@@markbailey3225 they are 100% a rock band! Rock includes many different sounds/styles and tempos. I think you're confusing hard rock or metal as the entire genre.
I think REM is their own vibe. They have there own sound, and it's a beautiful sound. Everybody hurts is a beautiful and very meaningful sound. Thanks for another excellent reaction.
The music video for this song was a huge hit for MTV in the early 90's and when MTV would annually count down their Top 500 Music Videos of All Time (which was based on popularity and artistic merit), the "Losing My Religion" video would regularly be found in the top 5 for many years. It occupied the "top tier" along with the likes of Thriller, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Vogue, and Hungry Like the Wolf, all of which would be shown multiple times a day during their heydays.
"Losing my religion" is an old saying regarding at the end of your rope, not being able to hold it together anymore, ready to explode with anger. He's talking about a relationship that is pushing him to lose his religion... he's not sure if she is laughing at him or toying with him, total frustration of not knowing where the relationship stands.
It's not about a bad relationship, but about obsession and _unrequited_ love. Stipe said in an interview: "I love the idea of writing a song about unrequited love. About holding back, reaching forward, and then pulling back again. The thing for me that is most thrilling is you don't know if the person I'm reaching out for is aware of me. If they even know I exist."
@RobinT - treehugger: Michael Stipe is gay - so it would be a ‘he’ not a ‘she’ laughing at him. Although he purposely kept his lyrics ambiguous when it came to the subject of romance.
@@xtldc I always thought he was, but everything I can find on the subject now indicates he kinda straddles the fence. He or she could be appropriate, which is why I didn't broach that can of worms. :-P
@@TheRedStateBlue they're more like underappreciated compared to other legendary rock acts. To many, sadly, R.E.M. isn't respected by the masses yet they have a core set of fans. Since Monster was such a drastic change in sound most people turned away from them since they reached their apex with Automatic For The People. The album where they could do no wrong. Once Bill Berry quit the band their allure quickly slipped away even though they continued to make good music but not nearly as great than their previous albums with Bill Berry. The masses gave up on them until they called it quits in 2011.
R.E.M. were one of the founding bands of alternative -- at least American alternative, the British already had their version of alternative. Early R.E.M. was more rock, more relate to punk and post-punk, but in the early '90s they had a couple of semi-acustic acusticfolk rock albums. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was an R.E.M. fan and was influenced by them, even wanting to do a collab, so there is a connection to grunge in there. They are one of those bands that you can't easily put into a genera as far as everything they did.
Lex had a great observation there! I think he’s actually playing a mandolin rather than a banjo, but I get her point. It’s a bit of a bipolar song with very introspective melancholy lyrics, but with a happy upbeat melody. This song was on the radio non-stop for about a year back in the day.
It’s definitely a mandolin the band I used to play with on the East Coast covered it And I was the lead guitar player but I also played the mandolin on losing my religion for our band so I guarantee you it is definitely a mandolin!!!
This is one of their songs where you can actually fully understand the words to the lyrics.You know you're near someone mad,frustrated ,etc, when they tell you they are 'about to lose my religion'
I instantly became a fan of REM. I heard one of their early songs in a Boston record store while shopping for music from "The Clash". I'm mad at myself for not coming up with the phrase "Banjo Grunge". Lex is a genius!
Been a fan of REM since the early '80s. Truly one of the most incredible bands. My favorite REM album is 'Lifes Rich Pageant' from 1986. It would be fun for you guys to hear tracks from their first album. I'm sure Michael Stipes 'clear sounding' lyrics will drive Brad up a wall. The band is unique. The music is timeless. The lyrics are thought-provoking. Their catalog is full of surprises.
They were very popular in the 80's and 90's. I would suggest more upbeat songs by them, Orange crush, fall on me, end of the world, one i love, radio free europe. Also my favorite by them is "Everybody hurts" its a freakin must!
