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Fun Music Information -> R.E.M.

Album cover parody of Nightswimming by R.E.M.
Parody album cover
click to see the original

This is the most recent information about R.E.M. that has been submitted to amIright. If we have more information about R.E.M., then we provide a link to the section where it appears (the actual page whenever possible).

Our newest site, amIwrong has an albums order quiz where you need to put this performer's albums in order of release.
 
 

Quotes:

"Go fuck yourselves, the lot of you — you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men," R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe said (via bassist Mike Mills' Twitter page). "Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign." The statement was in response to Donald Trump using one of the group's songs at a Washington, D.C. rally Wednesday afternoon. Trump and fellow presidential nominee Ted Cruz appeared together at the rally to lambast President Obama and the recent nuclear deal with Iran alongside Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. During his intro, Trump came out to R.E.M.'s 1987 hit "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),"
Submitted by: Trump = World Leader Pretend, and a Lousy One Too
 

Jokes:

You won’t get much R.E.M. sleep if you stand in the place where you live
Submitted by: Connor Lyon
I went to an REM gig last night. I've got a pic with me, here...that's the band, and that's me in the corner.
Submitted by: DK
There are additional R.E.M. music jokes available.

Band Name Origins:

  • According to "Remarks - The Story Of R.E.M." by Tony Fletcher, the band had asked their friends to write names for the band on the outside wall of the converted church they were living in at the time. As Sidewinder pointed out, those names did include Cans Of Piss and Twisted Kites, as well as, ahem, Sl*t Bank, but R.E.M. was apparently among them. It is claimed by some that Twisted Kites was actually their name for their first gig, although the more widely held view is that they had no name. Despite the fact that R.E.M. commonly stands for Rapid Eye Movement, they chose the name because people could interpret an acronym any way they liked. Submitted by: neptunevsmars
  • It stands for "rapid eye movement", which is the period in your sleep which lasts for 2 hours total. This is when you at your deepest sleep and your dreaming. The dreaming makes your eyes move faster then could possibly be controlled. Hence, the name, Rapid Eye Movement, when sleep professionals look at sleep patterns and dreaming they measure this in measurements called R.E.Ms. (20 R.E.Ms a second ect...) This was chosen because Michael Stipe has previously suffered from insomnia. Submitted by: pikel

New Career:

Name
New Career
Comments & Submitter Name
"Farmer"According to wikipedia, he became a farmer after quitting R.E.M. after 17 years. - JeReMy

Song Titles Not Used as Lyrics:

Song Name
Comments & Submitter Name
"Star Me Kitten"The title is censored. Michael's actually singing "F*** me kitten". - Brian Kelly
"Texarkana"I would give my life to find it./I would give it all./Catch me if I fall. - Brian Kelly
"E-Bow The Letter"Look up, what do you see?
All of you and all of me
Flourescent and starry
Some of them, they surprise. - Rocky
"So. Central Rain"The chorus just repeats "I'm sorry!" over and over. Maybe Michael's apologizing to the title for not featuring it. - Brian Kelly
"Pop Song '89"Can we talk about the weather? Should we talk about the government? - Brian Kelly

New Band Names:

New Name
Why It's Better
Submitter Name
RPMIf only vinyl had been around long enough...Pat Maheiny
SOSHelp! Help! Please save us from Michael Stipe's speeches.J.C.

New Song Names:

Original Song Name
New Song Name
Submitter Name
"Stormy Kitten""Star Me Kitten"Mae Beam
"Star Me Kitchen""Star Me Kitten"Mae Beam
"Rodeo Free Europe""Radio Free Europe"Ned MacCamden
"Rodeo Song""Radio Song"Regina Haniger
"Everybody Farts""Everybody Hurts"MSG

There are additional new song names available.

Literally Impossible Song Titles:

Song/Performer
Comment
Submitter Name
"Losing My Religion,"A religion cannot be misplaced.Opie M.
"Radio Free Europe,"Radio stations still exist in Europe.Tommy
"Everybody Hurts,"Not everybody, all the time.Peter
"Ignoreland,"Since I have no clue where this is, I'll ignore itPeter
"Try Not To Breathe,"Then I'll die; so I'll ignore your instructions.Peter

There are additional literally impossible song titles available.

Use a Song Title to Answer a Different Song:

Song & Band Name
Song & Band Name
"How Far?," Martina McBride"All The Way To Reno," R.E.M.
"Diet Mountain Dew," Lana Del Rey"Orange Crush," R.E.M.
"Sittin' Up In My Room," Brandy"Stand," R.E.M.
"After The Fall," Journey"Get Up," R.E.M.
There are additional songs titles that answer other songs available.

