Favorite R.E.M. song?

[Coventina]

Poll question: Favorite R.E.M. song?

They have way too many good ones to list here, but here are 10 to argue/vote for!

Note: The absence of "Shiny Happy People" is NOT accidental!

[kayleybeth]

1. Mine's not on there

Driver 8

"Fall on me" is a good one, too.

[StaggerLee]

14. hey kayleybeth

I posted before reading yours.

Both great choices.
;)

[Bucky__Badger]

48. Buy the sky and sell the sky....

yeah that's another one

[woofless]

2. Everybody Hurts

Sometimes

[hussar]

22. Oh yeh the best for me too

n/t

[indigo32]

26. thats my favorite

eom

[AlienGirl]

3. Texarkana

Also Daysleeper, Hyena, Swan Swan H, Country Feedback, Try Not to Breathe, and Hope.

Tucker

[Coventina]

4. I actually had Texarkana on there!

But I took it off because I was worried that there weren't enough singles on the list!!!

Great choice! I love it also.

[SmileyBoy]

5. "Bittersweet Me" (1996)

I'm more new school. So what? Ya wanna fighta 'bout it???:-)

[Ohio Dem]

6. Lots of good ones there, but no "End of the World as We Know It?"

We feel fine, by the way.

[HEyHEY]

7. Had to take radio free europe

Love that tune!

[gmoney]

8. It's the End of the World As We Know It

(and unlike Michael Stipe, I don't feel fine)... a good song for the times.

Driver 8 and Everybody Hurts are also top-notch songs, but the REAL oversight here is "Don't Go Back to Rockville" -- their first song with actual sensible lyrics (thanks to Mike Mills).

Ever since their "Adventures in High Finance" I've really lost interest in these guys.

[kayleybeth]

11. ooh yeah

Don't go back to Rockville. Love that one!!!!

[StaggerLee]

9. Driver 8

Love that song.

[Bushfire]

24. I'll second that... n/t

[GOPisEvil]

37. I'll third that! (nt)

[Bucky__Badger]

39. yes, Driver 8

That's a great song.

Every time my 13 month old daughter and I go to pick up mommy from work at the hospital, little Sophie points to the orange balls on the power lines by the helicopter pad and I sing that line from the song...

"The power lines have floaters so the airplanes don't get snagged."

Man if there's one band that makes me think of my college years it's REM.

[underpants]

42. Ah THAT line I have a question

I've always thought that Stipe mixed up word so you never were sure what he was saying or so it changed eveytime you heard it.

I never thought it was "snagged" I thought it was a mixture of "Sad" and "so bad" Like it puts a smile on an airplane.

Now I am notorious for being "lyrically deaf" so tell me am I crazy?

[GOPisEvil]

44. It's snagged, according to this...

Driver 8 Lyrics: (berry/buck/mills/stipe)



The walls are built up, stone by stone,
The fields divided one by one
And the train conductor says
"take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break
We’ve been on this shift too long"

And the train conductor says
"take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break
We can reach our destination, but we’re still a ways away"

I saw a treehouse on the outskirts of the farm
The power lines have floaters so the airplanes won’t get snagged
Bells are ringing through the town again,
Children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing

And the train conductor says
"take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break
We can reach our destination, but we’re still a ways away"
But we’re still a ways away

Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself to sleep
Way to shield the hated heat
Way to put myself, my children to sleep

He piloted this song in a plane like that one
She is selling faith on the go tell crusade
Locomotive 8, southern crescent hear the bells ring again
Field to weed is lookin’ thin

And the train conductor says
"take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break
We’ve been on this shift too long"
And the train conductor says
"take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break
We can reach our destination, but we’re still a ways away"
But we’re still a ways away

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/r.e.m./113060.html

Edit - emoticon accidentally appeared

[underpants]

52. Well there is all kinds of stuff wrong with that

As I said I think everyone hears it differently so:

The field divided one by one ? It's Hills divided one by one

Children look up, all they hear is sky-blue, bells ringing
IS
Children look upon the years, sky-blue, bells ringing

Way to shield the hated heat
Hated heat?
Way to shield the heat heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat

The "go tell crusade"? See post below.