Lucky enough to see these guys in '84, from like 2nd row, at my university for the tour for their second LP 'Reckoning.' Michael Stipe with the baggy old suit spray painted with neon. Turns out that he had actually purchased at a thrift shop in town earlier that day. The One I Love is a great hit from them that demonstrates their earlier sound. ✌
As singer Michael Stipe has said many times the song is simply about requited love. as said Losing My Religion is a southern term for loosing patience., ones rag or temper
Take your mind back to a different time, a time when a song as epic as this was played on your favorite radio station and then followed by Counting Crows, The Cranberries, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Portishead, Bush, Better Than Ezra, Live, The Gin Blossoms, The Crash Test Dummies, The Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, Ugly Kid Joe, Spin Doctors, Soul Asylum and so on and so on...man, I miss the 90`s so much!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think you can truly appreciate just how HUGE this song was in 1991. It was everywhere. It's one of those songs that represents a zeitgeist in popular music.
Banjo Grunge! hahaha! Love it! Fun fact... “Losing my religion” is actually an old southern expression for being at the end of one’s rope, and the moment when politeness gives way to anger.
It’s a mandolin, but close! R.E.M. is credited with pioneering indie music and comes out of Athens, GA. It’s the home of the University of GA and, besides R.E.M., is home to: B-52s, Widespread Panic, Michael Sweet, Drive-by Truckers, of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pylon, Olivia Tremor Control, Azure Ray, the Glands, Love Tractor, Vigilantes of Love, Vic Chesnutt, Dreams so Real, Dead Confederate, Muuy Biien, Ravenstone, Danger Mouse, Japancakes, Method Actors, Bill Malonee, John Berry, Mark Heard and so many others.
A lot of this bands music and especially the lyrics have always been largely misunderstood, ie, "The one I love" is a very good example. Most people at their concerts would dance and sing along, with couples holding hands, except the song is not about love, it's about leaving someone. This song “Losing my religion” is actually an old southern expression for being at the end of one’s rope, and the moment when politeness gives way to anger. Their most productive musical years were in the early 90's before Grunge.
REM were early alt rock. Also considered Folk rock or Jangle pop. Beginning as post punk music in the college scene around Athens GA along with the B-52's, 10,000 Maniacs. They then became popular on College radio before getting signed by I.R.S. Records having success with songs like "So. Central Rain" which they performed on David Letterman in 83. I remember watching at the time. Probably the earliest I remember of them. I was around 11. Their sound evolved quite a bit from the early jangly guitar of their first albums to the more matured confidence of the later albums. So many great songs but a warning to Brad. Lyrics were a bit free-form. Song lyrics and meanings were often left up to interpretation of the listener. Still in my top 10 favorite bands and one of the most influential of the 80's & 90's being the template for many 90's bands like Nirvana.
I had front row all access to an REM show in Atlanta back in the 90's. They are great both in large and small venues. They were considered alternative rock. Early albums were garage sounding. But, they definitely have some folk influence. I can hear a lot of more current bands like Mumford & Sons pick-up on some of what REM did. Michael Stipes lyrics are often poetic. Peter Buck plays the mandolin on several songs.
Ok, so I watch more of these reaction videos than I care to admit...but what I love about Lex is she's so open to a variety of sounds and finds something to like or relate to in music that's new to her. That's rare.
Great band, saw them in Athens Ga several times, he influenced pretty much the entire grunge vocalist's with the not annunciating and not being able to understand the words a lot especially Kurt Cobain he said Michael Stipe was a huge influence on him, in REM's earlier stuff you couldn't understand a word he said it was great. REM helped create grunge in the real early 80's from Georgia :)
REM was a great band that came out of Athens, Georgia, at about the same time as the B-52s. My favorite song by them, "Nightswimming", has a completely different feel than this one. Very pretty and laid back.
So glad you reacted to the studio version instead of the video. Now the video is one of the best ever, but too many times I've seen first-time listeners get caught up in the religious symbolism of the video when the song has nothing whatsoever to do with religion. Listening to the lyric video you get the full meaning of the song, which is about a guy who just can't seem to connect with his lover and gives himself away just trying to satisfy him. Been there done that, very relatable, one of my favorites.