Remove a Letter From a Song Title:

"Orange Rush" originally "Orange Crush"
Mallory
"All On Me" originally "Fall On Me"
Serafina
"Can't Get Here From Here" originally "Can't Get There From Here"
Just where ARE you?!
Josh
"Petty Persuasion" originally "Pretty Persuasion"
About Tom Petty's ability to persuade?
Rafeal De La Ghetto
"Carnival Of Sots" originally "Carnival Of Sorts"
Jamie Burke

There are additional song titles with a letter removed available.

Add a Letter to a Song Title:

"All The Fright Friends" originally "All The Right Friends"
Halloweena Jolie
"Find The Driver" originally "Find The River"
Melissa
"Strand" originally "Stand"
Serafina
"Men In Honey" originally "Me In Honey"
A favorite delicacy for Lance Bass?
Dicky
"Radio Freed Europe" originally "Radio Free Europe"
...from what?
Random Madeupperson

There are additional song titles with a letter added available.

Change a Letter:

"Grange Crush" originally "Orange Crush"
Steve Losewood
"Ratio Song" originally "Radio Song"
Charles
"Max On The Moon" originally "Man On The Moon"
Also specifies the man's name.
Alina
"The Ode I Love" originally "The One I Love"
Amy Vodkahaus
"Wall On Me" originally "Fall On Me"
Never a good feeling.
Joe

There are additional song titles with a letter changed available.

Recordings:

Feb 10
a parody of "It's the end of the world as we know it" by R.E.M.
A song about Trump's many misdeeds in office
YouTube : (Mp3 )
July 11
a parody of "Drive" by R.E.M.
I never flipped burgers, but I did fry fish and fries for Long John Silver's in the summer of '89. Here's a parody for all harried, underpaid food-service workers. agrimorfee@hotmail.com
YouTube: (home recording)
Nov 25
a parody of "Stand" by REM
Wolverine's AmIRight Idol Round 4 Winner gets recorded by Below Average Dave! Congrats Wolverine
badave.com: (mp3)
Nov 12
a parody of "Loosing My Religion" by R.E.M.
The song that won the first Below Average Dave recording contest. . .enjoy (Performed by B.A.D.)
badave.com: (mp3)
Apr 20
a parody of "Losing My Religion" by REM
This song is a testament to indecisiveness...
Soundclick.com: (Mp3)

Song Parody Lyrics:

Original Song Name
Parody Song Name
Parody Author
"Shiny Happy People""Shiny Happy Kittens"The Parody Author
"Losing My Religion""Loving My Cute Kitten"The Parody Author
"The One I Love""Chumps Who Love Grump"eel deal
"Stand""Yan"Lorna Pitzer
"Stand""Hemp"Vic George
"Losing My Religion""That's Me As the Colonel"Agrimorfee
"It’s The End Of The World As We Know It""Will We Know ISL A Lot Longer?"SwimPuff165
"Losing My Religion""Losing My Virginity"PPDGENIUS
"Stand""Scams"SwimPuff165
"Orange Crush""Your F**king Cat"redpill

There are additional R.E.M. song parodies available.

Songs for Commercials, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

Song Name
Product
Submittor
Finest RodeoRodeo Cowboy BootsTJ Neyland
Everybody HurtsTylenolRich
Half a World AwayChina TourismJake
It's The End Of The World As We Know ItEvangelist/Fundamentalist OrganizationDiddims
The Sidewinder Sleeps TonightSnake RepellentHeathcliff the Cat
There are additional R.E.M. commercials that haven't been done yet available.

Bad Choices for On Hold Music:

Song Name
Company/Organization
Submittor
World Leader Pretend Donald Trump's Answering MachineSPANK THAT DONNIE DOUCHEBAG!
Losing My ReligionChurch/Mosque/Synagogue/TempleAlyssa
Try Not To Breathe911qwpJ
Losing My ReligionChurchnightrain express
Everybody HurtsAnesthesiologistIMRIGHTBEHINDYOU
There are additional R.E.M. on hold music ideas available.

Songs for Duets, That Haven't Been Done Yet:

First Band/Song Name
Second Band/Song Name
New Song Name
Submittor
Rocket Man
   Elton John
Man On The Moon
   R.E.M.
Rocket Man On The Moon
I think it makes sense.
Joe Siebert
I Need A Man
   Grace Jones
Man On The Moon
   R.E.M.
I Need A Man On The Moon
Jen
Life Is A Highway
   Tom Cochrane
Superman
   R.E.M.
Life Is A Superhighway, Man!
Joe
Please Don't Go
   KC And The Sunshine Band
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
   R.E.M.
Please Don't Go Back To Rockville
At least they were polite this time.
Rock Maninoff
There are additional duets that haven't been done yet available.

