First listen to R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (REACTION)

[@georgewodicka4839]

The complexity, ambiguity, and general angst appeared deep rooted in much of REM'S music. It seemed genuine, and the sincerity added to the appeal, which resonated in every video. No other group used the medium of the music video more artistically.

[@joanbounacos8958]

"Every whisper, of every waking hour I'm choosing my confessions." Aren't we all? 😊

[@michaelfulthorpe5802]

NO!!!!

[@Yosef1952]

A fine number. Michael Stipe was at pains to say this song has no religious meaning. He said it was a secular number, saying the term "losing my religion" is a Southern expression meaning to be upset or exasperated with someone else.

[@JohnWesleyDowney]

Yes. This!

[@Mick1975e]

Yes, I read it as someone losing control. Nothing to do with religion. Such a great song

[@crowredeye8066]

This is indeed a southern expression, you are correct in your explanation. Whenever folks start saying it has a religious meaning I about start losing my religion.

[@luckymustard]

This sounds so familiar. I wonder why...

[@melaniew4354]

It really is a Southern saying, used such as "She's down at that bar losing alllll her religion" and in that context it means the person is forgetting the moral code they were raised with. Another way it is used is when you are angry with someone and are mad enough to cuss, you would say "You are are gonna make me lose my religion!" as in making you forget you are a good Christian woman. I have always loved this song, and my interpretation of it is that it's about someone who is examining the religion they were raised with, and wanting to look at other ideas of life. It is scary to do that at first, you fear going to Hell over it or somehow falling out of favor with God. But still the urge pulls at you, because truly, how do you know what you believe if you don't know what anyone else believes? I can relate so much to that concept because I was raised in Georgia in a small town and everyone is Baptist so you don't have any context to compare it to. I went through my own spiritual journey for a few decades and dabbled in lots of different things but now I have come back to those roots and have a greater appreciation for it. To me that is what this song is about.

[@catserver8577]

I couldn't avoid hearing this a billion times since it came out. I was shocked to find I knew nothing about what it was referring to, the video always confused me, and I thought it was about someone actually losing their religious faith. I never could relate, and didn't really have strong feelings one way or another about the song in general. I am so glad I watched your reaction and learning about the song, because not only can I relate to the lyrics now, it's almost painful. Wow. This has been my "learn something new every day" moment and boy is it a doozy. Thanks Daniel!

[@James-np8pu]

A friend of mind said that Michael Stipe (lead singer) told her at a party that this song was about unrequited love with a guy and it was his way of coming out to the world.

[@4tuneagent]

Probably one of their biggest hits.. but R.E.M. has a hundred or so excellent tunes.. "South Central Rain", "Carnival Of Sorts", "Driver 8", "These Days", "Can't Get There From Here", or "Pretty Persuasion", are all great underrated songs..

[@foxandscout]

Great REM songs: Man on the Moon (about the comedian Andy Kaufman-long gone snd died very young-cancer); It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)-you would never call this one pop. (I’ve never heard anyone call this alt rock band pop-sounding.) Hard to keep up with the lyrics: need to read them simultaneously); Fall On Me; Drive; One I Love REM had many great songs and many hits.I love Michael Stipes, a sensitive, thoughtful, kind, sweet man. I’ve seen him in collaboration with other musicians, live up until Covid-19, and online after, including solo with new material. In fact 2weeks ago he read (KZbin) two passages from Martin Luther King. The first references Jesus.

[@wallyboy6666]

Foxandscout I'm adding Nightswimming to your list. :) They have too many great songs to list :) :)

[@foxandscout]

@@wallyboy6666 I added (!!) that plus two others, but I went to google something and returned to have lost my editing. So I decided not to add songs though I did add sentences.

[@wallyboy6666]

@@foxandscout :) :) Thank you for the reply.

[@christinerobinson9372]

Tension, that energy is tension. He moves so beautifully, he must have dance in his background. I am guessing that some of the imagery is taken from paintings.

[@DerekDominoes]

Another good R.E.M. song (and my personal favorite) is "Fall On Me."

[@SotonCueMan]

This won the MTV video of the year in 1991, awesome band. I’ve been a fan since the mid 80s when I first heard of them here in the UK.

