This weekend on 92.9 we're bringing you the top 10 R.E.M songs
10. Great Beyond
Man on the Moon (1999)
"The Great Beyond" was written for the 1999 film Man on the Moon. It was released as a single the same year for support of the film's soundtrack album. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in January 2000, the band's highest-ever chart position in that country, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
9. Stand
Green (1989)
Stand was released as the second single from the album Green in 1989. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming R.E.M.'s second top 10 hit in the United States, and topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts.
8. Bang and Blame
Monster (1994)
"Bang and Blame" was featured in the Cold Case episode "Blackout" as well as in the Danish mini-series "Charlot og Charlotte" by Ole Bornedal (director of "Nattevagten"/"The Night Watch"), the My Mad Fat Diary episode "Not I" and the Melrose Place episode "No Strings Attached". The song was also used in "Weird Al" Yankovic's polka medley "The Alternative Polka" from his 1996 album Bad Hair Day.
7. Whats the Frequency, Kenneth?
Monster (1994)
The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986, when two then-unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather, while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?". The song was one of the band's most-played songs at live gigs, and was played at every show on their 2008 Accelerate tour.
6. Drive
Automatic for the people (1992)
Despite the success and popularity of the song, it was left out of the band's Warner Bros. Records "best of" compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011. However, a live version of the song was included in the special edition two-disc set of In Time that included rarities, live versions, and B-sides. The version featured was the "funk" version, which has never been studio-recorded.
5. Man on the moon
Automatic for the people (1992)
Lyrically, the song is a tribute to the comedian and performer Andy Kaufman, with numerous references to his career, including his Elvis impersonation, wrestling, and the film My Breakfast with Blassie. The song's title and chorus refer to the Moon landing conspiracy theories, as an oblique allusion to rumors that Kaufman's death in 1984 was faked. The song gave its name to Miloš Forman's comedy-drama film Man on the Moon (1999), starring Jim Carrey, based on Kaufman's life and was featured prominently in the film's soundtrack.
4. Shiny Happy People
Out of time (1991)
In its 2006 "Song of the Summer" countdown, CBC Radio's Freestyle named "Shiny Happy People" 1991's "Song of the Summer". By contrast, in 2006, the song received the No. 1 position on AOL Music's list of the "111 Wussiest Songs of All Time". Blender magazine also ranked the song No. 35 on its list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever",and Q magazine included it in a list of "Ten Terrible Records by Great Artists" in 2005.
When Michael Stipe made an appearance on Space Ghost Coast to Coast in 1995, after Space Ghost asks him to sing the “Shiny Shiny People” song, he simply states "I hate that song, Space Ghost." Due to the band's dislike of the song, it was one of their few Warner-released singles not included on their 2003 greatest hits album In Time, and they have since refused to play it live throughout their career.
3. Orange Crush
Green (1988)
Orange Crush was released as the first single from the band's sixth studio album, Green, in 1988. It was not commercially released in the U.S. despite reaching number one as a promotional single on both the Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks (where, at the time, it had the record for longest stay at number one with eight weeks, beating U2).
2. Everybody Hurts
Automatic for the people (1992)
In 1995, British emotional support listening service The Samaritans, in response to the high suicide rate but low crisis service take-up amongst young men, launched a UK press advertising campaign consisting solely of the lyrics to "Everybody Hurts" and the charity's hotline number.
The song was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. "best of" album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003. It was one of four songs from Automatic for the People to make the compilation, more than from any other album. The song is included on R.E.M. Live.
1. Loosing my Religion
Out of time (1991)
"Losing My Religion" was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering extensive airplay on radio as well as on MTV and VH1 due to its critically acclaimed music video. The song became R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching No. 4 on the BillboardHot 100 and expanding the group's popularity beyond its original fanbase
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