Actually this is probably the first time I didn't think one of her out of the blue remarks fit... this is neither a banjo nor grunge... that said, I still really like the phrase, and kind of understand what she was getting at with it.
@@dannykent6190 I don’t mean literally. I grew up with grunge and REM, I know REM is not grunge and this song doesn’t have a banjo. I just meant that combination of words brings me to the feeling of the song.
This is one of those songs that brings you back to a specific time in your life. As soon as I hear the mandolin, I think “1991”, “5th grade”, and freedom from worry.
When this came out, I was the karaoke king in a bar and this song was one of my songs. The girl running the show liked it so much we turned it into a duet and every time she was there, we made this s are song and the people loved it.
They say that you are forgotten within 3 generations. For a teenager of the nineties I find it astonishing that a band like REM (multi million selling) who ere arguably the biggest band in the world for about 5 years are not known until I recall the generations rule. It is so much fun watching young people discovering music I loved as a kid. Cheers from Norway
REM predated the Grunge movement and absolutely influenced the sound of grudge without a doubt as it was a natural transition for me growing up to go from REM to grunge and back to REM.
I did go see them at Roskilde Festival, Denmark many years ago. 100% magic. Got this swedish girl, who hit on me, back to the sack too. A pillar in my quite extensive live music experiences. REM was beoynd and their music is timeless. Thanks for your reactions. Love from Copenhagen, Denmark
R.E.M. came around during the tail end of 70s Punk Rock in the 80s and were considered alternative or new wave at the time. They had a more Southern indie/alternative sound being from Athens Georgia along with the B52s. Their early music would be considered more indie today, but they were around before grunge or anti-folk so they did influence many bands in those genres.
This one feels like loss to this old man. The relationship missed, failed, lost due to some forgetful moment, or lack of attention. Strange and rather wonderful, the video shows people discussing religion, making a mechanistic alternative, but it's still the reaching for proof, in the form of an angel... contrasted with one man singing and dancing this song, wracked with doubt, frozen by introspection.
As a child of the 60s REM is one of the best bands from the 90s their music is their own and they have a lot of really good songs they used a lot of acoustic guitars and mandolins in their recordings which made for some beautiful music
I find it so amusing that Americans feel the need to categorise music. I think every reactor I’ve watched seems to do this. Carry on though with your excellent work I really enjoy it.
I never knew what the lyrics meant but always liked the song. Banjo grunge is perfect, Lex! Lex you are so right on with your intuitions about music. I could just see sitting around by a bonfire listening to this just like you said.
REM did their own thing. . . A little U2, Oingo Boingo, mixture....with an unique voice. An all time favorite band for sure. Stipe live was awesome indeed.
REM, where to start? If there was ever a band that symbolized honesty, hometown, hard work, loyalty, and pure genius, it is this band. Stipes vocals are one of the most distinctive in music. A southern sound that certainly could be labeled 'banjo grundge'. Thanks Lex.
Next 80s stream y'all need to check out some early REM, "Radio Free Europe", "Talk About the Passion", "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville", "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)."
Mandolin Rock. Automatic for the People and several other great albums. It's hard to beat REM. They recorded "Witchita Lineman", an old Glen Campbell song and Stipe nailed it. Top Five bands for my life timeline. My Fav expression is you're nobody until you've been featured on the Simpsons. The Homer cover of End of the World is precious. Thanks for playing some more great GA music.
That 'banjo' that you think you're hearing is a mandolin, possibly from the same family of guitars as the banjo. These guys WERE actually a huge influence of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana who were the one of the pioneers of the Grunge movement.
mandolin grunge, but thats still the coolest description of REM ever:)
Geographically Atlanta to Seattle is pretty far away. I don't know if I ever categorized their style. I just thought it was excellent.
@@chrisjamieson3452 i was stationed in Athens and used to see REM and B52's before either band broke. good times.
You saved me having to say it.
