R.E.M. Calls it Quits. What's Your Favorite Song or Video?

The One I Love (R.E.M. song)Image via Wikipedia
R.E.M. a band that has performed for almost all of my music-listening years, 30 of them, has called it quits this week.  They leave with neither a bang nor a whimper but released the following to their fans:

To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening. R.E.M.

Simple.

To the point.

R.E.M. never made it into a list of my favorite bands, but I could sing along with a whole lot of their songs, having watched the videos on MTV and heard "Radio Free Europe" and "What's the Frequency Kenneth" and "It's the End of the World and We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" over and over again on radio.  Moreover, I was in college from 1987 to 1991 when the band was in a heyday and adapting their post-punk sound to a world that listened to Nirvana at night.

Their retirement just seems to make me feel a bit older today.

Here's one of my favorites, from back in my high school days.  It's a video of them performing "The One I Love."  It's a great song and they clearly put on a good show.



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