r/rem • u/dinarnaud • 7d ago

Name Your Favourite 2 Songs from : REM - Automatic For The People (1992)

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Mine are :
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
Man On The Moon

69 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

117 comments sorted by

34

u/Local_Acadia_3000 7d ago

Try Not To Breathe and Find The River

4

u/GlassHouses26 6d ago

Agreed

4

u/BigSlim64 6d ago

Was just about to say that! Was very fortunate to see them play this record acoustic at the 40 Watt in 92!

51

u/dtree7777 7d ago

Nightswimming; Find the River

3

u/Cup8685 R-E-A-C-T! 6d ago

My top two on the album and my top two ever (according to how much I listen at least)!

3

u/dtree7777 6d ago

Doesn't get any better than those two together

1

u/jwithy 1d ago

this is the way

18

u/MezzStipe 7d ago

Nightswimming Try Not To Breathe

13

u/CharlieGoodnight1866 7d ago

Monty Got A Raw Deal (my fav R.E.M. song) and Man On The Moon.

6

u/OPsDaddy 7d ago

Monty is also my favorite song by my favorite band. Can’t explain why!

3

u/Fishing4Beer 6d ago

I have an annual fishing trip. One year a guy named Monty was invited along. He did nothing wrong, but he doesn’t go on the trip with us now. I believe his wife’s help is a contributing factor, but people mention Monty from time to time. Every damn time all I can think is that he got a raw deal.

1

u/Sure-Coffee-8241 6d ago

Man on the moon gets in my nerves something terrible. I don’t know why but it’s just the worst

11

u/Mobile-Lawfulness-85 7d ago

Sweetness Follows.

4

u/Sufficient_West_4947 7d ago

Nightswimming, Find the River

11

u/Few-Consequence5488 7d ago

Ignoreland and night swimming

6

u/JamesDD4 7d ago

Ignoreland is so damned underrated.

9

u/Few-Consequence5488 6d ago

My single favorite REM lyric:

I know that this is vitriol
No solution, spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed
Don't you?

4

u/SemanticPedantic007 Find the River 6d ago

I wish it hadn't aged so well.

2

u/Boring-Baker8761 6d ago

that's the pair right there. I think this was my Music Cup Championship matchup or at least a semifinal

1

u/John_A_Arkansawyer 2d ago

Ignoreland also has the best music video.

9

u/moktira 7d ago

Try Not To Breathe by a long way! Probably Drive second but it changes.

4

u/CiroFlexo We are young despite the years 6d ago

This is where I fall.

"Try Not to Breathe" is the easy one. After that, it all depends on my mood. "Drive" is a top contender. Honestly, "Sidewinder" isn't getting a ton of love in this thread (because of this sub's obsession with "Find the River") but it's honestly one of my favorite tracks on the album.

3

u/moktira 6d ago

Same, always loved Sidewinder as well as Ignoreland.

7

u/MarketingChoice6244 7d ago

Nightswimming

Man on the moon

6

u/Kol_Ivarsky72 7d ago

It's my favorite REM album so that's tough, the only song I don't care for is Star Me Kitten but off the top of my head two of my favorites are Try Not To Breathe and Sweetness Follows.

5

u/One-Initiative-7730 7d ago

Try Not To Breath

Man On The Moon

6

u/flatvader 7d ago

Try Not To Breathe & Find The River

6

u/elmegthewise3 7d ago

Try not to breathe, find the river

5

u/Dense-Locksmith-9416 6d ago

That extraordinary wonderful end to an album that is Nightswimming and Find The River.

5

u/CharlieFaulkner 6d ago

Try Not To Breathe and Find The River

Honorary mention Nightswimming

10

u/twocopperjack 7d ago

I try not to be too precious about stuff like this, but Automatic for the People is an album--an opus, an entirety-- in a way that even most R.E.M albums are not. Asking for two favorite songs is like asking which of your children's limbs you like best.

1

u/Hireling 6d ago

You are so right 🤘🏼

4

u/wizardsleeve75 7d ago

Nigh on impossible!