If Groups Combined, Their Names Might Be:

Delta Good R.E.M.
Delta Goodrem combined with R.E.M.
Submitted By: Sheila Oh
The R.E.M. Brandts
R.E.M. combined with The Rembrandts
Basically a space-changing of the second band's name
Submitted By: Cody Finke
REMGMT
REM combined with MGMT
Submitted By: Brian Kelly
R.E.M. Kelly
R.E.M. combined with R. Kelly
The R. by itself looks lonely. Let's add some letters to it.
Submitted By: Daniel

There are additional R.E.M. Combined Groups that haven't been done yet available.

Misheard Lyrics:

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
Misheard Lyrics:
Gonna go tell your neighbors
Original Lyrics:
Call me when you try to wake her up
"Nightswimming"
Misheard Lyrics:
I'm sleeping
Original Lyrics:
Nightswimming
"Man on the Moon"
Misheard Lyrics:
They put a name on the moon
Original Lyrics:
They put a man on the moon
"Everybody Hurts"
Misheard Lyrics:
Don't let yourself show
(Later)
Don't blow your head
Original Lyrics:
Don't let yourself go
(Later)
Don't throw your hand
There are additional misheard lyrics available.

Misheard Lyrics Stories:

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
Misheard Lyrics:
Is your benza mean a huh
Original Lyrics:
is your Benzedrine, uh-huh

Story about this misheard lyric by: Salvatore Fisher

Some guy sang it drunk like this one time.

There are additional misheard stories available.

Song Parody Fragments:

"Man on the Moon"
Better Lyrics:
Let's play UNO and let's play Trouble, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Original Lyrics:
Let's play Twister and let's play Risk, yeah yeah yeah yeah
Submitted by: Mickey D.
"It's the End Of The World As We Know It"
Better Lyrics:
There's no end to One Piece as they know it
Original Lyrics:
It's the end of the world as we know it
Submitted by: Andrea Huckstep
"The One I Love"
Better Lyrics:
This one goes out to the one-eyed duck
Original Lyrics:
This one goes out to the one I love
Submitted by: walrus
There are additional parody fragments available.

Funniest Song Lyrics:

"Orange Crush"
The Funny Lyrics:
Follow me, don't follow me.
Why They're Funny:
This line contradicts itself. Need I say more?
Submitted by: Pete Worst
"Shiny Happy People"
The Funny Lyrics:
Shiny happy people holding hands
Why They're Funny:
This whole song is hilarious. I like it, but this line in particular still gives me the giggles every time I hear it.
Submitted by: Quyjibo
There are additional Funny lyrics available.

Repetitive Song Lyrics:

"Man On The Moon"
The Repetitive Lyrics:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Why They're Repetitive:
It's at the end of nearly every line. You think he could have thought of different words.
Submitted by: Barbarella
"Everybody Hurts"
The Repetitive Lyrics:
Everybody hurts (x100)
Why They're Repetitive:
I like rem but i swear this is the whole bloody song! Micheal Stipe would be hurting if i got my hands on him after hearing this song for the 50th time!!!
Submitted by: Little Scottish Girlie
There are additional R.E.M. repetitive lyrics available.

Nonsensical Song Lyrics:

"Diminished"
The Nonsensical Lyrics:
I can see the truth in his statement
Smallpox blanket
No Way
Why They're Nonsensical:
Uh huh. What exactly is a smallpox blanket and how on earth does it fit in with the rest of the song?
Submitted by: Barbarella
"It's The End of the World As We Know It"
The Nonsensical Lyrics:
That's great, it starts with an earthquake,
birds and snakes, an aeroplane...
Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Why They're Nonsensical:
This song is sung very fast with lyrics that don't really make any sense at all. This is the opening line. And, really why would Lenny be afraid?
Submitted by: Celeste

Inappropriate Song Lyrics:

"The One I Love"
The Inappropriate Lyrics:
Fire!
Why They're Inappropriate:
I don't see what this has to do with the rest of the song; neither the title nor the rest of the lyrics have anything whatsoever to do with being on a battleground or anything of the like. Yet Michael Stipe belts it out at the end of each short verse.
Submitted by: Orville Beddenrocker
 

Song Lyrics That Name Check Celebrities:

"It's the End of the World as We Know It"
The Lyrics:
Mountains stand on a line, Leonard Bernstein,
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs
Who They Mention:
Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce And Lester Bangs! That's 4 Celebrities In A Row!
Submitted by: Darius Whitehead
"The Wake Up Bomb"
The Lyrics:
Get drunk and sing along to Queen
Practice my T. Rex moves and make the scene
Who They Mention:
T. Rex
Submitted by: Adrian Smith
There are additional celebrity lyrics available.

