Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
(Not including the song that Ben Wyatt used for hisspectacular claymation video, that is.)
Who couldnt possibly be happy while listening to it?
A lot of people, apparently.
(Which you really need to watch, if not for Stipes choice in hats alone.)
The B-52s and R.E.M.
There werenoplaces to play, so we just played at house parties.
A good mutual friend told me that I should go see R.E.M.
The guys were so cute, so thats the reason to go see them.
Even though we dont have the same aesthetic or groove, R.E.M.
is such an Athens band to me.
We have such a similar and entwined history.
Thats the essence of Athens bands.
Every band that has come out of Athens has been so unique.
Think of Love Tractor, think of Pylon.
Going to see R.E.M., I couldnt understand Michaels words at first.
His lyrics were so good, but on their first record it was a little bit hard to understand.
But they got clearer as they went on.
ByOut of Timethe lyrics were very clear and beautiful.
I was walking downstairs to the ladies room, and I saw Michael coming up the stairs.
It makes me so happy when I hear it.
The lyrics are so uplifting and beautiful.
Its very much in that direction.
They sent me a demo before I traveled to the studio to see them.
I didnt really have time to plan anything.
They didnt give me any plan or map with what they wanted with the direction.
They said,Do whatever you want.Everything I did was as it is.
It was great to be able to add my own creativity into it.
Its funny because Ive heard the interpretation that Michael said it was about the Chinese revolution.
Have you heard that one?
The video was really fun and joyful.
All of these friends and Athens people were there dancing and having a joyous time.
Not stressful like most music videos tend to be.
It was a shiny, happy kind of video.
So I cant imagine that R.E.M.
It was a positive thing all-around.
Maybe the band was astonished that this positivity became sort of a signature for them.
Whats your own interpretation of the song?Everything you might read into.
Its not mindless at all.
Its a song about spreading love, which we could really use right now.
To me, the song is shinier and happier more than ever.
Ive always loved and admired Mike Millss vocals, too.
The song is happy and it lends itself to brightness.
My voice is pretty bright.
As Monica [Coleman, Piersons wife] says, it can cut through steel.
The fact that our voices locked in so beautifully with the bang out of harmonies used is just uplifting.
The song cries out for harmony, lets just say that.
I sang the lead and my band members sang the backing parts.
It was so much fun to sing the whole song.
Its the kind of song that other people can sing and is very universal.
Funny enough,I just uncovereda photo of me and Michael at Paisley Park during the recording sessions.
It was snowing the entire time and we had a snowball fight.
But they never showed.
That was a bummer.
But it was still a very fun session.
Thats the other thing, being in the studio was fun and easy.
All the guys in R.E.M.
Notlazy,but laid-back.
The atmosphere they created was easy-going and not tense.
It was very much like,Do your thing, and were cool with what you do.
What were you all trying to accomplish with the music video from a visual standpoint?
But its by all means an astoundedly cheerful video.Michael involved his friends and envisioned exactly what we saw.
The interesting part was the old guy in the bicycle representing, I dont know, time or something.
He was the choreographer.
His friend, Katherine Dieckmann, directed the video.
They collaborated and she also brought her own vision to it very bright with children and friends.
It embodied what the song was all about.
Like you said, it couldve taken a much different direction.
The only counterpunch was the guy in the bike.
Hes not sad, just thought-provoking.
But he didnt give it any names.
He would refer to them as the moves.
It was just Michaels dance.
Lets call it Michaels happy dance.
I cant even rememberwho the host was.Saturday Night Livecan be really stressful because, surprise, its live!
Holy mackerel, its live.
Here we are and we cant make a mistake.
What I remember is the band had a very relaxed attitude.
The atmosphere made it so that I wasnt nervous.
Some of their songs are incredibly heavy, so theyre heavy to be around too.
But theyre very spontaneous people.
Michael is very spontaneous and eccentric and fun.
Do you still have that sparkly red dress?I do!
Its like a unitard with a skirt, and then with a separate skirt attached.
That was a fun outfit.
We would draw them and then collaborate with somebody who would create the outfit.
That happened with this Shiny Happy People outfit.
Im going through my archives now and trying to declutter some things.
Well, too bad.Missed opportunity!I think it wouldve been a great theme song forFriends.
You also backed theOut of Timetracks Me in Honey and Near Wild Heaven.
Did working with R.E.M.
represent any creative growth to you, however short the experience mightve been?It absolutely did.
The B-52s had been a pretty insular experience.
We didnt really write with anyone else or collaborate with anyone else.
We would always write together, so we really had enough going on in our band with three singers.
I felt like,Oh, I can collaborate now with other people.I love collaborations.
The B-52s were a really tight band.
So working with R.E.M.
was very good for me.
Weve all stayed friends and hung out through the years.
Most bands dont really get to hang that much.
I remember one day the B-52s asked our manager,Why didnt we stay in Athens?
I admire that they stayed there.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