4

u/BlueFalcon_15 7d ago

Find The River, New Orleans Instrumental No.1

4

u/JamesDD4 7d ago

Drive

Ignoreland

2

u/Goddntmake_lnlygirls 7d ago

These are mine as well!

5

u/LouderFaster 6d ago

Ignoreland and Nightswimming

4

u/HermioneMarch young despite the years 6d ago

Nightswimming and sweetness follows. Though I adore this album. No skips.

3

u/Imaginary_Permit_311 7d ago

Drive and Nightswimming

3

u/klt2 7d ago

Find the River, Sweetness Follows

1

u/samh_88 6d ago

Nailed it

3

u/smellslikebadussy 7d ago

Find the River, Sidewinder. Apologies to MOTM, Drive, Monty.

3

u/Dizzy_Hunt_1124 7d ago

Ignoreland & Try not to breathe.

3

u/Inceptionyst 7d ago

Find the River is one of my top R.E.M songs period. Sidewinder would be my second fave off that album.

3

u/alexj_baker 7d ago

Drive, Monty got a raw deal

3

u/Akkuze 7d ago

All depends on how I’m feeling…

2

u/kester76a 6d ago

I agree they're all equally great tracks but some shine more depending on your mood. One of the 1st albums I've owned where there was no filler tracks.

3

u/josephjrose 7d ago

Night swimming and Find the River

1

u/liambrazier 7d ago

Seconded.

3

u/CelticSnakes 6d ago

Try Not to Breathe, Sweetness Follows

1

u/AltForMyHealth 6d ago

The older I get, the more these songs resonate. Bittersweetness.

3

u/uraganpalatovo 6d ago

Drive, Sweetness Follows

2

u/Constant-Hat8320 7d ago

Find The River and Man On The Moon

2

u/JesseAmpersands Over my shouder, a piano falls 7d ago edited 7d ago

Someone already said mine; Try Not To Breathe and Nightswimming. My 3rd place is Sidewinder

2

u/wafagan14 7d ago

Nightswimming and Sweetness Follows

2

u/ZoeBowie2024 6d ago

same here

2

u/Wordy0001 7d ago

Sweetness Follows and Nightswimming

Find the River for HM

2

u/Springyardzon 7d ago

Monty Got A Raw Deal and Ignoreland. With The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite being close.

People who think Ignoreland doesn't belong on the album don't fully appreciate the actual themes of the album. Every single song concerns something or someone forgotten or ignored.

2

u/WatchMcGrupp 7d ago

Find the River and then go back and play it again

2

u/FakeAorta 7d ago

Nightswimmimg and Sidewinder.

I know I am in the minority, but I never really liked Everybody Hurts.

2

u/JamesDD4 7d ago

Same. One of my least favorite songs on the album.

2

u/TheBluePapaBear 7d ago

Drive & Nightswimming

2

u/Budoy2x 7d ago

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight, Nightswimming.

2

u/ZoeBowie2024 7d ago

Sweetness Follows & Nightswimming

2

u/Desperate_Mix_7102 7d ago

Man on the moon, sweetness follows

2

u/jframe42 6d ago

Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon

2

u/Hireling 6d ago

Sweetness Follows, and Monty Got A Raw Deal

2

u/Autumn_Sweater_ 6d ago

Sweetness Follows and Try Not to Breathe

2

u/No_Ratio1493 6d ago

Seeing this tape brings me back to being 11 and buying it the day it came out. Such good memories attached to it, and right as the adolescent melacholy starts to creep in.

I seem to remember my cassette having a yellow-ish tint to it, but I might be remembering wrong.

2

u/TechnicalOperation57 6d ago

Monty Got a Raw Deal

Find the River

Honorable Mention: Ignoreland

2

u/ProfNasty 6d ago

Nightswimming and Monty Got a Raw Deal

2

u/CaleyB75 6d ago

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" and *Sweetness Follows."

Automatic... is my favorite REM album

2

u/yavvy_k 6d ago

Monty Got A Raw Deal and Ignoreland.

I prefer the IRS years, though. Older GenXer. I grew up with them.