But that is just how I hear it. Of course the first time I heard the Chumbawumba song (and many times after that) I thoought they said

I get up down
but I get up again
'Cause it happens on the lead guitar

That doesn't make any sense but that's never stopped me before.
This is why I liked REM so much, I can make up my own songs.

[GOPisEvil]

53. Every time I have seen REM (2x), Stipe has the lyrics at hand...

...maybe now we know why. :D It's pretty cool, actually, when he tears the sheet off the music stand with a flourish. At the end of the show, all these sheets of paper were everywhere.

[underpants]

54. I haven't seen them in years

but I don't remember seeing lyric sheets but then I don't remember a lot of those evenings anyway, Senator.

[underpants]

41. She is selling faith though the girl herself is strange

The Little Band that Could

[Syrinx]

I voted for So. Central Rain

But "Welcome To The Occupation," seems oddly appropriate as well.

[Duncan Grant]

10. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite...

for purely sentimental reasons! Jeez, this is like picking your favorite child or something...

'Talk about the Passion' has never lost its soul (after all these years). We should all be so lucky.

[Nailzberg]

12. Um, I'm going Orange Crush

[theemu]

13. Nightswimming

...deserves a quiet night.

[ixion]

21. that's one of my favs, too...

:hi:

[MissMillie]

50. gets my vote! (n/t)

.

[SweetZombieJesus]

15. I had to vote for Radio Free Europe, but DAMMIT!

Someone vote for Can't Get There From Here, you philistines! Fables Of The Reconstruction is a CLASSIC album!

[MR. ELECTABLE]

16. World Leader Pretend

Let my machines talk to me....

[flamingyouth]

17. Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)

First song I ever heard by them, and my favorite, although I love many of their songs.

[StaggerLee]

19. Great song!

I was trying so hard - I couldn't recall the title.

Thanks!

[Section_43]

25. God, I love the Chronic Town EP

I got into lots of trouble for blaring that record continuously in an old apt. building I lived in once.

[liberalmuse]

18. Too many to name...

I was obsessed with REM in the early '80's, from the first time I heard 'Radio Free Europe'. I listened to 'Murmur' every day for about a year. The other day I found 'Eponymous' for 2 bucks at a thrift store (along with Molly Ivin's 'Shrub' for 50 cents). It sure brings back memories. The last REM album I bought was 'Automatic for the People'.

[Section_43]

20. Tough choice, but I have to go with

Sitting Still

really, too many to choose from.

I could blindly pick any song from Murmur and be satisfied, as well as, anything from Fables...the first tour I caught was Fables, Camper Van Beethoven opened (they blew REM off the stage)

[Lindsey]

23. Losin' my Religion is a southern saying

that my precious grandma used to say. If we were acting up she'd say: "you kids are gonna make me loose my religion." It's actually one of my favorite songs of all time.

[populistmom]

27. I'd have to say Superman here

But there's this obscure one on Dead Letter Office called Pale Blue Eyes that has always been my absolute favorite REM song.
The last REM concert I saw was 4 years ago. The only time in the last 13 years I got so drunk I acted like a complete moronic baffoon.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

28. Pushing an elephant

I love that song. Don't know why, i just like the lyrics a lot.

[NashVegas]

29. Cuyahoga

This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it
We are not your allies, we can not defend
This is where they walked, this is where they swam
Take a picture here, take a souvenir

[Bucky__Badger]

46. not to be self-indulgent or melodramatic, but THIS song...

really reminds me of some powerful things. I ran track in college (distances) and this song was running through my head for an entire 5000 meter race. My dad had died 48 hours earlier and I ran the race of my life, way way faster than I had any business running. I can't hear that song or even hear of it without tearing up and thinking of the reaction of my teammates and best friends after that race was over.

[LearnedHand]

30. Damn!

ALL of them!!!!! I've seen them twice in concert, but haven't heard them perform "Radio Free Europe." Maybe some day.

I DID, however, see them perform "It's the End of the World as We Know It." Stipe had to sing the lyrics from a cheatsheet!

