FEATURE: Groovelines: R.E.M. – Losing My Religion

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

R.E.M. – Losing My Religion

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FOR the new editions of Groovelines…

I am deep-diving into songs that are celebrating anniversaries. On 19th February, 1991, R.E.M. released one of their best-loved singles. Losing My Religion is one of their most enduring and popular songs and, thirty years after its release, it still holds the power to move and stun people. The first single from the band’s seventh studio album, Out of Time (which was released on 12th March, 1991), I am still besotted by Losing My Religion. With Out of Time, R.E.M.'s status grew from that of a cult band to a massive international act. Whilst tracks like Radio Song, and Shiny Happy People have divided people regarding their status and popularity, I think that Losing My Religion is a song that everyone can agree is a classic! Losing My Religion was an unlikely hit for the group, receiving huge airplay on radio as well as gaining focus on MTV and VH1 due to its critically acclaimed music video – which I shall finish up with. The song became R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching number-four on the Billboard Hot 100. Even though the band were not sure about releasing Losing My Religion as a single because it is quite unusual and uncommercial, it is clear their decision paid off – the song is one of the most popular of the 1990s; it moves you to your very core.

 IN THIS PHOTO: R.E.M. (from left): Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Bill Berry in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Ockenfels

In terms of the inspirations behind the song and how it developed, songfacts provides some insight:

“The title is a variation on the Southern expression "lost my religion," meaning something has challenged your faith to such a degree you might lose your religion. The song has nothing to do with religion, but the title is significant: If you are "losing your religion" over a person, you are losing faith in that person and questioning the relationship.

R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe wrote the lyrics, which he has said are about "obsession" and "unrequited love," which is powerful and dangerous combination. Throughout the song, he is baring his soul, searching for hidden meaning and hopeful signs, but driving himself mad in the process.

"I love the idea of writing a song about unrequited love," he told Top 2000 a gogo. "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. It's this really tearful, heartfelt thing that found its way into one of the best pieces of music the band ever gave me."

This song has its origins in guitarist Peter Buck's efforts to try learn to play the mandolin. When he played back recordings of his first attempts, he heard the riff and thought it might make a good basis for a song. Explaining how the song came together musically, Buck told Guitar School in 1991: "I started it on mandolin and came up with the riff and chorus. The verses are the kinds of things R.E.M. uses a lot, going from one minor to another, kind of like those 'Driver 8' chords. You can't really say anything bad about E minor, A minor, D, and G - I mean, they're just good chords.

We then worked it up in the studio - it was written with electric bass, drums, and mandolin. So it had a hollow feel to it. There's absolutely no midrange on it, just low end and high end, because Mike usually stayed pretty low on the bass. This was when we decided we'd get Peter (Holsapple) to record with us, and he played live acoustic guitar on this one. It was really cool: Peter and I would be in our little booth, sweating away, and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it. It just had a really magical feel”.

I will bring in a couple of articles soon but, picking from Wikipedia, and one can see how Losing My Religion has been received:

"Losing My Religion" became R.E.M.'s biggest hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single stayed on the chart for 21 weeks. It topped both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, for three and eight weeks respectively, also personal bests for the band on both charts. It charted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at No. 16 and No. 11 in Canada and Australia, respectively. Mills said years later, "Without 'Losing My Religion', Out of Time would have sold two or three million [copies], instead of the ten [million copies] or so it did.

But the phenomenon that is a worldwide hit is an odd thing to behold. Basically that record was a hit in almost every civilised country in the world.” The success of "Losing My Religion" and Out of Time broadened R.E.M.'s audience beyond its original college radio fanbase. When asked at the time if he was worried that the song's success might alienate older fans, Buck told Rolling Stone, "The people that changed their minds because of 'Losing My Religion' can just kiss my ass."