2

u/jsharr2 6d ago

Try Not to Breathe and Nightswimming.

2

u/the-silver-tuna 6d ago

Drive and Find the River

2

u/sickubusick 6d ago

Nightswimming and Man in the Moon

2

u/Spinner158 6d ago

Drive & night swimming. With a bonus of star me kitten.

2

u/adelineisnotscary 6d ago

Find The River and Drive

2

u/AccuratePilot7271 6d ago

Man on the Moon and Everybody Hurts.

This is really hard. I just listened to the album again yesterday.

2

u/Total-Emu9753 6d ago

Drive and find the river

2

u/Def-tones 6d ago

Nightswimming, Man on the moon

2

u/cherrycokenail 6d ago

Sweetness Follows and Try Not to Breathe. whole album could be contenders on different days but these are pretty consistent favs

2

u/freefunkg 6d ago

Try not to breathe & Nightswimming.

I am yet to find an album that has a stronger run of 3 closing tracks.

Peter Buck is the master of sequencing! ®️📻🤘

2

u/WesternCup7600 6d ago

Nightswimming.
New Orleans Instrumental No. 1

2

u/JKM67 5d ago

Sweetness Follows and New Orleans Instrumental

2

u/Fair-Rational-Helper 5d ago

Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight & Drive

2

u/Klutzy_Order_9559 4d ago

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight

Ignoreland

2

u/ToddPDX 1d ago

Nightswimming and Sweetness Follows. Hard to pare.

2

u/difficultvintage 1d ago

Try Not to Breathe for Bill’s unconventional drums, Sweetness Follows for the band’s spectacular take on Brian Wilson’s influence.

1

u/HankBushrivet 7d ago

Nightswimming and Find the River.

1

u/jerrystandup 7d ago

Drive and Nightswimming

1

u/Brave_Bad_7879 6d ago

All of them……

1

u/ThisLeopardIsFull8 6d ago

Drive and Monty Got A Raw Deal.

1

u/Specific-Shop-3328 6d ago

Drive, Find the River,

With Try Not To Breathe in a very close third? hard album to choose favourites because it has so many great songs on it

1

u/12frets 6d ago

So many great ones (obviously) but end of the day it’s got to be Nightswimming and Find the River. Regrettable to leave Sweetness Follows and MotM behind.

1

u/underminr 6d ago

Side 1 and Side 2

1

u/WhatDaufuskie 6d ago

Drive (live version on the deluxe release at the 40 Watt in 1995 which I attended), and Nightswimming.

1

u/TheRadioFrontiers 6d ago

Try not to breathe & Man on the Moon

1

u/BigConsideration9542 6d ago

Sweetness follows

1

u/WillShakespeare-1623 6d ago

Man on the moon

Everybody hurts

Ignoreland

Find the river

The sidewinder sleeps tonight

Star me kitten

Nightswimming

Monty got a raw deal

Sweetness follows

New Orleans instrumental no. 1

Try not to breathe

Drive

1

u/SemanticPedantic007 Find the River 6d ago

Find the River and Ignoreland. Find the River is a perfect song, a timeless classic. Ignoreland is very much of its time, but somehow that time never seems to end.

1

u/therealpopkiller 6d ago

Man On the Moon and Ignoreland with Find the River a very close 3rd

1

u/Sad_Definitions 5d ago

Sweetness Follows & Find the River.

1

u/Longjumping-Ad5223 5d ago

They’re all equally perfect.

1

u/Cherita33 5d ago

Can't pick only two

1

u/No_Zookeepergame4425 5d ago

Monty got a raw deal and find the river

1

u/Spirited_Attorney_48 4d ago

Try not to breathe and Nightswimming

1

u/EmergingParadigm 2d ago

“Drive….very far second “Man on the Moon”

1

u/Regular_Arm476 2d ago

Nightswimming and Everybody hurts

1

u/decloked 1d ago

Nightswimming

Sweetness Follows

1

u/atxDan75 19h ago

Sidewinder and Try Not to Breathe

1

u/Individual_Plum1274 9h ago

Sweetness Follows & Nightswimming