Automatic For The Future Songs Ranked

Automatic for the People is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records on October 5, 1992, in the United Kingdom and Europe, and on the following day in the United States. R.E.M. began production on the album while their previous album, Out of Time (1991), was still ascending top albums charts and achieving global success. Aided by string arrangements from John Paul Jones, Automatic for the People features ruminations on mortality, loss, mourning, and nostalgia. Upon release, it received widespread acclaim from critics, reached number two on the US Billboard 200, and yielded six singles. Rolling Stone reviewer Paul Evans concluded of the album, “This is the members of R.E.M. delving deeper than ever; grown sadder and wiser, the Athens subversives reveal a darker vision that shimmers with new, complex beauty.” Automatic for the People has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.

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12. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1

“As its name suggests, it is an instrumental song that once again gives us a break from so many emotions. The melody has the same melancholic and reflective tone as the rest of the album.”

11. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

“Here R.E.M. Park melancholy and sadness for a moment and give us a break. With this song the tone that the album had until now is changed. The rhythm is now cheerful and fast. The orchestra is more dynamic than in the rest of the songs. A curiosity: Michael Stipe laughs at the beginning of the third chorus since in the previous verse, Stipe had to pronounce Dr. Seuss, but he never succeeded and pronounced Dr. Zeus.”

10. Ignoreland

“It’s the rockiest song on the album, and it makes us see that ‘Automatic for the people’ is more than just a set of introspective ballads.
“Ignoreland” is a scathing tirade against the Reagan administration. With this song he comes to tell us that although music cannot change the world, at least we always have the right to protest, not to remain silent: ‘No solution, spleen-venting, But I feel better having screamed. Don’t you?”

See more: R.E.M. Albums Ranked

9. Sweetness Follows

“Again they deal with hard issues, this time the loss of loved ones. The first verse says: Ready to bury your father and mother? It leaves a bittersweet taste, since the pain that the lyrics express is covered with a mantle of musical sweetness. On this occasion an organ and a guitar accompany the orchestra, highlighting the sound of the cello.”

8. Star Me Kitten

“The sound of this song is immersive, and somewhat reminiscent of 10cc ‘I’m not in love’. Reflect on a passionate and illicit relationship. Although it seems incredible, the best is yet to come, since R.E.M. leave for the end three jewels as they are:”

7. Monty Got a Raw Deal

“The most satirical part of the band comes out on this issue. R.E.M. offers his particular vision of the world of Hollywood through the figure of actor Montgomery Clift.
It starts slowly, with an acoustic guitar as the only backing for Michael Stipe. This tranquility is broken with the drums of Bill Berry, which has a great role and sets the pace for the rest of the song.”

6. Try Not to Breathe

“The second song on the album continues to deal with aspects related to the sad part of human existence, in this case euthanasia. ‘I’ll try not to breathe. This decision is mine. I have lived a full life and these are the eyes I want you to remember. ‘ So direct, so sad. These lyrics are a clear example of the harshness of the themes that R.E.M. about on this disk. It goes without saying that the music accompanies the feeling of sadness that the lyrics evoke.”

5. Find the River

“With this song it seems that they definitely want to make us cry. ‘Find The River’ is another excellent sample of Michael Stipe’s soulful voice.
This song has a magical atmosphere created with an acoustic guitar, a dream piano and some wonderful backing vocals by Mike Mills. It is, without a doubt, the finishing touch to one of the most brilliant chapters in the history of music.”

See more: R.E.M Songs Ranked

4. Man on the Moon

“The album’s touch of humor is set by ‘Man on the moon’, in which they pay homage to the late comedian Andy Kaufman. This song became the most famous on the album. Michael Stipe often includes famous characters in his songs, and on this occasion, in addition to Andy Kaufman himself, reference is made to: Mott the Hoople, Fred Blessey (Kaufman’s manager), Elvis Prestley, Moises, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Saint Peter.
Michael Stipe imitates Elvis Presley’s singing every time he mentions him.
This song inspired the film of the same name, whose soundtrack R.E.M. it included ‘The Great Beyond’.
The beginning of the song with Peter Buck’s guitar and the backing vocals of Mike Mills at the end, are already part of the musical subconscious of an entire generation.

3. Nightswimming

“Nightswimming is a beautiful story about a night of youth, told with the help of a piano, strings and a melancholic oboe. Michael Stipe’s voice sounds more evocative than ever, and it seems that it takes us back to that night with him.
At the beginning of the song the only accompaniment for Stipe is a piano, which sounds sad and thoughtful. Then some violins are delicately incorporated that give the song an exquisiteness and elegance that is difficult to repeat. At the end, an oboe sound is added and the sensitivity becomes a song.”

2. Drive

“The album opens slowly with the acoustic guitar of Peter Buck and the only accompaniment of the complaining voice of Michael Stipe, who reflects on the disorientation of youth and on which path to choose: ‘Hey kids, rock and roll. Nobody tells you where to go ‘. Little by little some string arrangements and Bill Berry’s drums are incorporated, and the melody takes shape, but they disappear and again the guitar and voice continue with the song’s discourse: Hey, kids, where are you? Nobody tells you what to do, baby. Orchestral arrangements and drums follow again, but this time accompanied by an outburst of rage from an electric guitar that subtly gives the song a chilling force. The music changes course again and ends sweetly, as if the waters were returning to their course”

1. Everybody Hurts

“Again the feelings are on the surface. Now the topic to be discussed is suicide. The song begins slowly, with Michael Stipe’s voice in the foreground and the orchestra behind: When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone, when you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on. It describes the sadness and despair that leads people to think of suicide accompanied by a fragile melody. Then comes the second part of the song, that of hope: Take comfort in your friends … If you feel like you’re alone, no, no, no, you are not alone and the melody changes along with the lyrics. The acoustic guitar is replaced by an electric one, Michael Stipe sings louder, the drums are heard more. It is followed by a return to the initial fragility to end the other way around from how it started, with the orchestra as the protagonist.”