David Stubbs invites Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe to talk about the 20 greatest singles of their major-label era. But which one does Stipe find “gross and disgusting”? And why does Mills think, “It’s amazing how many songs we’re playing now that we could have written yesterday...
20 SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE
From the 1991 album Out Of Time. Released: May 1991.
Chart positions: UK No 6, US No 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ0vDAbF7s
Intended by Warners as a big play for chart success (they hadn’t figured on “Losing My Religion”), “Shiny Happy People” is one of REM’s most notorious and reviled songs. Comedian Denis Leary did a short routine to camera lampooning its happy clappy sentiments which was so heavily rotated on MTV that it threatened to rebrand REM as inane jangle-popsters. While some shuddered at the song, coupled with the video featuring guest artist Kate Pierson of The B-52’s bopping and cavorting joyously, it can be regarded, years on, as what it is – a consciously exuberant piece of bubblegum pop which, even minus any inverted commas, has an inbuilt irony. What’s more, elation is a more difficult emotion for leftfield bands to capture and sell to teen audiences than misery, so kudos to them for trying.
MIKE MILLS: It’s not exactly the legacy we would have chosen for ourselves. Then again, it entered the lexicon and maybe there’s something to be said for that. But would we play it live? No. Never have and never will, I assure you. It’s not a bad song, I’m not ashamed of it. Once in a while you’ve got to write a happy song and that’s what that is.
MICHAEL STIPE: Denis [Leary] at that time was approaching me at dinners, saying it was a schtick, he was a fan of the band and I completely understood that. I wouldn’t say I’m embarrassed by the song, but it is what it is, it has limited appeal for me. I never bad-mouth – I try to never say anything bad about the songs that I don’t particularly like. Because there might be someone out there who hears that to whom that song means everything, to whom that song represents some moment in their life which is essential and I don’t want to take that from them. It is kind of a fun, stupid song if you’re six years old. I’m not getting defensive, I’m just saying, there it is, end of story. But I wouldn’t particularly want to sing it again.
PETER BUCK: I know Mike and Michael are embarrassed by “Shiny Happy People” but I’m not. It’s totally twee, but that’s OK. Even Led Zep sang about fairies and Tolkien. It’s just a small part of what we’ve done. I’d be happy to play it live just as a one-off but Michael and Mike wouldn’t agree. I don’t know why they’re so embarrassed about it. It seemed like I was doing it under protest at the time? Well, the video, yes, I hated that. They’re like, “And then you’ll dance.” “And then I’ll dance, my ass! It’s not gonna happen.” “Well, try to look like you’re having fun.” “But I’m not having fun!” In the end, they had to work around me and they managed to find one bit of me dancing, when I was actually making fun of Michael.
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19 I’LL TAKE THE RAIN
From the 2001 album Reveal. Released: November 2001.
Chart position: UK No 44
The album Reveal was criticised for its lushness and blandness, often by those who equate ‘guitars’ with ‘edge’. “I’ll Take The Rain” is an example of the deceptiveness of what initially seemed like a commercially over-friendly album. While the rain motif is the thread that connects it to classic REM, it’s very much a song of experience born of age, wisdom and perhaps even fatigue, rising slowly but with dignity to its stoical crescendo.
PETER BUCK: Well, rain has a lot of signifiers, from puddles to cleansing. I don’t think rain is a bad thing, necessarily. And the spirit of acceptance in that song is good. In a way, it’s the same message my kids get from Sesame Street with that sketch about how Elmo gets Christmas every day and eventually he gets bored of Christmas… you need the bad stuff to put the good things in perspective. I mean, not cancer. Cancer’s bad. You don’t need that sort of perspective. But it is nice to have the downside to remind us of how incredibly lucky we are.
MIKE MILLS: Michael sings about elements a lot. Air, fire, water.
MICHAEL STIPE: Reveal was our summer record. Again, I think it’s very strong. Songs like “I’ll Take The Rain”, that’s the winter song, the only one. I felt that the record needed something to balance all that sunniness. The other one might be “Disappear”, which is very sun-drenched, maybe because I was in Tel Aviv when I wrote it. Yet even then it has a creeping darkness.
