A POP SONG FROM BACK IN 1989

R.E.M. released the single Stand in 1989.

It reached #48 in the UK, although it did considerably better in the USA, reaching #46.

As a follow-up in their home country, the record label decided to release the opening track of the hugely popular Green LP:-

mp3 : R.E.M. - Pop Song '89
The record company desperately wanted another huge hit, so were keen that a suitable promo be made for heavy rotation on MTV. They were probably quite pleased when they learned singer Michael Stipe was going to direct it thinking it would give them another angle for press stories. The finished video got them press coverage, but not of the type they had originally hoped for.

It featured four dancers, one of whom was Stipe himself, stripped to the waist. And you could see their nipples.....oh the shock and horror. The censors went to work and superimposed black bars on the chests of all four dancers. Even today, I couldn't find a version on the notoriously ultra-conservative you tube. But I searched elsewhere:-




The b-side of the single was an acoustic version of the song, recorded and mixed in 4 minutes in Orlando, Florida on 30 April 1989. It was made available in the UK on a second release of Stand....
mp3 : R.E.M. - Pop Song'89 (acoustic)

Shiny happy people indeed.