The single placed second in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll, behind Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". R.E.M. was nominated for seven awards at the 1992 Grammy Awards. "Losing My Religion" alone earned several nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song won two awards, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Short Form Music Video. In 2004, Rolling Stone listed the song at No. 169 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2007, the song was listed as No. 9 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. In 2009, Blender ranked it at No. 79 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". The song is also included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”.

The long-running and wonderful series, Song Exploder, is available to see on Netflix. The idea is that songwriters discuss a single track of theirs and go into depth. Last year, Losing My Religion was featured on the show – as this article explains:

“Losing My Religion” will be prominently featured in Episode 3, Season 1, launching tonight, October 2, with R.E.M. opening up about the influences behind the life-changing track alongside hits from Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Alicia Keys &, Ty Dolla $ign.

This monumental episode marks the first time in many years all 4 original members: Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck & Bill Berry, have together recorded interviews about the band. In addition, the band will be releasing their ‘Losing My Religion’ EP digitally to mark the occasion.

“‘Losing My Religion’ was kind of a mistake. The fact that it became what it became is still puzzling to all of us,” Michael Stipe shared in the official series trailer.

The song first appeared on R.E.M.’s Out Of Time album, which has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide. The track reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1991. It remains the band’s highest-charting single and one of their four Top 10 hits.

Song Exploder is hosted and executive produced by Hrishikesh Hirway with filmmaker Morgan Neville, with the series taking a deep dive into the creative process with songwriters and artists, from a song’s first inception to its creation and lasting influence”.

Not only is the song incredible, but its music video is powerful and evocative. One can read an article from Rolling Stone, where director Tarsem Singh is asked about his experiences. Despite the fact Singh was inexperienced, he pulled off this triumph:

“Twenty-five years ago, R.E.M. released Out of Time, which eventually sold over four million copies in the United States and transformed longtime college radio darlings into a mainstream concern. It was the album’s first single “Losing My Religion” that definitively turned the group to artistic and commercial leaders of the burgeoning alternative rock movement. Up until this point, the group’s singer Michael Stipe had directed their music videos, or had entrusted them to people rooted in the art world like Robert Longo, James Herbert and Jem Cohen. Stipe had also stated publicly that he would never lip sync in a video — a claim he backed up in every video during the band’s first ten years.

Though the band and their label sensed that this was their potential crossover moment, they selected Tarsem Singh to direct “Losing my Religion.” Singh (credited as just Tarsem) was finishing up film school at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena while nearing the age of 30 and selling cars in the summer to afford tuition. He had previously directed only two videos for record labels — for Suzanne Vega and En Vogue — but the young director managed an artistic triumph. “Losing My Religion” would go on to win six MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Video and Best Direction as well as the Grammy for Best Short Form Video”.

The video for Losing My Religion is a thing of wonder:

“Michael Stipe's dancing ties the video together as he moves like he is in the throes of revelation, a contrast to all the other characters who are barely moving. He wasn't supposed to dance: The treatment had him singing lines from various poses, but when they shot it that way, it didn't work at all. This put director Tarsem Singh's grand production in jeopardy; he was so upset, he went to the bathroom and threw up. When he emerged, Stipe said, "Let me try to dance."

There was no choreography - Stipe just let the spirit move him, and the results were sublime. He says his dancing is a mashup of Sinead O'Connor's moves in her "The Emperor's New Clothes" video and David Byrne's gyrations in his "Once In A Lifetime" performances.

Stipe remembers being hot and bothered when recording his vocal. His heartfelt lyric needed a certain feel that was hard to achieve in the studio, so he recorded a lot of takes. He wasn't happy with the engineer, who seemed out of it. "I was very upset," he told Top 2000 a gogo. "I also got really hot because I was all worked up, so I took my clothes off and recorded the song almost naked”.

I shall leave things there but, thirty years since its release, I was interested to learn more about R.EM.’s Losing My Religion. It is a track I remember fondly from childhood, and its pull and passion still infuses my senses and stays in the memory! It is a masterpiece from a band who, whilst sadly no longer together, created these incredible songs that resonated with…

SO many people

Sam Liddicott