R.E.M. (band)

R.E.M. is a rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. Throughout the 1980s, while signed to the independent label I.R.S. Records, they achieved a growing cult status due mainly to Stipe's obscure lyrics and the band's sound, most noticeably influenced by the jangly, arpeggio-driven melodies of The Byrds. The band's politics, aesthetics, and hardworking ethos - largely inspired by the early punk and art rock of the 1970s - enabled the group to establish itself quickly as one of the pillars of the U.S.'s burgeoning alternative rock scene. By the early 1990s, R.E.M. were one of the world's most popular, respected, and influential bands.

Trivia

• The band members picked the name R.E.M. out of the dictionary. They liked the name because it was so ambiguous. They started out as Twisted Kites for the first show they played at a party, but, according to "It Crawled From the South," considered Negro Eyes, Slut Bank, and Cans of Piss before settling for R.E.M.
• According to one box set of their albums, R.E.M. stands for Rapid Ear Movement, a play on Rapid Eye Movement
• "Losing My Religion" may have been the biggest hit song that uses a mandolin as the main instrument.
• The video for "Losing My Religion" was banned in Ireland due to its religious connotations.
• The song "Electrolite" mentions James Dean, Steve McQueen, and Martin Sheen, three of the most popular actors of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, respectively.
• Michael Stipe was originally offered the role of "John Doe" in the 1995 film Se7en.
• Their song "Its the End Of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" plays in one of the starting scenes of the Science Fiction film Independence Day.