@@chrisjamieson3452 just using grunge as shorthand for alternative (she doesn't know better), she really had the feel
I know right lol
The legendary REM, one of the great American rock bands, have an immaculate body of work stretching over 30 years to discover.
I wouldn't call them a rock band, not even close. Maybe pop rock
@@markbailey3225 Then I guess you haven't listened to much REM music.
@@ianhewitson2738 I have and they are very good, not denying that. I’m just saying they are not a rock band. AC/DC, GNR are rock bands.
It’s rock. It isn’t hard rock, but it’s rock. Fantastic band. One of my absolute favorites.
@@markbailey3225 they are 100% a rock band! Rock includes many different sounds/styles and tempos. I think you're confusing hard rock or metal as the entire genre.
I think REM is their own vibe. They have there own sound, and it's a beautiful sound. Everybody hurts is a beautiful and very meaningful sound. Thanks for another excellent reaction.
My grandmother would warn us "I'm about to lose my religion" when she was out of patience.
My grandmother said the same thing .👍❤️✌️🌼
cool thanks for the clue
Often heard in the south. But then again, aren't they from Athens, Georgia?
One of the many things my grandmother would say when we knew an ass whooping was on the way too. 😂
@@rachelsullivan2926 For me it was a warning. If I didn’t heed that warning ass whooping in ensued.
The music video for this song was a huge hit for MTV in the early 90's and when MTV would annually count down their Top 500 Music Videos of All Time (which was based on popularity and artistic merit), the "Losing My Religion" video would regularly be found in the top 5 for many years. It occupied the "top tier" along with the likes of Thriller, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Vogue, and Hungry Like the Wolf, all of which would be shown multiple times a day during their heydays.
I am so old that I can remember when MTV played music and I actually wanted my MTV.
When the M in MTV stood for Music. I don't understand how a platform based on Music strayed so far from music.
@@armadillotoe Ditto. Then corruption came in. I miss those days.
@@keithaguilar9790 TH-cam made a TV music station useless and pointless. I have no idea why they keep it around.
Love that comment 😜
Hello from Orlando, Florida. 😎🤔🌴🐊🌞😁
"Losing my religion" is an old saying regarding at the end of your rope, not being able to hold it together anymore, ready to explode with anger. He's talking about a relationship that is pushing him to lose his religion... he's not sure if she is laughing at him or toying with him, total frustration of not knowing where the relationship stands.
It's not about a bad relationship, but about obsession and _unrequited_ love. Stipe said in an interview: "I love the idea of writing a song about unrequited love. About holding back, reaching forward, and then pulling back again. The thing for me that is most thrilling is you don't know if the person I'm reaching out for is aware of me. If they even know I exist."
@RobinT - treehugger: Michael Stipe is gay - so it would be a ‘he’ not a ‘she’ laughing at him. Although he purposely kept his lyrics ambiguous when it came to the subject of romance.
@@xtldc I always thought he was, but everything I can find on the subject now indicates he kinda straddles the fence. He or she could be appropriate, which is why I didn't broach that can of worms. :-P
@@aussiebloke609 ok then. I haven’t kept up with the band over the years. That was just my understanding of things about 15-20 years ago.
You see now this where I absolutely sucked in English Setwork class.
“Banjo grunge”….perfect! Lex needs her own, personal “Urban Dictionary”…👏
Except it was a mandolin, not a banjo! So mandolin grunge!
@@carojayess1723 Not important
That would have been an awesome name for a '90's band. "And now, let's hear it for... BANJO GRUNGE!!"
Her Lexicon, if you will
@@robyfiorili Kind of is, to get the perfect sound
I know they’re well thought of but for me REM are still underrated big time. Fucking brilliant band.
They grow on me permanently
no, they aren't underrated.
Don't get me wrong they have some really good songs, but rather overrated
@@everychannel1025 by what metric have you defined REM as "overrated?"
