The Story Behind Every Song

R.E.M.’s breakthrough 1987 album Document was the fruits of some issues: arduous work, experimental tendencies and good old style trial and error.

On Document‘s predecessor, Lifes Rich Pageant, R.E.M. had introduced in John Mellencamp producer Don Gehman to take away the murkiness that had categorized their first three information. Although Gehman was not introduced again for the follow-up, Scott Litt constructed upon Gehman’s readability, and the consequence was a radio-friendly sound that introduced them into the Top 10 singles and album charts for the primary time.

It helped that R.E.M. had delivered a set of songs that matched the tenor of the occasions. Its first half mirrored their anger on the earlier six years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Beginning with an activist’s call-to-arms (“Finest Worksong”), they blended U.S. involvement in Central America (“Welcome to the Occupation”) with the return of right-wing political ways (“Exhuming McCarthy,” “Disturbance at the Heron House”) earlier than concluding that they have been wonderful with the upcoming apocalypse (“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine”).

But it was the second aspect the place they stored up their experimental streak. Opening with successful single (“The One I Love”), albeit the darkest, thorniest love tune to achieve the Top 10 for the reason that Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” the remainder of the album handled an 18th-century spiritual determine (“Fireplace”), the power to foretell earthquakes (“King of Birds”) and homelessness (“Oddfellows Local 151”).

Below are the tales behind every of the LP’s 11 songs.

“Finest Worksong”

Guitarist Peter Buck knew from the second “Finest Worksong” was written that it will be the leadoff observe for the album. The band’s newfound willingness to combine extra topical materials into their music, with out overdoing it, is on full show on this tune.

Read More: ‘Finest Worksong:’ R.E.M. Gets Loud and Political, however Stays Weird

“Welcome to the Occupation”

“Welcome to the Occupation” was the third tune Michael Stipe had written concerning the U.S. authorities’s intervention in South and Central America, but it surely was his most pointed to this point. As the conflicts grew increasingly violent, R.E.M. put their frustration into tune: “Listen to the Congress / where we propagate confusion.”

Read More: R.E.M.’s Anger Comes Into Focus on ‘Welcome to the Occupation’

“Exhuming McCarthy”

In 1987, R.E.M. could not assist pondering that the occasions they have been residing in have been eerily much like earlier politically tumultuous a long time. “This is the kind of year Joe McCarthy would come back,” Buck advised UPI on the time. “People would start hailing him. If he was still alive, he’d be a hero.”

Read More: How R.E.M. Took a Bite out of Dogma With ‘Exhuming McCarthy’

“Disturbance at the Heron House”

By Stipe’s admission, “Disturbance at the Heron House” was his tackle George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a narrative of greed, hopelessness, deceit and conceitedness. Orwell had meant for his ebook to be a touch upon the Russian Revolution and the turmoil it created. To Stipe, the identical concepts might apply to President Ronald Reagan’s administration.

Read More: R.E.M.’s ‘Disturbance on the Heron House’ Tackles Orwell and Reagan

“Strange”

The solely cowl on Document, “Strange” by Wire, seems nearly squarely in the midst of the album. “Strange” had appeared on Wire’s 1977 debut, Pink Flag, which Stipe cited as a robust affect on his work.

Read More: R.E.M.’s Cover of Wire’s ‘Strange’ Speaks to the Moment

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”

A stream of lyrical consciousness delivered at breakneck pace, this apocalyptic musical manifesto has since turn out to be certainly one of R.E.M.’s best-known tracks. Amongst the inspirations for the tune? A wierd get together during which Lester Bangs hurled a one-off insult at Buck, Bob Dylan and a dream crammed with birthday cake and jelly beans.

Read More: How R.E.M. Mixed Dreams, TV and Politics on ‘It’s the End of the World as We Know It’

“The One I Love”

Kicking off aspect two of Document, “The One I Love” stands in stark distinction to the previous tune. Despite its title, it is a far cry from any conventional love tune, which describes the topic as a “simple prop.” In 1987, Stipe swore to Rolling Stone that the tune wasn’t about anybody specifically: “I would never, ever write a song like that.”

Read More: How R.E.M. Scored a Big Hit With the Brutal ‘The One I Love’

“Fireplace”

What do the Shakin’ Quakers have in frequent with R.E.M.? Maybe not a lot, however that did not imply Stipe could not discover some inspiration of their dancing methodology of worship. Also distinctive to this observe is the contribution from saxophonist Steve Berlin, one of many first exterior musicians to look so prominently on a R.E.M. album.

Read More: Shakers and Saxophones Get Thrown Into R.E.M.’s ‘Fireplace’

“Lightnin’ Hopkins”

“Lightnin’ Hopkins” isn’t, as one would possibly assume, a tribute to the late Texas bluesman. It’s a lot looser, extra ambiguous than that. Stipe, on the time, was invested in the concept that artwork — and humanity basically — is usually higher off if it is at the very least slightly convoluted. “If you’re blasted into the public eye, you’re supposed to be one-dimensional,” he advised The New York Times in 1987. “But I’m pretty big on people contributing to things that they take in – not just accepting them on face value.”