The pioneering alternative rock band R.E.M. officially disbanded in 2011, after more than 30 years making music that defied description. Allegedly, singer Michael Stipe chose the band’s name in 1980 by picking it at random from a dictionary. The reference to “rapid eye movement”—a stage of deep sleep—is particularly apropos to the beautiful and sprightly song “Fall On Me,” which fuses catchy harmonies with figurative and allusive lyrics. The track’s underlying message seems to wink at the dizzying aesthetics of high-rise construction.
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