@@TheRedStateBlue they're more like underappreciated compared to other legendary rock acts. To many, sadly, R.E.M. isn't respected by the masses yet they have a core set of fans. Since Monster was such a drastic change in sound most people turned away from them since they reached their apex with Automatic For The People. The album where they could do no wrong. Once Bill Berry quit the band their allure quickly slipped away even though they continued to make good music but not nearly as great than their previous albums with Bill Berry. The masses gave up on them until they called it quits in 2011.
This was the longest play without a pause. This song hypnotizes and gets us lost in the music. Great song.
R.E.M. were one of the founding bands of alternative -- at least American alternative, the British already had their version of alternative. Early R.E.M. was more rock, more relate to punk and post-punk, but in the early '90s they had a couple of semi-acustic acusticfolk rock albums. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was an R.E.M. fan and was influenced by them, even wanting to do a collab, so there is a connection to grunge in there. They are one of those bands that you can't easily put into a genera as far as everything they did.
they also ended up with ministry's drummer, bill rieflin - RIP, later on so there is a link to industrial metal too... of all things.
Ahh yes, what would we do without our endless compulsive fetish for categorizing music
Lex had a great observation there! I think he’s actually playing a mandolin rather than a banjo, but I get her point. It’s a bit of a bipolar song with very introspective melancholy lyrics, but with a happy upbeat melody. This song was on the radio non-stop for about a year back in the day.
It’s definitely a mandolin the band I used to play with on the East Coast covered it And I was the lead guitar player but I also played the mandolin on losing my religion for our band so I guarantee you it is definitely a mandolin!!!
They played this song every 5 minutes on the radio when it came out. Almost got old, haven't heard it in a long time though
REM sucks... fine shadow man's INX
This is one of their songs where you can actually fully understand the words to the lyrics.You know you're near someone mad,frustrated ,etc, when they tell you they are 'about to lose my religion'
I instantly became a fan of REM. I heard one of their early songs in a Boston record store while shopping for music from "The Clash". I'm mad at myself for not coming up with the phrase "Banjo Grunge". Lex is a genius!
Been a fan of REM since the early '80s. Truly one of the most incredible bands. My favorite REM album is 'Lifes Rich Pageant' from 1986. It would be fun for you guys to hear tracks from their first album. I'm sure Michael Stipes 'clear sounding' lyrics will drive Brad up a wall. The band is unique. The music is timeless. The lyrics are thought-provoking. Their catalog is full of surprises.
I own a guitar shop. The reason I picked up a guitar in the first place was because I heard "Lifes Rich Pageant."
That's my #1 favorite album of theirs, too. "Fall On Me" is my favorite song of all time, but there are so many other great cuts there to choose from.
To me one of the best albums from the Eighties
They were very popular in the 80's and 90's. I would suggest more upbeat songs by them, Orange crush, fall on me, end of the world, one i love, radio free europe. Also my favorite by them is "Everybody hurts" its a freakin must!
Just as long as they don't do Shiny Happy People they will be fine.
Man on the moon 👍
@@pugshorty9852 agreed
@@jeffmcaree1347 good choice
@@pugshorty9852 I love that song lol
One of my top 5 fav bands of all time. Michael Stipe is a great writer singer, etc... so much to unpack with their catalog
R.E.M. is the classical definition of indie rock. Also you guys should definitely react to Imitation of Life by them
Lucky enough to see these guys in '84, from like 2nd row, at my university for the tour for their second LP 'Reckoning.' Michael Stipe with the baggy old suit spray painted with neon. Turns out that he had actually purchased at a thrift shop in town earlier that day. The One I Love is a great hit from them that demonstrates their earlier sound. ✌
As singer Michael Stipe has said many times the song is simply about requited love. as said Losing My Religion is a southern term for loosing patience., ones rag or temper
Take your mind back to a different time, a time when a song as epic as this was played on your favorite radio station and then followed by Counting Crows, The Cranberries, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Portishead, Bush, Better Than Ezra, Live, The Gin Blossoms, The Crash Test Dummies, The Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, Ugly Kid Joe, Spin Doctors, Soul Asylum and so on and so on...man, I miss the 90`s so much!!!!!!!!!!!
