"Tongue" 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 on July 17, 1995, by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album, ''

Monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

'' (1994). The song was written by the band and produced by them with

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 ...

. It was only released in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Japan. In the song, 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 ...

performs in

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

; he has stated on several occasions that the narrator of the song is female. Stipe has also said the track is "all about

cunnilingus Cunnilingus is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a vulva by using the tongue and lips. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the vulva, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused or achievi ...

". The single's music video, directed by

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Jonathan Dayton (born July 7, 1957) and Valerie Faris (born October 20, 1958) are a duo of American directors and producers for films and music videos. They started their career directing videos for such artists as Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M. ...

and shot during the soundcheck prior to the band's June 20, 1995, performance at the

Knickerbocker Arena MVP Arena (originally Knickerbocker Arena, and then the Pepsi Arena and Times Union Center) is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity of ...

in Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, shows a group of teenagers in a living room watching the band perform on TV. The version of the song that plays is slightly higher in tone than that of the album version. It was included as a bonus video on the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

release of '' In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003''.

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' named 'Tongue' Pick of the Week in October 1995, noting that "this lovely single" finds R.E.M. "drastically toning down the energy of previous offerings", as '

What's the Frequency, Kenneth? "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their ninth studio album, '' Monster'' (1994). The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986 in which two then-unknown assailants attack ...

', ' Bang & Blame' and '

Crush with Eyeliner "Crush with Eyeliner" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records as the third single from their ninth studio album, ''Monster'' (1994). Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore provides background vocals. Michael Stipe claims th ...

'. He added further, "Against a simple organstyled arrangement

delivers an impressive

that is one of the sweetest things the band has ever put on record. With the tour still going strong and the success of '

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It was written by the band and produced by them with ...

' from the last album, there appears to be a promising future for this song. While Triple A will be the first to jump on the bandwagon, they will not be alone, as

CHR CHR or chr may refer to: Organisations * Canadians for Health Research, a national not-for-profit organisation * Centre for Human Rights, an organisation promoting human rights in Africa * Christ Church Secondary School, a government-aided school ...

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

and maybe even

Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

outlets will find room on their playlists for one of the most bankable acts in rock." Chuck Campbell from ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'' described it as "romantic" and "organ-laden".

Andrew Mueller Andrew Mueller is an Australian-born, London-based journalist and author. He is a contributing editor at ''Monocle'', and also regularly writes for ''The Independent'', ''The Independent on Sunday'', ''The Financial Times'', ''Esquire'', ''The ...

from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' named it "the only duffer" of the album, "which sounds like

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

trying to falsetto through a

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

ballad." ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' wrote, "Stipe tries his first-ever falsetto, which is like

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

squeezing a '

Lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

'. Maybe a bit off the wall for ACE radio, but as it's a ballad repeated spins will win over even the most wary." Keith Cameron 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 ...

'' described it as "a vaguely sinister, slightly daffy detour with Stipe copping his best

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

hi-pitched croon to only shoulder-shrugging effect." Another ''NME'' editor, Andy Richardson, viewed it as "deft" and "melancholic". Paul Evans from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' felt that on 'Tongue', "Stipe's

Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, the group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, Clarence Johnson, Burt ...

falsetto is a revelation; elsewhere he declaims with clear authority." Howard Hampton 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 ...

'' opined that it's better than its "tearjerking predecessor", and "actually more subtle, even beautiful, it comes off as somehow more overwrought."

Live performances

The three live songs that make up the CD single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

were performed on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' in 1994. "Tongue" was performed frequently throughout the tours in support of ''Monster'' and ''Up'' but would only make three more live appearances ever again in 2003. On March 1, 1995, drummer

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 ...

had to leave the stage during a performance of this song complaining of a serious headache, which turned out to be caused by a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

; it is the likely reason for his leaving the band in October 1997. On subsequent dates Berry admitted that it gave him an eerie feeling every time the band performed "Tongue".

Track listings

All songs were written by

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

. * US 7-inch, CD, and cassette single # "Tongue" (album version) – 4:13 # "Tongue" (live) – 4:34 Note: "Tongue" was recorded live at

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, on June 7, 1995. * UK and Japanese CD single # "Tongue" – 4:08 # "

" (live) – 4:04 # "

Bang and Blame "Bang and Blame" is a song by American alternative rock group R.E.M. It was released as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''Monster'' (1994), on October 31, 1994, by Warner Bros. Records. The song was R.E.M.'s last to reach the top ...

" (live) – 4:52 # " I Don't Sleep, I Dream" (live) – 3:48 Note: All live tracks were recorded at ''

'',

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, on November 12, 1994. * UK cassette and limited-edition 7-inch single # "Tongue" (album version) – 4:08 # "Tongue" (instrumental) – 4:10 Note: The cassette single has a reverse insert where the B-sides from all other singles could be dubbed onto a cassette and the insert flipped to show artwork and track listing for a live album.

Charts

Release history

References

External links

Full Video at YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongue 1994 songs 1995 singles American soul songs Music videos directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris R.E.M. songs Song recordings produced by Bill Berry Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Michael Stipe Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Peter Buck Warner Records singles