"Cant Get There from Here", or "Can't Get There from Here", is the first single released by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

from its third studio album ''

Fables of the Reconstruction ''Fables of the Reconstruction'', also known as ''Reconstruction of the Fables'', is the third studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on I.R.S. Records on June 10, 1985. The Joe Boyd-produced album was the first recorde ...

'' in 1985. The song peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, equaling to a position of approximately 110 on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 91 on the Canadian Singles Chart. It was re-released in 2006 on a compilation disc, '' And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987''. It was the first R.E.M. song to feature a

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

. Matthew Perpetua's 2010 retrospective of R.E.M.'s work called it "oddball...approximated southern funk via Peter Buck's chiming Rickenbacker chords". The song mentions the small town of Philomath, Georgia.

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that "a fully rocking chorus and a typically steady and murky verse give this cut superior pop character as well as giving mainstream listeners a taste of what college radio has known about for years."

Music video

In another first for R.E.M., who had opposed including the lyrics with their albums, many of the words of "Can't Get There from Here" appeared in the video for the song. The video features band members frolicking in hay fields, throwing popcorn at each other at a

drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...

movie, and big insects. "We used the new-to-us 'blue screen' process," Buck explained to

MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & ...

in 2001, during ''An Hour with R.E.M.'' "So we have dinosaurs and monsters in the background. It's probably the most humorous video we've ever done. For a band that's kind of noted for not having a sense of humor, I kind of enjoy that aspect of it."''An Hour with R.E.M.'', MTV Europe, April 28, 2001

Punctuation

The proper title of the song is unclear: unlike "Feeling Gravitys Pull" or ''

Lifes Rich Pageant ''Lifes Rich Pageant'' is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on July 28, 1986. R.E.M. chose Don Gehman to produce the album, which was recorded at John Mellencamp's Belmont Mall Studios in Belmont, Indi ...

'', this song's title does not maintain a consistent punctuation. On the album, it is spelled without an apostrophe on the back cover, but with the apostrophe on the CD. One version of the single has an apostrophe and the other does not. On the 1988 compilation ''

Eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

'', the song's title also is spelled without an apostrophe, except in the liner notes. The title has an apostrophe on the back cover of the 2006 compilation '' And I Feel Fine''. The band's U.S. copyright registration for the song includes the apostrophe.

Cover versions

The punk band The Mr. T Experience recorded a frenetic cover for the 1992 R.E.M. tribute album '' Surprise Your Pig''. It was subsequently included as a bonus track on the 1997 reissue of their earlier EP '' Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood''.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry,

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his ca ...

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., h ...

and

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

, "Bandwagon" is co-written by Michael's sister,

Lynda Stipe Lynda L. Stipe (born September 30, 1962) is an American singer and bass guitarist. She is best recognized for her involvement in the bands Oh-OK, Hetch Hetchy and Flash to Bang Time. She is the younger sister of R.E.M.'s lead singer Michael S ...

7": IRS / IRM 102 (UK)

#"Can't Get There from Here" (Edit) – 3:12 #"Bandwagon" – 2:15

12": IRS / IRT 102 (US)

#"Can't Get There from Here" (Extended Mix) * – 3:39 #"Bandwagon" – 2:15 #"Burning Hell" – 3:49 *"Extended Mix" identical to album version

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cant Get There From Here 1985 singles R.E.M. songs Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Peter Buck Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Michael Stipe I.R.S. Records singles Song recordings produced by Joe Boyd American soul songs 1985 songs