People make fun of the 90s but really there was so much music to enjoy.
@@deec7124 hell yeah. it was a shift from Glam rock! something fresh! 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's were all great. seemed to go to crap after that
I don't think you can truly appreciate just how HUGE this song was in 1991. It was everywhere. It's one of those songs that represents a zeitgeist in popular music.
Banjo Grunge! hahaha! Love it! Fun fact... “Losing my religion” is actually an old southern expression for being at the end of one’s rope, and the moment when politeness gives way to anger.
It’s a mandolin, but close! R.E.M. is credited with pioneering indie music and comes out of Athens, GA. It’s the home of the University of GA and, besides R.E.M., is home to: B-52s, Widespread Panic, Michael Sweet, Drive-by Truckers, of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pylon, Olivia Tremor Control, Azure Ray, the Glands, Love Tractor, Vigilantes of Love, Vic Chesnutt, Dreams so Real, Dead Confederate, Muuy Biien, Ravenstone, Danger Mouse, Japancakes, Method Actors, Bill Malonee, John Berry, Mark Heard and so many others.
A lot of this bands music and especially the lyrics have always been largely misunderstood, ie, "The one I love" is a very good example. Most people at their concerts would dance and sing along, with couples holding hands, except the song is not about love, it's about leaving someone. This song “Losing my religion” is actually an old southern expression for being at the end of one’s rope, and the moment when politeness gives way to anger. Their most productive musical years were in the early 90's before Grunge.
OMG they are from Georgia! I always assumed they were a Euro band.
Agree with everything you said except the early 90s was before grunge.. the early 90s was the era of grunge
Hitting some great music today. Love this, in fact, love anything REM.
I don't know if they could comprehend how big of a hit this song was in the 90s. It was everywhere all the time and we never grew tired of it.
Seriously love how Lex comes up with new things! BANJO GRUNGE! Awesome!
Hipster rock music! Great stuff old school college/indie rock.
REM were early alt rock. Also considered Folk rock or Jangle pop. Beginning as post punk music in the college scene around Athens GA along with the B-52's, 10,000 Maniacs. They then became popular on College radio before getting signed by I.R.S. Records having success with songs like "So. Central Rain" which they performed on David Letterman in 83. I remember watching at the time. Probably the earliest I remember of them. I was around 11.
Their sound evolved quite a bit from the early jangly guitar of their first albums to the more matured confidence of the later albums. So many great songs but a warning to Brad. Lyrics were a bit free-form. Song lyrics and meanings were often left up to interpretation of the listener. Still in my top 10 favorite bands and one of the most influential of the 80's & 90's being the template for many 90's bands like Nirvana.
This ruled in 91. All these songs I remember from when they were released.
My favorite song of theirs right there. I grew up listening to it every day and it never gets old
It is in the category of alternative music. I believe that category began around the late 80's or early 90's. You guys are GREAT.
I had front row all access to an REM show in Atlanta back in the 90's. They are great both in large and small venues. They were considered alternative rock. Early albums were garage sounding. But, they definitely have some folk influence. I can hear a lot of more current bands like Mumford & Sons pick-up on some of what REM did. Michael Stipes lyrics are often poetic. Peter Buck plays the mandolin on several songs.
"Losing My Religion" is a southern phrase meaning losing my temper. Stipe once said this song was about romantic expression of an unrequited love.
Ok, so I watch more of these reaction videos than I care to admit...but what I love about Lex is she's so open to a variety of sounds and finds something to like or relate to in music that's new to her. That's rare.
Man on the moon and Gardening at Night are my favorite REM songs, you guys are dope.
Gardening at Night is up there for me too. It’s not every day you hear from someone else who likes it that much.
