Shiny Happy People
Kate Pierson's guest vocal, Mark Bingham's waltzing strings, and R.E.M.'s only top ten hit in both Britain and America.
Kate Pierson's guest vocal, Mark Bingham's waltzing strings, and R.E.M.'s only top ten hit in both Britain and America.

Stipe found the word on a New York apartment door and gave the night shift its lullaby, post-Berry R.E.M.
John Paul Jones scored the strings, Scott Litt named Queen as the model, and the lyric hands kids the wheel.

Conceived as an acid rain protest, the melody rewritten before release; Stipe called it a general oppression song.

Stipe's father served in Vietnam, and the title nods to Agent Orange; eight weeks atop Modern Rock.

Buck wrote the riff on his porch, Stipe found it too brutal to sing, and America mistook it for romance.

A dream about a party where every guest had Lenny Bruce's initials, sped into Document's headlong disaster list.
Berry wrote most of it over a drum machine, John Paul Jones scored the strings, and the words target teenagers.
Mills cut the piano at Criteria on the instrument heard on "Layla," and John Paul Jones arranged the strings.

Berry's chords, Buck's arrangement, and lyrics Stipe wrote at the last minute about Andy Kaufman, Elvis impression included.

Hib-Tone pressed about a thousand copies in 1981, and Stipe mumbled lyrics he hadn't finished writing.
Buck wrote the riff while teaching himself mandolin in front of the television, and R.E.M. got their biggest American hit.