R.E.M. - Murmur (1983)
Artist: R.E.M.
Author: Sarah
Date: 04/24/2026 (originally written around March 2017
Listen: Apple Music | Spotify
R.E.M. were one of the most ubiquitous bands of the 90s, arguably the most popular of the 80s indie bands, they're kind of a big deal. But despite all that popularity, they've always had a knack for sounding like they were meant for me and me alone. A lot has been made of Stipe's largely inscrutable lyrics, how he becomes more like another instrument than a conventional singer. In large part, this is the case, but one shouldn't take that to mean that what one can understand isn't just as important as what one can't.
Murmur is peppered with anxious snippets like "conversation fear", "did we miss anything?", "wasting time, sitting still", etc. When I first heard Murmur, I was insecure, as many a high school student is. I immediately grabbed on to these moments, glad to have found someone who not only understood how I felt, but spoke the same musical language as I did.
I never was rebellious enough to be a punk or goth enough to be, well, goth. For the longest time, I wasn't musically inclined at all, really. I would listen to it passively, the country songs in my dad's car, the classic rock station in my mom's car, never consciously registering any of it but picking it up through osmosis nevertheless. When I finally did get around to actually listening to music, like many a music nerd I started on that Rolling Stone greatest albums list. None of that changes the fact that I didn't feel like I fit in with my classmates. That's where R.E.M. comes in. They combined my dad's country songs, the Byrds from my mom's classic rock station, and the Velvet Underground from my own first forays into the canon to create something that, while unlike anything I had ever heard before, felt like exactly what I always needed. From that first listen to the day I graduated high school, I don't think I ever went more than a day without listening to Murmur at least once, frequently more times than that (I remember at least one day where I listened to it 5 times). After that much constant listening, surely I'm at least a bit burnt out, right?
Absolutely not. I don't listen to Murmur nearly as much as I used to, to be sure, but when I do it still sounds just as fresh as that first time. For the most part, I've discovered who I really am, and I'm happy with that person, so I don't need constant affirmation in the form of Murmur. But no matter how confident you are, you're always going to some moment where you're feeling anxiety. Maybe you're starting that new job, maybe you have a new infatuation, maybe you're just finding yourself in that awkward situation where you don't know anyone at the party. In those moments, Murmur is always going to be there for you. Sometimes, it's nice to know someone understands how it feels to not be understood.