Me in honey & Rockville. Although I could easily give you a top ten of great rem songs. Oh & night swimming.👍
@@daviecanning1180 Night swimming 👌
"Banjo grunge". I like it! 🤣
Great band, saw them in Athens Ga several times, he influenced pretty much the entire grunge vocalist's with the not annunciating and not being able to understand the words a lot especially Kurt Cobain he said Michael Stipe was a huge influence on him, in REM's earlier stuff you couldn't understand a word he said it was great. REM helped create grunge in the real early 80's from Georgia :)
The 40 Watt!
I saw R.E.M. on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the early '80s and I was hooked from then on oh btw it's a mandolin, not a banjoe
Also, REM is fantastic live. I saw them in the 90s and it was absolutely beautiful.
Don't you just love that all those folksy like instruments
Banjo Grunge!! I love that! Nice call Lex
one of the best songs ever
And that's why we love you Lex...for your love of Banjo Grunge !
Oooh love me some R.e.m. They hv so many amazing songs. Spanning decades. To reiterate, lex is on point once again!
REM was a great band that came out of Athens, Georgia, at about the same time as the B-52s. My favorite song by them, "Nightswimming", has a completely different feel than this one. Very pretty and laid back.
automatic for the people is a brilliant album all the way through.
Deacon blue, Chocolate Girl. Five star, The slightest touch. Haircut 100 fantastic day. Your welcome. Much love from the UK X
r.e.m. was alternative college rock, but by the time this song came around it was just as well to call it pop music
I would love to see Brad try to interpret and make sense of "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" 😂😂😂
So glad you reacted to the studio version instead of the video. Now the video is one of the best ever, but too many times I've seen first-time listeners get caught up in the religious symbolism of the video when the song has nothing whatsoever to do with religion. Listening to the lyric video you get the full meaning of the song, which is about a guy who just can't seem to connect with his lover and gives himself away just trying to satisfy him. Been there done that, very relatable, one of my favorites.
Saw REM twice, amazing live band. Held me captive for two hours.
One of the best songs of the 90s. Hands down.
Driver 8 was always me fav REM
Lex’s strange analogies are so amazing. Like who would have ever thought of “banjo grunge” as a description and yet it fits so well!
Actually this is probably the first time I didn't think one of her out of the blue remarks fit... this is neither a banjo nor grunge... that said, I still really like the phrase, and kind of understand what she was getting at with it.
@@dannykent6190 I don’t mean literally. I grew up with grunge and REM, I know REM is not grunge and this song doesn’t have a banjo. I just meant that combination of words brings me to the feeling of the song.
This is one of those songs that brings you back to a specific time in your life. As soon as I hear the mandolin, I think “1991”, “5th grade”, and freedom from worry.
“Banjo Grunge” glorious 😂
When this came out, I was the karaoke king in a bar and this song was one of my songs. The girl running the show liked it so much we turned it into a duet and every time she was there, we made this s are song and the people loved it.
Congratulations guys on breaking 200K🤗
They say that you are forgotten within 3 generations. For a teenager of the nineties I find it astonishing that a band like REM (multi million selling) who ere arguably the biggest band in the world for about 5 years are not known until I recall the generations rule. It is so much fun watching young people discovering music I loved as a kid. Cheers from Norway
This song is always in the top 5 of any best of the 90's list
“Losing my religion” is actually an old southern expression for being at the end of one’s rope.
R. E. M. Got their start in Athens Georgia. College scene.😎🤔😜🌴🐊🌞😁
REM predated the Grunge movement and absolutely influenced the sound of grudge without a doubt as it was a natural transition for me growing up to go from REM to grunge and back to REM.
This is one of those songs that when I am sad I play it with several other songs that fit the mood.
I remember the time when MTV played the video of that song every half an hour.
Good times, good times! :-)
I did go see them at Roskilde Festival, Denmark many years ago. 100% magic. Got this swedish girl, who hit on me, back to the sack too. A pillar in my quite extensive live music experiences. REM was beoynd and their music is timeless.
Thanks for your reactions.
Love from Copenhagen, Denmark
True Georgia-born Southern Rock.
They were truly the BEST for a long time. You couldn’t wait for the next album or concert
A musical masterpiece.
