"Radio Song" is a song by American rock band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, 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 fir ...

, released as the fourth single from their seventh album, '' Out of Time'' (1991), where it appears as the opening track. Lead singer

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 the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

once said that he hoped everyone had enough sense of humor to realize that he was "kind of taking the piss of everyone," himself included. Stipe also asked

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

, leader of

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip-hop group formed in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. It originally consisted of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the ...

(of which Stipe was a fan), to contribute to the track. He provides some backing vocals for the track, as well as a closing rap, and appears prominently in the video.

Critical reception

Dele Fadele Ayodele Fadele (8 August 1962 – March 2018) was an English musician and music journalist who was active from the mid-1980s. He wrote for the ''NME'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was one of the first music critics to introduce then eme ...

from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named "Radio Song" Single of the Week, adding, "The most galvanising radio-wave song since

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

's "

Transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

" sees Messrs Berry, Buck and Mills pressure-cooking some dirty

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

with poignant pauses ('radio silence' as an act of subversion)." Another editor, Terry Staunton, declared it as "predictably the most curious and out of character track, which switches from gentle

Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionist Moe Tuc ...

strumming to anxious funk workout." Parry Gettelman from ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'' viewed it as one of the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

's "strongest cuts" and "an adventurous amalgam of jangly funk and sugary-sweet

pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Ballads ...

ry, with

KRS-1 Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

a good foil for otherworldly singer

." He added, "While Stipe is, as usual, a bit oblique ("''I've everything to show/I've everything to hide/ look into my eyes - listen''"), KRS-1's words are unambiguous ("''Now our children grow up prisoners/all their life - radio listeners''")."Gettelman, Parry (March 22, 1991). "R.E.M.". ''

''. Celia Farber from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' felt it's one of the few "that rocks out a little

n the album N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

settling intermittently on a classic dramatic R.E.M. moment, with a crescendo of arpeggiated guitars and words about the world collapsing."

Track listings

All songs written by

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guita ...

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 played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

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., hi ...

, and

unless otherwise indicated. 7-inch and cassette # "Radio Song" – 4:15 # "

Love Is All Around "Love Is All Around" is a song recorded by English rock band the Troggs. Released as a single in October 1967, it was a top-ten hit in both the UK and US. "Love Is All Around" has been covered by numerous artists, including R.E.M., with w ...

" (

Reg Presley Reginald Maurice Ball (12 June 1941 – 4 February 2013), known professionally as Reg Presley, was an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer with the 1960s rock and roll band the Troggs, whose hits included "Wild Thing (The Troggs ...

) (live)¹ – 3:15 UK "Collectors' Edition" CD # "Radio Song" – 4:15 # "You Are the Everything" (live)³ – 4:43 # "

Orange Crush Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. It was created in 1911, 30 years before Coca-Cola's Fanta, by beverage and extract chemist ...

" (live)² – 4:03 # "Belong" (live)⁴ – 4:47 CD, 12-inch, and maxi-cassette # "Radio Song (Tower of Luv Bug mix)" – 4:14 # "Love Is All Around" (

) (live)¹ – 3:15 # "Belong" (live)⁴ – 4:07 UK and Germany 12-inch # "Radio Song" – 4:15 # "Love Is All Around" (

) (live)¹ – 3:15 # "

Shiny Happy People "Shiny Happy People" is a song by the American rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their seventh studio album, '' Out of Time'' (1991). It features guest vocals by Kate Pierson of the B-52's, who also appears in the music vide ...

(Music Mix)"

Notes

¹ Recorded on ''

Rockline ''Rockline'' was a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that was broadcast live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1981, ...

'', Los Angeles, California; April 1, 1991.
² Incorrectly listed as "Fox Theater, Atlanta, Georgia; November 13, 1989"; actually from Miami Arena, Miami (FL), April 29, 1989.
³ Taken from the live performance video, ''

Tourfilm ''Tourfilm'' (1990) is a documentary-style concert film by American rock band R.E.M. The film chronicles the band's 1989 ''Green'' tour of North America. Produced by frontman Michael Stipe and director Jim McKay, the black-and-white film features ...

''.
⁴ Recorded at the Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina; November 10, 1989. Details for the second and third live recordings (tracks three and four) for "Collectors' Edition" are not provided on the CD materials.

Personnel

Personnel taken from ''Out of Time'' liner notes R.E.M. *

– drums, percussion *

– guitar *

– organ, bass guitar *

– vocals Additional musicians *

Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician who, along with Chris Stamey, formed the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ...

– bass guitar *

Kidd Jordan Edward "Kidd" Jordan ( Crowley, May 5, 1935 – April 7, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist and music educator from New Orleans, Louisiana. He taught at Southern University at New Orleans from 1974 to 2006. Biography Jordan was born in Crowl ...

– baritone, tenor and alto saxophone *

–

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most ...

– echo-loop feed Strings * David Arenz – violin * Ellie Arenz – violin *

Mark Bingham Mark Kendall Bingham (May 22, 1970 – September 11, 2001) was an American public relations executive who founded his own company, the Bingham Group. During the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was a passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93. ...

–

string arrangement The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

* David Braitberg – violin * Andrew Cox – cello * Reid Harris – viola * Ralph Jones – double bass * Dave Kempers – violin * Elizabeth Murphy – cello * Paul Murphy – lead viola *

Jay Weigel Jay Weigel is a Grammy winning composer, producer, conductor, arranger, orchestrator, and contractor for film, television, recordings, and concerts. From 1998 to 2001, he worked as an orchestrator, assistant conductor, and head music preparatory ...

– orchestral liaison

Charts

Bingo Hand Job version

A live version of "Radio Song" was released in early 2019 via

Noisetrade NoiseTrade was a global online audio and book direct-to-fan distribution platform. It was based in Nashville, Tennessee. It enables its users to upload original music and books and give away for free without digital rights management to anyone ...

. Recorded in 1991 at The Borderline in London, the track was credited to ''Bingo Hand Job'', a pseudonym for R.E.M. and guests (who also adopted various fake names). A recording of the much bootlegged full concert was officially released in April 2019 as ''

Live at the Borderline 1991 ''Live at the Borderline 1991'' is a live album released for Record Store Day on April13, 2019. The recording features alternative rock band R.E.M. performing under the pseudonym Bingo Hand Job at a 1991 surprise gig around the release of '' Out ...

''.

Use in other media

The song was featured in the

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American filmmaker and journalist. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. Crowe started his career a ...

film ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

'' (1992), although it is not included in the official soundtrack album.

References

External links

Video clip at REMhq.com
{{Authority control R.E.M. songs 1991 singles Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Peter Buck Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Song recordings produced by Bill Berry Songs about music Songs about radio Warner Records singles KRS-One songs Rap rock songs