
First track on Out of Time, it opens with a voice that isn’t anyone in the band.  KRS-One joins Stipe to make Radio Song this rock-pop-hip-hop collaboration that works.  There are strings and then you hear ‘hey hey hey!’  There is a new type of energy in the song that isn’t really elsewhere in the catalog and I love it.  They changed but didn’t.  They changed just enough to make it interesting and want to devour the rest of the record with intention and curiosity.  The music video is cool too.

22. Fall On Me
Is this too low on the list?  Huge song for R.E.M. I loved the video.  It was lyrics and the words would appear as Michael Stipe would sing them.  This is a departure, if you will, from earlier R.E.M. when lyrics were a guessing game.  Political indeed, this song could be about acid rain – if you want more of a literal meaning, however; I cannot confirm that is what is about indefinitely.  I do know this – when Stipe sings, “feathers hit the ground before the weight can leave the air” it is one of my favorite vocals melodies ever.  I love how it builds and swims lightly into the chorus.  The backing vocals from Mike Mills and Bill Berry add layers to this complex masterpiece.

21. Nightswimming
Automatic for the People was a larger than life album.  Songs like Nightswimming are examples of this.  It begins with a warm up from an orchestra.  The piano melody begins so strong and then starts dancing.  I’m reminded of summer and being outside, feeling carefree and enjoying a lovely, quiet night.  I feel when Stipe sings, ‘I’m not sure all these people understand’ indicates capturing something very personal that no one else can duplicate or replace.  There is something very sacred about this song.  I like it a lot.

20. Superman
I just learned today that this song is a cover.  It is not an original R.E.M. song.  I seriously didn’t know this until about 3 hours ago when I was listening to the podcast ‘Are You Talkin’ R.E.M., Re: Me’ and the hosts discussed the album Lifes Rich Pageant in detail.  Just for fun, I queued up the original Superman by a band called The Clique.  It’s still a very cool song.  I like the original just fine – now that I know it exists.  R.E.M. took the song and truly made it a bit shiner.  It is the only cover I know of that R.E.M made popular.

19. Near Wild Heaven
This was another song a friend of mine and I sang on that cassette tape.  This is a lead vocal by Mike Mills song.  The song is sweet and rather gorgeous too.  I listened to the Death Cab for Cutie cover of it and it gave me chills.  I think there is something about hearing a song that is endeared to you performed by another band you respect and feeling that admiration and praise just from the performance.  The vocal harmonies in the song, however, are what make it especially special.  Mike Mills as lead and Michael Stipe as backing vocals.  They often swap as Mills sings verses and Stipe sings the chorus.  It’s unique and unexpected.

18. I Believe
The song begins with a banjo, awesome.  I adore the song I Believe with all my heart.  I remember quoting the lyrics.  I would write them on envelopes in letters I would write to friends and on the edges of notepaper.  “I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract.” I’m not even completely sure what that means but I love it.  I feel as if I was truly challenged by R.E.M. to learn something or feel something.  This is what I wanted from music.  It is asking a lot, at times, but yet R.E.M. always delivered.

17. Begin the Begin
I like that the first track of Lifes Rich Pageant is Begin the Begin.  How could this track be anything other than first?  There’s a super cool guitar riff in the song Peter Buck is responsible for and it is outstanding.  I just watched this song performed by R.E.M. and Eddie Vedder joins them on stage.  It’s pretty amazing duet that I never expected existed.  The song feels a protest song or something revolutionary.

16. Perfect Circle
Sometimes you get to know R.E.M. songs by talking to other R.E.M. fans.  I first heard of the song Perfect Circle by a classmate in high school.  We were talking about our favorite R.E.M. songs and he said Perfect Circle.  I’d never heard of it.  This person said this song was his very favorite so I had to listen to it.  The song wasn’t what I expected.  It is a stunning ballad that drifts around as you hear it.  A few years ago the classmate passed away due to complications with angiosarcoma.  When I heard this news I immediately thought of this song and how it was his favorite.