[@firebird7479]

I just cannot get past the Michael Stipe quote where he calls The Beatles "Elevator music". Like Ringo said, "If it wasn't for The Beatles, REM would still be taking the stairs." 🤣

[@daveking9393]

Yup, he pissed off a lot of folks with that, and his doubling down on it...

[@donny1960]

For the generations born after the Beatles broke up, hearing their songs as "elevator" music was accurate. The copyrights did not allow the music to be allowed in Movies, or Ads, or for the generation after REM, streaming music. So his comments were accurate. The negativity comes from how each individual defines "Elevator Music".

[@firebird7479]

@@donny1960 It's not accurate. It is opinion.

[@donny1960]

@@firebird7479 Somewhere in the recent past, opinions automatically have become not accurate. They can be both inaccurate OR accurate. Someone can have the opinion that the Earth is flat. But it isn't! See what I mean?

[@rk41gator]

@@firebird7479 Anyone holding that the Beatles is elevator music has only listened to it in an elevator. Music ignorance is as widespread as political ignorance!

[@iancunningham5576]

I remember the very first time I heard this song. I sat in my car when it came on the radio. So no visual (video) accompaniment. I was already a fan. This song went deeply into my life and my heart. It's a masterpiece. One of many for REM.

[@janbarriault4494]

i was driving... pulled over and wept.. had never heard it before,, caught it on radio.. still relevent.

[@TheHopperUK]

My favourite REM song is 'Find the River' though to this day I'm only vaguely aware of what the lyrics mean.

[@traceyb9443]

REM in my top 10 greatest bands EVER!!! Love them! ❤

[@FeaturingRob]

There is an amazing episode of 'Song Exploder' on Netflix where the entire episode is about the song...and the band talks about it. This has had many, many different meanings for me since I first heard it when it came out in 1991. I was 19 and I was a HUGE R.E.M. fan through a friend at school turning me on to the band (which had been just a college radio/alternative band then). This is still one of my top ten favorite songs of all time. I especially love the strings underneath as well as the fact that it is mainly a rock song for the mandolin. Great reaction!

[@Fairygrl_TW]

Brilliant Band, such unique style, complex and amazing. Thanx Daniel

[@grubby124]

Sign of a really good song: 'Wow, that went by in a second. I wish it was longer.' It's gotten to the point where whenever I see one of your reactions pop into my feed I have to stop for a second before clicking on it and ask, 'Do I have enough time for this?'. Your reactions and dissertations always tend to make me sit back and think deeply about the song and the meaning behind it, much more so than I usually do. Then all I want to do is check out another one, then another, and before I know it there's another hour gone by that I really should have been doing something else in. Just so there's no mistake - that's a compliment, not a criticism. Thanks for another good job.

[@epluribusunum1460]

I think that you are a very insightful young man. You said that every line of the song brought 20 different thoughts. That is the difference between art, which leads us to multiple paths, and illustration, which tells us only one story. May I recommend “40,000 Headmen” by Traffic?

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Great job. Btw, guitarist was just learning to play the mandolin and was recording himself. He said "the beginning part sounded like me learning the mandolin, the middle part was what you hear on Losing my Religion, and the end part sounded like me learning the mandolin ". Glad he recorded himself.

[@windyhead7960]

The idea of a segment of the video is actually based on Gabriel Garcia Márquez's story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings".

[@RichardinNC1]

This song turned the corner for them from a little known band to superstars. My favorite early cuts are "Fall On Me", "I Believe", Its the End of the World As We Know It" , and Orange Crush. From this album, also is Radio Song, Shiny Happy People, and Country Feedback (look for a live version with Neil Young!). Next up was Drive, Man on the Moon, & Everybody Hurts. Last up is "The Lifting", Saturn Returns, She Just Wants to Be, Imitation of Life, and All the Way to Reno with a few other good ones in between.

