Radio Free Europe (song)
1981 single by R.E.M.
"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features "what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which [sic] have distinguished R.E.M.'s work ever since." The single received critical acclaim, and its success earned the band a record deal with I.R.S. Records. R.E.M. re-recorded the song for their 1983 debut album Murmur. The re-recording for I.R.S. became the group's first charting single, peaking at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is ranked number 174 in Rolling Stone's 2024 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for setting "the pattern for later indie rock releases by breaking through on college radio in the face of mainstream radio's general indifference."
Amid news that the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty organization was to have its funding cut by President Donald Trump's administration, the band released a remixed version of the song with proceeds going to RFE/RL.
Origin and original recording
R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980. The band quickly established itself in the local scene. Over the course of 1980, the band refined its songwriting skills, helped by its frequent gigs at local venues. One of the group's newer compositions was "Radio Free Europe". The song originated from an improvisation by Mike Mills on an unplugged electric guitar at Chapter 3 Records store, on East Broad Street in Athens.
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