15. The One I Love
I haven’t really talked about the phenomenal percussion by Bill Berry.  This would be a good time to do so.  The drums in The One I Love are amazing.  Some call it the biggest, most popular R.E.M. song and some call it the Anti-love song.  The song rocks however you label it.  The one-word chorus and layers of backing vocals and wailing guitar add to the awesomeness which make Document one of the best R.E.M. albums to date.

14. Hyena
Back to the Lifes Rich Pageant album for Hyena. It is almost impossible not to dance around to this up beat song.  “The only thing to fear is fearlessness.”  Another political song some say.  I think with every word Stipe writes in very intentional whether is it poignant or not. We could really use R.E.M right now in the political climate in which we are currently living.

13. Country Feedback
I dedicated an entire post to this song.  I heard it again, after listening to it for many years, and felt something new.  The admiration I have for this is huge.  I think when I listen to it now, I feel differently than when I listened to it 15-20 years ago.  Ultimately, I believe the song is about embracing sadness.  There are often times we don’t address the ugly side of being in a relationship.  The side not only acknowledges it but also takes responsibility for it.

12. We Walk
I used to make an abundance of mix tapes.  I would, practically always, include a R.E.M. song.  I liked to add We Walk because it was a song not many people knew.  It is subtle and lovely.  There are sounds of thunder crashing in the background.  I love ‘take oasis.”  The resounding guitar pattern played over and over.  Plus, delightful lyrics.  It’s a short and sweet song that every band needs to write.

11. Texarkana
I had never heard of Texarkana until this song.  It is possible R.E.M. taught me about geography as much as they taught me about politics and vocabulary.  This album reminds me of all the road trips with friends as we traveled throughout the states.  Friends that sang along.

10. It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
I do know every word to this song.  I could listen to it all the way through every time I hear it.  There have been fast-paced songs like it with lists of historical events but no song sounds better than this one.  It could be a protest song.  It could be a terrifying song.  It could be joyously ironic.  It is certainly memorable and will forever be known as one of R.E.M.’s best songs.

9. Radio Free Europe
This was the first R.E.M. song I’d ever heard.  The first track on Murmur and the first track on Eponymous.  The Lyrics are the perfect combination of somewhat understandable and somewhat muddled.  The song has a delightful restlessness to it.  Sounds very punk rock.  The drum fills are perfection.  The song plays and I am taken back into a comfy nostalgic bliss.

8. Driver 8
Have you seen Michael Stipe’s hair during the Driver 8 era?  It’s absolutely amazing.  Sure, the song isn’t about Stipe’s cool hair but I just wanted to make note before that got away from me.  Is it intentional I chose Driver 8 for the number 8 song on the list?  Perhaps.  Stipe singing this live with his eyes closed for 3/4th of the song is enough for me to put it in my top 10.  If you lined this song up next to other songs from 1984 – please.  Nothing quite compares.  Maybe the Cars or something comes closes – but really, this is a song that doesn’t even sound like it comes from the 80s, seriously.  The guitar riff that drives the song reminds me of a locomotive comes down the track.  This song is song I’d love to cover and sing.

7. Pop Song ’89
I am not sure l can accurately describe how impactful the album Green was to me.  It is still on heavy rotation for me to this day.  From beginning to end, this album is a masterpiece and I will continue to gush about it until I lose the passion to gush about something anymore.  I like how deliberate the title is ‘Pop Song ’89’  Rarely did you see band put it out there like that.  If this was the new definition of pop, I am interested.  Please sign me up.  If you notice, throughout this list, it includes awesome songs that open the albums.  This one is one of the best album openers in the R.E.M. catalog.  It introduces you to the album Green with reckless abandon.  The song makes me want to listen to the album in its entirety and I usually do.

6. Belong
This song makes me shiver.  it is simple but complex and delicate yet bold.  Every time I hear it I feel a different emotion.  If you have made it this far in the list, you can tell I’m clearly infatuated with Michael Stipe’s voice and I am not alone.  I could listen to him read a grocery list and be incredibly happy.  Still, this song goes above and beyond that.  The bass, the finger snaps, and the guitar coming it one by one.  The verses spoken so poignantly, even if you don’t know what its about, you don’t have to in order to understand it.  “She held her child and whispered, belong.”  The imagery makes your heart stir.