[@theplanetruth]

Yet ANOTHER piece of music which had depth to its message that, as a teen, I was like "wow, that was a good song!" Now, Edie Brickel and the New Bohemians' "What I Am"

[@Euxiphipops77]

Seeing someone reacting to R.E.M for the first time makes me realize how old I am. Also, to all R.E.M. fans. I have always wondered - does this video has been inspired by the movie "Caravaggio"?

[@foxandscout]

They were a fantastic and important band with many great songs and many hits. I love Michael Stipes and have seen him live in collaboration with other artists even last year. He is a very kind seeet man and cares about our earth.

[@alanshepherd4304]

Love REM, it's like a box of chocolates, dip in and every one is a gem. Try Leaving New York, or Night Swimming.😁😁🇬🇧

[@scottbaron121]

Having lived in Georgia for my college, post-college years, many non-Southerners don't understand what, "Losing my religion" actually means. Knowing the phrase, I always took this as a "relationship" song....or a song about a relationship. I was fortunate to be living there in the mid-late 80's, when these guys were really taking off. Along with the B-52's, Indigo Girls, Black Crows...many really good bands came from the Atlanta area back then...

[@minkhollow]

Another band with a similar vibe: Toad the Wet Sprocket. "Walk on the Ocean" is heavy preschool nostalgia for me, but you could basically pick a song at random and have a gem. (The video for "Something's Always Wrong" adds a very interesting dimension to it.)

[@bradsmack1]

Nice call, Jill! Was CERTAIN no one else would mention TtheWetS, Santa Barbara's finest! I'd love to see Daniel react to "All I Want," the song I think comes closest to the urgency and angst (and, as Christine above said, "tension") as "Losing My Religion," and some other REM songs. Your song suggestions are great, too, and I would also add "Come Down" and "Whatever I Fear"! Great minds think alike!!😉👍

[@flyingcloud6776]

This song sounds "simple" from the first look, but there is this intensity, the sincerity. And on a second listen you hear the fine instrumentation and high class harmonies. Big early 90's classic. I also love the song "Shiny Happy People" from the same album with it's underlying melancholy beneath the happiness. Kate Pierson from the B-52's is a great co-singer here. And I really liked the song "What's the frequency Kenneth"

[@merlinscat]

I love Michael Stipes voice

[@viviandarkbloom100]

Spring 1991 this song was played every hour on the Radio. I'm hardly joking.

[@pebblesanddirt]

Gosh I remember seeing Peter Buck on MTV when this album debuted. He laughed that they would probably be the only MTV video with a mandolin. My high school band director was from Athens - he remembered Buck working behind the counter at Wuxtry and telling everyone his band was going to be big. The customers all made fun of him - guess he got the last word. Edit - later when I was a student at UGA I had my couple of run-ins with Michael Stipe, including waiting for ice cream in front of him at Hodgsons Pharmacy. He asked me what I was getting - when I replied chocolate and peanut butter, he nodded approvingly.

[@mikegee248]

One of the best songs ever written...

[@RandyHall324]

The first couple of REM albums featured vocals that were often mixed in the background so you couldn't always make out the words Michael Stipe was singing; By the time this came out a few years later, you could hear every word, and the challenge became figuring out what those words meant. Often enigmatic lyrically, but always musically brilliant, this became one of my favorite bands. Driver Eight and Fall on Me were both catchy pop rock, but one of my favorite REM songs is Feeling Gravity's Pull, which is anything but...It's a little obscure in the context of their catalog, but you should check it out even if you don't react to it. Keep on rockin'!

[@RGSuperfan]

Don't know if it's true, but I have read that in the first place Michael Stipe was not supposed to dance, but one time the director Tarsem Singh had to run to the toilet to puke because he was soooo stressed by this video, Michael started to dance, inspired by one performance of Sinéad O'Connor, and finally decided to keep that sequence, because it would look cool. Also the video has more references such as Italian painter caravaggio and Russian movie maker Andreï Tarkovski. So it's quite a sophisticated video ^^

[@dolnick7]

REM steered me through a period of intense heartache so it's impossible for me to judge their music objectively, as echos of those times bounce off every song. Glad to see you getting into them. Lots of tasty numbers there to choose from. You may want to sample Wire, a British band from the late 70s, that was a big influence on REM's sound. (Their first three albums Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 particularly.)