How to Pronounce a Band Name:

"ar-e-em
Some people try to pronounce it as a word "rem".
Submitted by: Rip Jeans

Song Lyrics That Mention Brand Name Products:

"Bad Day"
The Lyrics:
Free Teflon whitewashed presidency
Product Brand Name:
Teflon
Submitted by: Cody Finke
"Man On the Moon"
The Lyrics:
Mott the Hoople and the Game of Life
Product Brand Name:
The Game of Life - board game
Submitted by: Cody Finke
There are additional product lyrics available.

Song Lyrics That Mention Other Songs:

"Losing My Religion"
The Song Lyrics:
The distance in your eyes
Song They Mention:
"In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.
Submitted by: Pete Worst
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It"
The Song Lyrics:
It's the end of the world as we know it,
and I feel fine
Song They Mention:
"I Feel Fine" by The Beatles
Submitted by: David Jones
There are additional Song Lyrics That Mention Other Songs lyrics available.

Songs That Open With Their Titles:

"Wendell Gee"
Opening Lines:
That's when Wendell Gee
Comments:
Submitted by: Brian Kelly
"Old Man Kensey"
Opening Lines:
Old man Kensey wants to be a sign painter.
Comments:
Submitted by: Brian Kelly
There are additional spelling lyrics available.

Boasting in Song Lyrics:

"Superman"
The Boasting Lyrics:
I am Superman and I can do anything.
Comments:
This is obvious, Mike Stipe is stating that he is, for all intents and purposes, a god!
Submitted by: GlamRockNinjaLord
 

Song Title Space Change:

"Night Swimming" originally "Nightswimming"
Submitted by: Lefty Lucy
"Night Swimming" originally "Nightswimming"
Submitted by: Lefty Lucy
"Be At A Drum" originally "Beat A Drum"
Submitted by: Peter
"Be At Ad Rum" originally "Beat A Drum"
Submitted by: Peter
"Be At A Drum " originally "Beat A Drum"
Submitted by: Peter

There are additional Song Title Space Change available.

Bad Grammar in Song Lyrics:

"You Are The Everything"
The Lyrics:
For you alone you are the Everything...
(Also the title itself)
Why:
I seriously doubt there ever exists an entity of that name.
Submitted by: Chowder
"Leaving New York"
The Lyrics:
Leaving was never my proud
Why:
It should be "Leaving was never my pride", The word "proud" was put there in order to rhyme with the the next line "I saw the light fading out"
Submitted by: pakcipi
There are additional Bad Grammar in Song Lyrics available.

Song Title Anagrams:

"No Moon Anthem" originally "Man On The Moon"
Submitted by: Joe
"Losing Limy Region" originally "Losing My Religion"
Submitted by: Beverly Stiles
"Ron's Huge Car" originally "Orange Crush"
Submitted by: Alexis
"No Rush, Grace" originally "Orange Crush"
Submitted by: Alexis
"No, Gus Archer!" originally "Orange Crush"
Saying no to some guy
Submitted by: Alexis

There are additional Song Title Anagrams available.

Real Places Mentioned in Songs:

"Man On The Moon "
The Lyrics:
Moses went walking with the staff of wood. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Newton got beaned by the apple good. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Egypt was troubled by the horrible asp. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mister Charles Darwin had the gull to ask. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey Andy did you hear about this one? Tell me, are you locked in the punch? Hey, Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby. Are you having fun? If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon. If you believe there's nothing up his sleeve, then nothing is cool.
Why:
"Man On The Moon" was a 1994 hit (although not a big one) for the band from Athens, GA, R.E.M. A few years later, it would become a hit again when it was featured in the film and soundtrack biopic of the man the song is about, the late great comediene, Andy Kaufman ("Taxi" and "Saturday Night Live"). Mentioned in the third verse of the tune as I have posted above is the country of Egypt and again, the Earth's only natural satellite (also in the title of the song), the Moon.
Submitted by: Peter
 

Songs That Are Banned:

"Losing My Religion"
The video to the song was banned in Ireland because of the homoerotic images it contained.
Submitted by: Dave

Lyrics Pronunciation:

