It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
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| "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Single by R.E.M. | ||
| From the album Document | ||
| Single Released | 1988, 1991 (UK re-release) | |
| Single Format | Vinyl record (7" & 12"), tape cassette, CD | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Song Length | 4:07 | |
| Record label | I.R.S. Records | |
| Producer | Scott Litt | |
| Chart positions | 39 (UK) 69 (USA) | |
| R.E.M. single chronology | ||
| "The One I Love" 1989 - "Radio Song" 1991 | "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" 1987/1991 | "Finest Worksong" 1988 - "Drive" 1992 |
The song originated from a previous, unreleased, R.E.M. song called "PSA", which was short for "Public Service Announcement". The two songs are very similar in melody and tempo. "PSA" was itself later released as a single in 2003, under the title "Bad Day".
The song is heard at the beginning of the film Independence Day just before the alien signal is received. Similarly, it was heard in the film Chicken Little, during the apparent alien invasion (& also in the film's trailers). It also appeared in a scene in Tommy Boy, in which the main characters start singing along but quickly prove unable to follow the lyrics; a similar scene is performed by Homer Simpson in "Homer the Moe", a 2001 episode of The Simpsons in which R.E.M. guest-star as themselves.
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) rifling through an abandoned, collapsing farmhouse and displaying the relics that he finds to the camera.
Live
Since it was written, it was used as the show closer at the large majority of the live shows that R.E.M. performed. However, for the 2004/2005 Around the Sun tour, it was dropped from the set almost entirely, only played twice in the whole tour. They also played it at the end of the re-scheduled Hyde Park concert at the very end of the tour in summer 2005. The replacement show closer was their 1992 hit, "Man on the Moon". #redirect [[Template:Fact]]Covers
The song was covered by Newfoundland band Great Big Sea (under the title "End of the World"), though at a much faster pace. Their version is 1:30 minutes shorter yet contains all the verses (They are known for songs with incredibly fast lyrics). It was also a bonus hidden track on Hurry Up and Wait by the Riddlin' Kids. Also, Italian rock singer Ligabue, in 1995, covered the song, maintaining the same music but writing brand new Italian lyrics: the song was now titled "A Che Ora È La Fine Del Mondo?" (translated: "At What Time Will The End Of The World Be?"). dc Talk also covered the song in 1997 on their Welcome to the Freak Show live album. It was described as "a little ditty from Georgia." Rock band No Doubt has also covered the song, this time in concert. The Detroit, MI ska-punk band The Suicide Machines covered the song on their 2001 record, "Steal This Record."See also
External links
| R.E.M. |
| Peter Buck - Mike Mills - Michael Stipe |
| Bill Berry |
| Other musicians: Nathan December - Buren Fowler - Peter Holsapple - Barrett Martin - Scott McCaughey - Bill Rieflin - Ken Stringfellow - Joey Waronker |
| Management and producers: Joe Boyd - Don Dixon - Bertis Downs, IV - Mitch Easter - Don Gehman - Jefferson Holt - Scott Litt - Pat McCarthy |
| Discography |
| Albums: Chronic Town (EP) - Murmur - Reckoning - Fables of the Reconstruction - Lifes Rich Pageant - Document - Green - Out of Time - Automatic for the People - Monster - New Adventures in Hi-Fi - Up - Reveal - Around the Sun |
| Compilations: Dead Letter Office - Eponymous - [[R.E.M.: Singles Collected]] - The Best of R.E.M. - In the Attic - In Time |
| Soundtracks: ''Man on the Moon |
| Videos: Succumbs - Pop Screen - Tourfilm - This Film Is On - Parallel - Road Movie - Perfect Square - In View |
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