[Kat45]

31. Definitely "Radio Free Europe"

Love that song.

[Spirochete]

32. The End of the World

is my favorite.

[markses]

33. Superman shouldn't count, since it's a cover of the Clique

written by Gary Zeckley with lyrics by Mitch Bottler, circa 1960-something.

There was the thing with it appearing in the Superbowl ad, and all these folks yelled sellout at REM, and they were like: Hey, man. It ain't our song, y'know. We just covered that shit way bak in the 80's.

[dry99]

34. Favorite R.E.M. song?

No question, "What's the Frequency Kenneth?"
Dave

[Cosmic_Latte]

35. My fave is Everybody Hurts

It's on my speakers right now. But on the poll I chose "Losing My Religion" -- cool. "Daysleeper" is also a good song.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

36. Shiny Happy People

Did anybody else catch R.E.M. on Sesame Street when they did "Shiny Happy Monsters?" I don't like the song much either, but watching Michael Stipe sing with the muppets was pretty funny.

[AntiCoup2K4]

49. Actually, it was Furry Happy Monsters

uh, so I've heard.....

Voted for South Central Rain because that's the song that got me into REM in the first place. But I like everything they did as a 4 man band. Wasn't the same after Bill Berry left though :evilfrown:

[underpants]

38. Ahem! Driver 8 maybe?

My favorite song ever.

Too many to really pick only one. "Welcome to the Occupation" is a great song and "Radio Free Europe" saved music as far as Iam concerned.

[Brucey]

40. Losing My Religion, though

it's a bit corny and too pop.

[Red_Storm]

43. Driver 8 and Nightswimming MUST be on the list .......

all the other songs on the list are great too.........

[GOPisEvil]

45. Oooh...Gardening At Night...that's in my head right now!

:-)

I'm voting twice - sue me! :P

[Bossy Monkey]

47. Begin the Begin (n/t)

[arwalden]

51. "Oh no I've said too much, I haven't said enough"

One of the strangest songs I've ever heard.

[Redbear]

55. Exhuming McCarthy

Vested interest united ties, landed gentry rationalize

You're sharpening stones, walking on coals
To improve your business acumen.
Sharpening stones, walking on coals,
To improve your business acumen.

Enemy sighted, enemy met, I'm addressing the realpolitik

[THUNDER HANDS]

56. Where the frig is "Man on the Moon"

That's an awesome song!

[mac56]

57. "I Believe"

(Although "Murmur" is still my favorite album. I swear I had an out-of-body experience the first time I heard it!)

When I was young and full of grace
And spirited - a rattlesnake
When I was young and fever fell
My spirit, I will not tell
You're on your honor not to tell

I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract
Explain the change, the difference between
What you want and what you need, there's the key,
Your adventure for today, what do you do
Between the horns of the day?

I believe my shirt is wearing thin
And change is what I believe in

When I was young and give and take
And foolish said my fool awake
When I was young and fever fell
My spirit, I will not tell
You're on your honor, on your honor

Trust in your calling, make sure your calling's true
Think of others, the others think of you
Silly rule golden words make, practice, practice makes perfect,
Perfect is a fault, and fault lines change

I believe my humor's wearing thin
And change is what I believe in
I believe my shirt is wearing thin
And change is what I believe in

When I was young and full of grace
As spirited a rattlesnake
When I was young and fever fell
My spirit, I will not tell
You're on your honor, on your honor
I believe in example
I believe my throat hurts
Example is the checker to the key

I believe my humor's wearing thin
And I believe the poles are shifting

[peekaloo]

58. Seven Chinese Brothers

swallowing the ocean.........

[SiouxJ]

59. I went with So. Central Rain, though

choosing a favorite R.E.M. song is like choosing a favorite child.

I love "Driver 8" too of course and "Losing My Religion." It's just too hard to choose.

Favorite album would probably be "Life's Rich Pageant" I remember having that stuck in my car's tape player for months back in college. I just couldn't bring myself to take it out.

[Red_Storm]

60. Favorite REM Album..............

would be a good poll as well ........