[@paulagwhyte1720]

Love the mandolin or what sounds like it, he's talking about trying to tell someone he's in love with them, but being terrified to do it. Hinting to the person and then wanting to take it back, afraid they'll reject him...he's caught between wanting them to know and not wanting them to know in case then, they don't love him back and then they're gone forever...he'll be a "hurt, lost, and blind, poor, fool...."

[@curtadams7406]

Sometimes a song's vocals are just a part of the whole mix, and sometimes they are "in the spotlight," like here. Only certain artists have the ability (and voice) to make their singing become one of, if not the, predominant "instrument." Ian Anderson is another. Never delved into the meaning of the lyrics before, I certainly learned something here today!

[@davidwalsh7128]

Next REM to consider; At My Most Beautiful. The band, minus lead singer Michael S, were all huge Beach Boy fans. Michael couldn't understand their passion about BB music. Then one day, alone stuck in LA traffic, Michael heard a Beach Boys song come over the radio--he was finally quite moved. He then went to the studio and wrote At My Most Beautiful for his band mates...

[@theplanetruth]

Knowing now about Ian Curtis, I wonder if Stipe's manic dance is reminiscent of Curtis. 4:35

[@albertagibinik3436]

Could have been chaneling Ian

[@BennoWitter]

Losing my Religion, The End of the World as we know it, Love is all around me (originally by The Troggs) from the MTV Unplugged session are all amazing.

[@3SeveredHeads]

Ur the ONLY reactor to say "i really liked that..." as the 1st line afterwards 🙃👍 Most pull faces saying "wtf was THAT!? Dont get it at all" ...or words to that effect lol 🙄 "Everybody hurts" by REM is another great one i feel you'd appreciate... Very refreshing to watch ur reactions...🤟🏼💞

[@Gregory......]

REM is a great band ! very talented and deep band.

[@floorticket]

"Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" from their first album. I could list tons. They were huge.

[@merlinscat]

You need to do the album automatic for the people it is probably their best

[@robinraan]

Thanks again, Daniel

[@nancyaugustine9000]

thanks kid,,,,i am old but im lovin this and i know it well,,,,

[@moog67]

The title is an old southern term, it basically means "at the end of my rope" not knowing what else to do, being at a loss. The song is about unrequited love.

[@Blinkerson55]

Being gay I'm sure added to his confusion and being overwhelmed.

[@armadillotoe]

I love the instrumentation as much as the vocals in the song.

[@cpoldunit2834]

This a classic example of how record companies and art directors make videos that are so completely at odds with the song ,Caravaggio paintings and allusions to Religion are wasted when Michael stated clearly this an expression from the South meaning worn out , at the end of your tether.

[@albertagibinik3436]

Early rem was fun trying to figure out the lyrics, it made you listen harder.

[@matthewteague623]

Whether one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, or anything else, I think anyone can appreciate the lyrics and imagery. It evokes the torment you may feel when your whole world seems cut out from under you. Crippling self-doubt can arise from many sources, and yes, a theological crisis among them. Whether or not that's how Mr. Stipe intended it to be heard, it's *certainly* just as applicable to that kind of crisis. It doesn't mean anyone has to cast aside their own faith or question thier own faith just to feel what someone in that kind of crisis has to be going through.

[@garylindsey5174]

Great song. Love the mandolin!

[@stephenpriola4301]

“Man in the moon” from the Jim carry movie.!!

[@gw2031]

We were so spoiled and we took it for granted, turn the radio on,, REM U2 Siouxie and the Banshees, Tears for fears, The Stranglers, Japan, Big Country, on and on,, if the young generation now don't get out and fight in the streets they will never know the freedom and joy that was there every day we woke up!! This is WW3

[@Lunal73]

With so much deception, pain, hatred, losing my religion is a metaphor like saying I am losing my faith in everything. It’s easier to think it was a dream than broke down.

[@RobertErnestLewis]

Very Euro and Celtic in some ways... R.E.M. a college band that went big and gave us some great music along the way.

[@sagnyc]

This is the song that got me into them. Out Of Time is a terrific album; so is Automatic For The People. I've said it before, but I'll repeat: please do Find The River!