"Cuyahoga"
The Lyrics:
Take a picture here. Take a souvenir.
Cuyahoga. Cuyahoga Falls.
Why:
The title, "Cuyahoga" is pronounced as "Coy-ya-ho-ga". Must be that Georgia accent of theirs. In my home state of Ohio there's a town called Cuyahoga Falls and in the Buckeye state we pronounce it as "Ky-ya-ho-ga".
Submitted by: Buckeye Scott
"Fall On Me"
The Lyrics:
There's a progress we have found.
Why:
In this case, progress is pronounced "PRO-gress" instead of "prah-gress". Apparently, Michael sung it this way as it sounds better than normal.
Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Super Long Pop Songs:

"Leave" Length: 7:17
Longest song on "New Adventures In Hi-Fi".
Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Song Title Acrostics:

TOIL or OIL: "The One I Love"
Depends on whether you count the "The".
Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Song Title Spoonerisms:

"Toll Us" originally "Lotus"
Submitted by: Lefty Lucy
"Sadie O. Wrong" originally "Radio Song"
Submitted by: Sir Ron Norris
"He In Money" originally "Me In Honey"
Submitted by: Ned MacCamden
"The Slide Winder Seeps Tonite" originally "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
Submitted by: D. Melody Dole, MD
"Musing Lie Religion" originally "Losing My Religion"
Submitted by: Ashley Nicole Hendershot-Wetherington

Foreign Language in English Songs:

"Talk about the passion"
The Lyrics:
Combien, combien, combien de temps?
Why:
How many times? Not much. It's a song with very few words.
Submitted by: Jan Veltkamp
 

Upbeat Songs With Depressing Lyrics:

"Losing My Religion"
The Lyrics:
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
Why:
"Losing My Religion" was the best selling single from R.E.M., a band originally from Athens, Georgia. "Losing My Religion" went to #3 on the charts back in 1991. It has an upbeat tempo, but has some depressing lyrics, which are made more ironic with the lead vocals. The saying "Losing My Religion" is a southern way to say, "losing my patience" but in a way that is difficult way to put into words.
Submitted by: Peter
 

Lyrics Alliteration:

"Cuyahoga"
The Lyrics:
This river runs red over it.
Why:
Three R's in rapid succession.
Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Lighter Side of Serious Bands:

"Me In Honey"
The song is from the POVs of both the male and the female soon-to-be parents involved in an unplanned pregnancy. REM singer Michael Stipe handles the "male" verses and Kate Pierson of the B-52's does the "female" perspective and they both harmonize together while Peter Buck strums a bouncy melody that propels this song. The singing suggests an argument while Michael asks, "What about me?". Yes, what role does the father have in this drama? In an ironic twist, in real life Michael Stipe and Kate Pierson are both GAY.
Submitted by: Green Cosmic Thing
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"
Michael Stipe can be heard laughing at his own inability to pronounce "Dr. Suess" correctly.
Submitted by: ...
"Shiny Happy People"
Kate Pierson of the B-52s joins the band on this one. The song is incredibly upbeat and cheerful, especially compared with the band's previous work. However, even this peppy tune has a serious side. It was inspired by the protest and massacre at Tiananmen Square.
Submitted by: Brian Kelly

Hidden Tracks:

"Untitled"
It's on the Green album, as track 11 which isn't listed in the credits.
Submitted by: ChuckyG

Hidden Messages:

"Green"
On the album cover, you can see a glossy number 4 over the letter R in R.E.M. and Green. In the track listing on the back, the fourth track is numbered with the letter R instead of a 4.
Submitted by: ChuckyG

What A Band is Best Known For (aside from their music):

"The Surgery Tour"
REM's 1994 Monster Tour was affectionately dubbed as The Surgery Tour due to Bill Berry's brain surgery, Michael Stipe's hernia surgery, and Mike Mills' appendectomy.
Submitted by: Celeste
"Title censoring"
The song "Star Me Kitten" was supposed to be called "F*** Me Kitten"
Submitted by: JeReMy

Products Bands Should Endorse Based on Their Name:

Sleep Clinics
REM is a stage of sleep
Submitted by: Rychendroll

Movies Named After Song Titles:

"Man On The Moon"
1999 Andy Kaufman biopic with Jim Carrey
Submitted by: MOR

Missing Parts:

"Driver 8"
What happened to Drivers 1-7?
Submitted by: Lucille Bowling Ball
"Pop Song 89"
Where are Pop Songs 1 - 88 ?
Submitted by: Courtney (about as bad as tennis elbow)

Bad Ringtone Choices:

"It’s the End of the World as We Know It"
The Lyrics:
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine
Why:
If your phone went off with this ringtone while you were at a Jehovah's Witnesses conference, this would make them think you're mocking them.
Submitted by: Kerry
 

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