Fun fact: R.E.M. released their masterwork album, Out of Time, on my birthday in 1991, something I learned just today. I am almost positive that is merely coincidently, though I took the news as a nice surprise this morning. I think my recent discovery only makes the CD's inclusion in my Countdown to 40 all the more fitting.
"Losing My Religion," arguably the band's greatest song, initially lured me into giving Out of Time a chance. Though the song certainly served as fodder for Top 40 radio, R.E.M. represented a divergence of sorts from my favorite typical artists, and their music defied the genre I listened to most in the early 1990s. As you may have gleaned from my earlier posts about Janet Jackson, Deee-Lite, and Michael Jackson, my general taste in late 1980s/early 1990s music skewed toward more dance-pop than pop-rock and alternative. R.E.M. changed all that with Out of Time. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the album's eleven songs, and "Radio Song," "Low," "Shiny Happy People," and "Country Feedback" are a few standouts I gravitate towards in addition to "Losing My Religion." My appreciation for Out of Time took a while to develop. Several years and a number of listens passed before I recognized just how great the CD was. Today, one attribute I find most appealing about Out of Time is that the album has aged extremely well. In fact, I'd go so far as to say R.E.M.'s 1991 work has improved over time and with each repeated listen. My deepening respect and love for Out of Time also converted me to a die-hard R.E.M. fan (I'm still mourning their retirement), though all of their subsequent works pale in comparison. I will admit that their follow-up album, Automatic for the People, is great, too, and I can understand anyone's argument favoring that album over Out of Time. After all, some of the band's most beloved and notable repertoire hail from Automatic for the People, like "Everybody Hurts," "Nightswimming," and "Man on the Moon." On the whole, though, Out of Time and its impeccable track listing bests Automatic for the People every time. The genius of "Losing My Religion" certainly helps, and the song has also stood the test of time, earning it the #3 position in my 101 most favorite songs of all-time. Speaking of "Losing My Religion," Fun Fact #2: For a hot minute in the early 2000s, I considered using "Losing My Religion" as my coming out song. I even started creating a PowerPoint presentation using the song's lyrics as substitutions for me actually having to say to anyone three little words, "I am gay." In the end I scrapped that idea entirely and chose the traditional route, a decision I am glad I made.
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I am a self-proclaimed pop culture geek and list enthusiast who is celebrating the big four-zero by counting down the most important, influential, and favorite music, movies, television shows, books, and video games of my life so far. Categories
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