R.E.M.

Band

Photo: Yves Lorson · CC BY 2.0
Active 1980-2011
Origin Athens, Georgia
Albums 15
Tracks 177
Most frequent collaborator Scott Litt · 70 tracks
Genres Alternative RockJangle PopFolk Rock
Complete Artist
99%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 175 of 177 tracks

Who wrote R.E.M.'s songs?

All of them, together. Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe appear on 175 of the 177 album tracks and Bill Berry on 113, and nobody in the band holds a song of their own. The only two tracks without a band credit are covers.

By the Numbers

15
Studio Albums
177
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
more than 90 million
Records Sold
31
Years Active
18
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 175 / 177 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 177 tracks: how many R.E.M. wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

R.E.M. has a writing credit99%
96%
3%
1%
Sole author170tracks96%
Co-written5tracks3%
Outside writers2tracks1%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
R.E.M.'s roles across the catalogue

Share of all 177 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)99%
Composer (music)99%
Producer75%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 177 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Michael Stipe 1980-2011
99%
99%
0%
0%
Peter Buck 1980-2011
99%
99%
0%
0%
Mike Mills 1980-2011
99%
99%
0%
0%
Bill Berry 1980-1997
64%
64%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

R.E.M.'s writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 99%
100%
100%
100%
92%
91%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1983Murmur
1984Reckoning
1985Fables of the Reconstruction
1986Lifes Rich Pageant
1987Document
1988Green
1991Out of Time
1992Automatic for the People
1994Monster
1996New Adventures in Hi-Fi
1998Up
2001Reveal
2004Around the Sun
2008Accelerate
2011Collapse into Now
Early · 96% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

97%
1980s
Murmur, Reckoning +4 more
100%
1990s
Out of Time, Automatic for the People +3 more
100%
2000s
Reveal, Around the Sun +1 more
100%
2010s
Collapse into Now

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where R.E.M. sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

R.E.M.
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Celine Dion2%
Selena13%
Ricky Martin25%
Garth Brooks41%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Bob Dylan76%
Heart84%
99%R.E.M.
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Radio Free Europe
Murmur
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
Reckoning
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Fall on Me
Lifes Rich Pageant
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
The One I Love
Document
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Document
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Stand
Green
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Pop Song 89
Green
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Losing My Religion
Out of Time
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Shiny Happy People
Out of Time
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Drive
Automatic for the People
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Everybody Hurts
Automatic for the People
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Man on the Moon
Automatic for the People
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Bang and Blame
Monster
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Monster
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Strange Currencies
Monster
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Bittersweet Me
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
E-Bow the Letter
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Electrolite
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, William Thomas Berry, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Daysleeper
Up
Written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Imitation of Life
Reveal
Written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it
Supernatural Superserious
Accelerate
Written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Peter Lawrence Buck, Michael Edward Mills, John Michael Stipe
Wrote it

Discography 15 albums

All fifteen studio albums. The live albums, compilations and the 1982 EP Chronic Town sit outside this catalogue.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

R.E.M.177 tracks
SL70Scott Litt, 70 tracks PM39Pat McCarthy, 39 tracks JL23Jacknife Lee, 23 tracks DD22Don Dixon, 22 tracks ME22Mitch Easter, 22 tracks DG12Don Gehman, 12 tracks JB11Joe Boyd, 11 tracks NB1Neil Bogan, 1 track JA1Jeremy Ayers, 1 track MB1Mitchell Bottler, 1 track GZ1Gary Zekley, 1 track BG1Bruce Gilbert, 1 track GL1Graham Lewis, 1 track CN1Colin Newman, 1 track RG1Robert Grey, 1 track LC1Leonard Cohen, 1 track SM1Scott McCaughey, 1 track PS1Patti Smith, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. SL Scott Litt · PM Pat McCarthy · JL Jacknife Lee · DD Don Dixon · ME Mitch Easter · DG Don Gehman

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Two songs in the whole catalogue were written by somebody else, and both are covers: "Superman" on Lifes Rich Pageant and "Strange" on Document. Everything else carries the whole band, in one block, with no individual credits at all. When Berry left in 1997 the credit simply lost a name and the arrangement carried on for another seven albums.

Quick Facts

  • Everything sharedBuck, Mills and Stipe on 175 of the 177 tracks
  • No solo creditsNo member holds a song of their own anywhere
  • The two exceptionsBoth are covers by outside writers
  • Berry's share113 tracks, every one he was in the band for
  • SalesMore than 90 million albums worldwide
  • Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame, first year of eligibility

Creative Fingerprint

One credit for the whole band on every song, four names for seventeen years and three for the rest.

The Story

R.E.M. split every song equally. Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe are on 175 of the 177 album tracks, and Bill Berry on all 113 he was in the band for.

Awards & Recognition

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted 2007 in their first year of eligibility
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, inducted 2006
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Out of Time
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Losing My Religion"

Frequently Asked Questions R.E.M.

Who wrote R.E.M.'s songs?
All of them, together. Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe appear on 175 of the 177 album tracks and Bill Berry on 113, and nobody in the band holds a song of their own. The only two tracks without a band credit are covers.
Who wrote "Losing My Religion"?
Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe, credited as a block like everything else on Out of Time. It reached number 4 on the Hot 100 and is the band's biggest hit.
Who wrote "Everybody Hurts"?
The same four names. The band never broke a credit down by who did what, on the sleeve or anywhere else.
What changed when Bill Berry left?
Nothing about the arrangement. From Up in 1998 onward the credit reads Buck, Mills and Stipe, and it is still one block for the whole record.
How many albums did R.E.M. release?
Fifteen studio albums between 1983 and 2011. The live albums, compilations and the 1982 EP Chronic Town sit outside this catalogue.
Which songs are not theirs?
"Superman" on Lifes Rich Pageant, written by Mitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley, and "Strange" on Document, a Wire cover.
How well did they sell?
More than 90 million albums worldwide, which puts them among the best-selling acts of their era.
Did R.E.M. win Grammys?
Three at the 1992 ceremony, where Out of Time drew seven nominations: Best Alternative Music Album, and two for "Losing My Religion".
Are they in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2007 in their first year of eligibility, with Berry rejoining the others for the ceremony.
Who else ever got a writing credit?
Four people across thirty years: Neil Bogan on Murmur, Jeremy Ayers on Fables of the Reconstruction, Leonard Cohen on Up, and Scott McCaughey and Patti Smith on Collapse into Now.

Sources

Wikipedia: R.E.M. Wikipedia: R.E.M. discography Wikipedia: Michael Stipe Wikipedia: Peter Buck Wikipedia: Mike Mills Wikipedia: Bill Berry