5. Get Up
The second track on the Green album, Get Up, rocks and shouts at the listener.  “Sleep Sleep Sleepyhead” he says in the first verse.  Mike Mills backing vocals singing “Dreams they compliment my life” when Michael Stipe sings, “Dreams they complicate my life.”  The two contradictory statements overlapping.  The song is jumpy and fun.  The middle of the song when the chimes come in is mysterious.  Is the song about waking up?  Is the song about being ‘woke’ before people started saying that?  I think so.  I think is about being aware and taking action.  It’s a favorite for me.  It energizes me.  I love the motivational lyrics, “I know life is hard/where now where to turn where to turn”

4. Finest Worksong
From Document, Finest Worksong is loud and in your face from start.  If someone asked me to submit a R.E.M. song to best represent the band it would probably be this one.  it isn’t early R.E.M. but it’s somewhere down the road when they begin to dominate college radio and 120 Minutes.  When music videos were on Mtv you could find R.E.M.  This is a powerful song.  “Take your instinct by the reigns.”  It is a battle cry.  It is a call for action.  It is a super cool song that could not not be in the top 5.

3. Untitled
This song ranks so high for me because it feels precious to me.  “Knowing” the band as long as I have, I feel I’ve found comfort in R.E.M. songs over and over again.  I turned to the album Green to not be sad.  The eleventh/Untitled song on Green is so grand to me I can see why it is untitled.  It is also untouchable.  The achy vocals Stipe adds in the chorus, “Hold him and keep him strong while I’m away from here.”  I tear up just typing the lyrics.  The voice is reflecting on experience and a plea to keep those he loves protected and safe.  There is nothing quite as sincere and beautiful.  “I stay up late to hear your voice.”

2. These Days
The thing about These Days is that is a honest to goodness rock song.  It puts you in a trace.  To imagine this was a song written in 1987 is also practically an absurd thought.  It is ruckus and makes you want to move.  It has always been a favorite of mine and that is why I have ranked it so high.  I couldn’t ever get tired of it.  Lyrics that stand out to me include, “we are hope, despite the times.”  This applies today, my friends… maybe now more than ever.

1.You Are The Everything
For the past few weeks I’ve done, practically, done nothing but listened to R.E.M.  I’ve learned a lot in the process and I’ve written about things I didn’t expect to write about.  When you are a fan of a band for such a long time you start to think you know it all and there is nothing more to learn but that just isn’t the case here.  R.E.M. has such a long and curious history; there is so much to digest.

I feel similarly about my choice for the number one spot on my list of favorite R.E.M. songs.  You Are The Everything overwhelms me with its importance and its beauty.  It has reminded me how small I am and also how vital my existence is.  That sounds deep.  It must be why I’m so drawn to the song.  Each time I hear it, I think of something new.  As much as I have been studying meditation and mindfulness, this song mirrors those philosophies as well.  It begins with the sound of crickets.  “All you hear it time stand still and travel.”  There are moments in the song that are truly small moments that you keep with you into adulthood.  The narrator states how scared he is for the state of the world we live in but still sees a woman in the kitchen who is so beautiful.  To me, the song is about hope and the impact you can make to change things for the better.  What you can do to be better.  I feel like Michael Stipe is reaching out to me, personally, and telling me it will be okay.  “The stars are the greatest thing you’ve ever seen and they’re there for you/For you alone, you are the everything.”

Honorable Mentions
Swan Swan H – I adore this song so much.  What happened here is not knowing how to rank it so I decided to put it first on honorable mentions.  The biggest challenge with this project was choosing so few songs from a band that is so big.
Strange Currencies
E-bow the Letter
Living Well is the Best Revenge
Cuyahoga
7 Chinese Bros.
Turn You Inside Out
Sweetness Follows
Everybody Hurts
Harborcoat
Find a River
Crush with Eyeliner
Just a Touch
Catapult
Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight

So many songs!

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  I would like to invite you to share your favorite R.E.M. songs and memories with me.  You can leave you comments here or send me an email at: ohalchemygirl@gmail.com