Oh my God, banjo grunge is my favorite new word. 😂🤣😂🤣😂
I don't always love Michael Stipe's voice...But I've never doubted his sincerity.
1991. 30 years in the making. My favorite at the time. 🙂
They did a ballad in 1992 I'm sure you've heard of it "Everybody Hurts".
This video was played on MTV at least twice an hour for like 2 years straight
One of the greatest songs of all time,IMO.
I live in the South, so this song means some people lose their Religion!!!!!
R.E.M. came around during the tail end of 70s Punk Rock in the 80s and were considered alternative or new wave at the time. They had a more Southern indie/alternative sound being from Athens Georgia along with the B52s. Their early music would be considered more indie today, but they were around before grunge or anti-folk so they did influence many bands in those genres.
This one feels like loss to this old man. The relationship missed, failed, lost due to some forgetful moment, or lack of attention.
Strange and rather wonderful, the video shows people discussing religion, making a mechanistic alternative, but it's still the reaching for proof, in the form of an angel... contrasted with one man singing and dancing this song, wracked with doubt, frozen by introspection.
Hey what's up guys! Greetings from South Florida! Banjo grunge! That's hilarious. REM is their own thing. You guys rock! God bless you! Peace!
REM aren’t grunge they have their own sound.
I love them! Legends in the game.
As a child of the 60s REM is one of the best bands from the 90s their music is their own and they have a lot of really good songs they used a lot of acoustic guitars and mandolins in their recordings which made for some beautiful music
Only REM could write a hit song/album in the 90’s with a Mandolin and a Double Bass. Such a great album
Lex, it's not a banjo it's a mandolin. A super fun song to play as well.
the vocal on this song is as intense as anything else you can name . . . if you can't feel it then you aren't alive.
I find it so amusing that Americans feel the need to categorise music. I think every reactor I’ve watched seems to do this. Carry on though with your excellent work I really enjoy it.
I never knew what the lyrics meant but always liked the song. Banjo grunge is perfect, Lex! Lex you are so right on with your intuitions about music. I could just see sitting around by a bonfire listening to this just like you said.
REM did their own thing. . . A little U2, Oingo Boingo, mixture....with an unique voice. An all time favorite band for sure. Stipe live was awesome indeed.
REM, where to start? If there was ever a band that symbolized honesty, hometown, hard work, loyalty, and pure genius, it is this band. Stipes vocals are one of the most distinctive in music. A southern sound that certainly could be labeled 'banjo grundge'. Thanks Lex.
Next 80s stream y'all need to check out some early REM, "Radio Free Europe", "Talk About the Passion", "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville", "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)."
"Driver 8" and "Don't Fall on Me" are hidden gems also.
Superman too. And so many more.
Mandolin Rock. Automatic for the People and several other great albums. It's hard to beat REM. They recorded "Witchita Lineman", an old Glen Campbell song and Stipe nailed it. Top Five bands for my life timeline. My Fav expression is you're nobody until you've been featured on the Simpsons. The Homer cover of End of the World is precious. Thanks for playing some more great GA music.
R.E.M. are like The Godfather’s of alternative rock!
Exactly my opinion 👍🤟🙏😇❤️
I was lucky enough to see them a week after my senior trip back in 1995 in Kansas City.
'Where does it fit in the flow chart of music?'... this is early 90s grunge 100%. Lex already hit the nail on the head :)
I LOVE REM!!! They have an AMAZING body of work! Great choice and fantastic reaction vid Y'all!
Yes, REM were fantastic live. it's only when you see Michael Stipe perform and hear the band play in the flesh that you really see how great they were
Banjo Grunge ROCKS
Heard this on the radio in Minnesota a couple of days ago! I think that it’s actually in the movie Tommy Boy!
I love REM but I did fall asleep at one of their shows... 8)
Banjo grunge got to love it
That 'banjo' that you think you're hearing is a mandolin, possibly from the same family of guitars as the banjo. These guys WERE actually a huge influence of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana who were the one of the pioneers of the Grunge movement.