It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

This article is about the R.E.M. song. For the Grey's Anatomy episodes, see It's the End of the World and As We Know It.
"It's the End of the World as We Know It" redirects here. For the Steve Aoki extended play, see It's the End of the World as We Know It (EP).
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

Block text in all capitals spell out "R.E.M" (the band's name) in large black letters against a light background; under the band's name is a horizontal line spanning the width of the cover; under the line are four lines of purple text in a font half the height of the font used for the band's name.  The four lines:  IT'S THE END/OF THE WORLD/AS WE KNOW IT/(AND I FEEL FINE).

Cover of the USA 7" release.
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Document
B-side "Last Date"
Released November 16, 1987
Format Vinyl record (7" and 12"), tape cassette, CD
Recorded 1987 at Sound Emporium, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Alternative rock, post-punk[1]
Length 4:07 (Album version)
3:29 (Single version)
Label I.R.S.
Writer(s) Bill Berry
Peter Buck
Mike Mills
Michael Stipe[2]
Producer(s) Scott Litt and R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"The One I Love"
(1987)
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
(1987)
"Finest Worksong"
(1988)

"Radio Song"
(1991)

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
(1991)

"Drive"
(1992)

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" is a song by the rock band R.E.M., which appeared on their 1987 album Document, the 1988 compilation Eponymous, and the 2006 compilation And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S Years 1982–1987. It was released as a single in November 1987, reaching No. 69 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and later reaching No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart on its re-release in December 1991.

The song originated from a previously unreleased song called "PSA" ("Public Service Announcement"); the two are very similar in melody and tempo. "PSA" was itself later reworked and released as a single in 2003, under the title "Bad Day." In an interview with Guitar World magazine published in November 1996, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck agreed that "End of the World" was in the tradition of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues.".[3] The song was featured in the third episode of the 13th season of The Simpsons, "Homer the Moe".

Music video

The music video was directed by James Herbert, who worked with the band on several other videos in the late 1980s. It depicts a young skateboarder, Noah Ray,[4] rifling through an abandoned, collapsing farmhouse and displaying the relics that he finds to the camera. The video ends with a scene of Noah going shirtless and performing a bunch of moves on his skateboard.

Personnel

R.E.M.

Track listing

Initial release

  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "This One Goes Out" (live acoustic version of "The One I Love") – 4:19
  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "Last Date" (Floyd Cramer cover) – 2:13
  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "This One Goes Out" (live acoustic version of "The One I Love") – 4:19
  3. "Maps and Legends" (live acoustic)
  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "Disturbance at the Heron House (Live from cassette 5.24.87 McCabes Guitar Shop)" – 3:41

Re-issue

  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "Radio Free Europe" – 4:03
  3. "The One I Love" (Live Acoustic) – 4:19
  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "Radio Free Europe" (Hib-Tone version) – 3:46
  3. "White Tornado" – 1:59
  4. "Last Date" – 2:13
  1. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:04
  2. "Radio Free Europe" – 4:03

Lyrics

The track is known for its quick flying, seemingly stream of consciousness rant with a number of diverse references, including a quartet of individuals with the initials "L.B." (Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs).[5] In a 1990s interview with Musician magazine, R.E.M.'s lead singer Michael Stipe claimed that the "L.B." references came from a dream he had in which he found himself at a party surrounded by famous people who all shared these initials.

The song was included on the 2001 Clear Channel memorandum of songs thought to be "lyrically questionable" after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Sales chart performance

Commercial performance

The song was played repeatedly for a 24-hour period (with brief promos interspersed) to introduce the new format for WENZ 107.9 FM "The End", a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio in 1992. When the station underwent a new format change in 1996, they again played the song in 24-hour loop. There was a documentary film made about the station entitled The End of the World As We Knew It, released in 2009 which featured many of the former staffers and jocks.[6][7][8][9]

Before the supposed Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012, sales for the song jumped from 3,000 to 19,000 copies for the week.[10]

A radio station in Calgary, Alberta (CFEX x92.9 FM) on December 21, 2012 played the song 156 times in a row back to back to coincide with the Mayan apocalypse event.[11][12]

The song can now be heard playing at one of the Quick-Service restaurants in Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It plays at Restaurantosaurus in the park's dinosaur-themed area.

Charts

Chart (1987/1991) Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart 222
UK Singles Chart 391
US Billboard Hot 100 69
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 16

Cover versions

References

  1. The Los Angeles Times: 20 Essential R.E.M. Songs Retrieved 5 October 2015
  2. "R.E.M.HQ: Albums". Remhq.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. "YuppiePunk » Podcast #8: List Songs". Yuppiepunk.org. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  4. Thompson, Jim. "Video takes local kid's life for a turn". Online Athens: REM in the hall. Athens Banner-Herald. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  5. Ventre, Michael (2005-10-29). "Turn up the volume and cast your vote: Songs to inspire you for Election Day 2004". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2004-11-04. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  6. Wendt, Michael (2008-06-14), The End of the World as We Knew It, retrieved 2016-03-12
  7. Olszewski, Mike (2003-01-01). Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Cleveland's FM Air Wars. Kent State University Press. ISBN 9780873387736.
  8. "Doomsday facts". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
  9. "http://cool.coolcleveland.com/wiki/Newsletter/EndOfTheStationAsHeFilmedIt". cool.coolcleveland.com. Retrieved 2016-03-12. External link in |title= (help)
  10. "Non-Apocalypse Spurs Sales (Up 612%), Airplay Gains For R.E.M.'s 'End Of The World'". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. "x929 plays R.E.M. 156 times". SongFacts. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  12. "Radio Station Marks End Of The World By Playing R.E.M. song All Day". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  14. Ableson, Jon. "Chris Carrabba To Release "Covered In The Flood" Solo Album". Alter The Press!. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  15. "BuffettNews.com • View topic - Buffett Covers R.E.M.". Buffettnews.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.