Happy TUNEBACK TUESDAY!! I was recently going through some old Mix Tapes (yup, still have them) and came across one that I made during my last year as a Counsellor-In-Training at my summer camp back in 1996. It was very interesting to see the mixes I put together at 15 years old. One of the songs on that tape was “Stand” by R.E.M. … which I’m tuning it back to today. Enjoy!
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: January 1989
TRIVIA: Singer Michael Stipe has said of the song’s origin that he and the other band members were discussing The Banana Splits, The Archies, The Monkees, and similar 1960s pop groups. “They threw these super bubblegummy songs at me, and I said, ‘I’ll raise you and see you one.’ And I wrote the most inane lyrics that I could possibly write. Now, it was a very intentional thing to do that. I really like most of those songs, in fact.” Guitarist Peter Buck described “Stand” as “without a doubt, […] the stupidest song we’ve ever written. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though”, comparing the song to “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen in terms of ‘stupid’ lyrical content.
“Stand” was used as the theme song for the 1990–1992 Fox sitcom Get a Life, starring Chris Elliott.
See you next Tuesday!!
Tuneback Tuesday 