[@RicoBurghFan]

One of my favorite songs. His partner at the time, who he had the obsession with, appears in the video as the guy in the dark suit. Next REM you should do is Drive, another wonderfully deep song about youth alienation that's one of their best.

[@dennishilliard7557]

I think this song can mean anything you want it to mean; depending on your circumstances and your mood. Great song. Even though the artist says this has nothing to do with religion, one must ask why did the video show so many references to religion? Love the Mandolin...at least I think it's a Mandolin...thanks for playing.

[@anniegoodrich262]

I'd be curious to hear you react to their song, Superman. It's the very first song I ever heard from them and they had me in the first 3 seconds.

[@Amm1ttai]

Listen to South Central Rain. The first song I ever heard from them and I was hooked.

[@stevemd6488]

Saw them live on the Document tour, Stipe often said "this song is for you". They were great. Also met Peter Buck in a Guitar Center, he showed me how to play a bunch of their songs. This is their biggest song, not my favorite, that would be One I Love. Last as someone said Automatic for the People is their best album but carries a very dark theme.

[@iainweller452]

Great song from an amazing album

[@benoitdesmarais2948]

I always thought this was about Stipe's coming out as gay. The imagery (in particular the gay stylings of photographers Pierre & Gilles) was quite evident to me. But he kept the lyrics unspecific, making it about everybody. Not creepy at all: his unrequited love doesn't make him a stalker as in Every Breath you Take! I'd call this folk-rock if you want to categorize: unusual construction, not pop at all. Like many huge songs, it struck a chord despite being "unusual". It wasn't a copycat to anything that was hot and current in 1990-91.

[@tcanfield]

Yeah, I was just thinking the same sorta thing, like maybe he’s got a crush on a straight guy, but he doesn’t want to reveal himself as gay, so is conflicted emotionally.

[@leisastalnaker3790]

A lot of symbolism. I listen to this song every day.

[@jacket5456]

1 out of 604 people disliked. Good job dude, people seem to love you.

[@stuartsiglain3972]

You should have done a live version of this song 😁

[@mcolford]

Definitely one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs. They've got so many great songs. I would recommend Fall On Me, my personal favorite, but there are a lot of great ones. Wait, what... just as you were wrapping up you said you don't usually like pop music? GOOD pop music is the best music!

[@TheRatsCast]

There a moment when lead vocalist Michael Stipe stops singing. It's because he really hates lip-syncing in songs; so he just drops it for that one moment in time.

[@bobangell1679]

A song that really is about religion, "Dear God" by XTC. I'm sure others have suggested it... And that would be pronounced as the individual letters, not "ecstasy."

[@richardrichards9180]

The most recent addition to my all-time top five.

[@snakelite61]

It's basically a song about an unbalanced relationship where one of them is just hanging on and calculating everything, while the other person isn't all that into it. I could watch Michael Stipe dance for hours.

[@richardperrett5380]

Imitation Of Life is another great track of theirs with a very interesting video

[@Choctaw468]

I'd forgotten how different Michael Stipe looked with hair.

[@garysunshine9643]

Great band- My favorite is The One That I Love. But other greats Fall on Me, Shiny Happy People, Man on the Moon, It's the End of the World, and I enjoy one a little different- Don't Go Back to Rockville

[@jamiebroadbridge4776]

Please react to their wonderful song "Find the river" absolute perfection in every way. Video is also very good.

[@ivylady13]

It's strange that this song is upbeat and dance worthy but always makes me cry.

[@tommyanne9447]

You should check out the cover done by Ryan Star on rockstar: supernova (an NBC tv series that was the prequel or sequel to the series rockstar: inxs also on NBC . Both shows ran for 1 season each if I'm remembering correctly and were awesome.) KZbin search losing my religion rockstar supernova for the clip and check it out it's a really powerful rendition.

[@johnfincham1054]

Love REM great band you should try the one I love, find the river near wild heaven and everybody hurts awesome

[@carmelediaalexander1417]

Clearly, a song of indecision thus confusion.

