On Wednesday, R.E.M. announced that they were “calling it a day as a band.” I was saddened by this; the first album that ever made a difference in my life was New Adventures in Hi-Fi and while most people do not recall it with fondness, I adore that album. In honor of their retirement, I present to you the top ten R.E.M. songs you should know about.

10. “Man on the Moon”

Yeah, if you don’t know this song you are dead to me. The song, plain and simple, is a tribute to Andy Kaufman, and while the biopic of Kaufman of the same title wasn’t as successful as the song has been, It really showed the human side of Andy. The song is a strange one for R.E.M., it has a really twangy western sounding guitar driving it along, you can almost picture tumble weeds rolling along the prairie. You can also picture a band sitting around a campfire reminiscing about their favorite comedian. This song MADE Automatic for the People the great album that it was.

9. “Talk About the Passion”

From their first album, Murmur, this song is open to debate. In the liner notes, It states that the song is about hunger, but judging from the lyrics it seems to be about something deeper. The song has very Christian undertones to it, and it may be about Michael Stipes rejection of Catholicism, it could be about how we can’t really be like Christ, or it could be just about hunger. The music video suggests hunger, but its open to interpretation.

8.  “Finest Worksong”

I have always loved this song, and for me it evokes a time when unions were strong. The song is about the unsung heroes of the working world. Its a tribute to those whose work goes unnoticed and unappreciated. As a guy who cleans for a job at the moment, This song makes me feel a little better about my vocation.

7.  “The Flowers of Guatemala”

I’ve always loved this song because it has a beautiful melody, but yet it has a dark undertone to it. The Amanita referred to in the song is the genus of several deadly mushrooms, and according to the song, they grow on everything. The lyrics could also be a reference to a coup the United States was involved in back in 1954, which overthrew the government of Guatemala. Either way its a fantastic song.

6. “So Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”

The theme to this song is about what might have been. Most likely its a relationship that didn’t make it through or never even started, but it bleeds regret all over. For one reason or another, we’ve all been in situations like this and its great that R.E.M. was able to capture it.

5. “Crush with Eyeliner”

You gotta love songs about fake people, and this song doesn’t disappoint. What makes everything fake in this song is makeup, and thus the inspirational title. What’s funny is that the song doesn’t pull any punches and it makes note that we are smitten by these people anyway. Damned if its not true.

4. “Imitation of Life”

Is celebrity all its cracked up to be? Not according to this song from the Reveal album. I’ve always loved R.E.M.’s ability to make their songs so inviting and yet have such a dark theme. The song is about people wanting that celebrity status and how it really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The music video for this song is absolutely brilliant.

3. “Supernatural Superstitious”

The best R.E.M. song since losing Bill Berry, this is just a really simple song about viewing the world around you and the people within it. If you sit on a bench in a busy city and just put head phones on and listen to this song, you’ll get what its about.

2. “It Happened Today”

This song is kind of heartbreaking, it almost sounds like R.E.M. breaking up months before they actually did. The song has a death feeling to it, almost as if that person is looking back on that fateful day. This is the last single R.E.M. put out. Needless to say they went out redeeming their career I think, and putting for the best album we’ve heard from them in years.

1. “E-Bow the Letter”

This is my favorite R.E.M. song of all time. It is beautiful, it is tragic, and its quite possibly the greatest song they’ve ever written. The lyrics to the song were inspired by a letter that Michael Stipe had written for River Phoenix, but sadly, was never able to give it to him. The song is about being caught up in your own success much to your own detriment. There are drug references (tinfoil tiaras) and there is this reference to aluminum tasting like fear. I didn’t get it at first, but from a scientific perspective, when you feel deep fear, you secrete substances in your body which makes your mouth taste like aluminum. The song has a haunting appearance from Patti Smith on vocals in the chorus. This is the song that really made me fall in love with R.E.M.

Please leave a comment below, and tell us the songs that made you fall in love with R.E.M.!