[@cheryldalis7071]

If you didn't start dancing around like Michael Stipe after watching this video, then you need to go watch it again!! Lol... 💕😁

[@a.riddlemethis795]

If you like this video, you might like "Until It Sleeps" by Metallica and "Zombie" by Cranberries". Similar visual style, totally different songs :)) It was a bit of a genre in the 90s :)

[@jessicamartin1728]

You should hear the version of this that has been morphed from minor into major. It's a big difference!

[@gpeck54]

Check out "It's the end of the world as we know it(and I feel fine)" great song and lots of lyrics to figure out.

[@bobangell1679]

REM were phenomenal. I think I generally prefer their earlier work on IRS Records. The move to Warner Brothers cleaned up their presentation and made Stipe enunciate. Stipe liked it when people provided their own lyrics...

[@jmara6586]

Great choice and comments. (The side part works.)

[@amyroberts9761]

I believe this is a song that many can relate to. Though this experience can be devastating, no matter how many times you go through it, you should never close the door on love. And also, some things i have learned going through this particular dark tunnel is that i end up getting fresh insight, inspiration, and a lesson learned that you should never let a person be a cause for your happiness or unhappiness, or it could end up crippling you for the rest of your life. Such a great, thought provoking song! You should really react to this one! This lady does not let her disability stop her!!!! It is quite the experience. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX24k5SieK9mmdE

[@jc296x]

I think you'll like "It's The End Of The World As We Know It". The song is fast, catchy and still works because the lyrics are a mystery and seem like stream of consciousness babbling but the chorus part get's assigned to current events all the time. (Like Springsteen's Born In The USA get's redefined as a patriotic song all the time) My all time favorite REM song musically is "The Great Beyond" (written for an Andy Kaufman bio movie)

[@IllumeEltanin]

Oy, Daniel... When you said you were having 20 thoughts to each line of the lyrics, I really looked forward to you going in to it. But, did I miss it? I caught you reading the comments and what genius (dot) com had to say, but what were those thoughts you were having while listening? Enquiring minds want to know. (at least this enquiring mind, anyway)

[@daveking9393]

I was waiting for them too...

[@daveking9393]

@@pandora_z I'm not sure you should read that into things... Perhaps you haven't followed Daniel for that long but he is very busy and has let people know a number of times that he is focusing on some college-level courses as well as the normal things going on in a teenager's life nowadays so I think we all know he's got a lot of his mind... ...but to take that leap in my view is not warranted and in my opinion really inappropriate to make. Just my two cents worth...

[@daveking9393]

@@pandora_z absolutely. THANKS so much for the follow up 😊

[@rk41gator]

@@daveking9393 excuse me, but why take the time to begin with? We can all read. People like to hear Daniel's view point.

[@IllumeEltanin]

Oy vey... I did not mean for this to digress the way it did. I merely wished Daniel to know I missed hearing his personal thoughts on the song. But, I agree with Dave. Daniel is extremely busy, and we shouldn't "read," i.e., assume anything personal about Daniel, from his postings at this time, other than what he is willing to share.

[@rbo350]

DDR great song

[@bjs301]

Another of their big hits, also a great song, is Its The End of the World As We Know It. All of their music videos are good. Try Shiny Happy People, and Man on the Moon.

[@RobertErnestLewis]

George RR Martin getting is Game of Thrones Religion at 4.26 in the video.

[@elainedowell820]

Down here; if someone makes us spittin; mad, we tell them they're gonna cause us to lose our religion. Like swear; or even strike them!

[@RickTBL]

R.E.M. were deeply cool. R.E.M. were ultra cool.

[@tinypurplefishesrunlaughin8052]

Religious imagery out the wazoo with spastic singer movement. Pretty cool though, I like it.

[@juankasper4260]

Check Strange Currencies, Imitation of Life, and All the way to Reno.

[@floydshambles]

They have a hundred great songs. Beat A Drum is one of them

[@katherinemikkola8316]

One of my favorites. I rreally like the video but I really love the song, it makes you think. 🤔🙏❤👵

[@Katehowe3010]

This is a fine single, but for a sublime deep cut, may i suggest Country Feedback from the same album! Up there with Neil Young for my money.