This '80s Band Deserves A Comeback, Hands Down

You don't have to reach too far back in your memory to resurrect the sound that R.E.M. added to the sonic universe. For years, it seemed like we couldn't get enough of their creative jangle, and then it seemed like we couldn't get away from it. Success made them ubiquitous on the radio and MTV, when it was still serving piping hot music videos. Then, the Georgia quartet disappeared, insisting it was over for good.

A band that was so instrumental in the '80s doesn't just dissolve without those who loved them feeling the absence. And the 21st-century indie scene seems like the perfect place for R.E.M. to crop back up for a second act. So much phenomenal guitar-centered music being made by younger generations today owes its sound to the blueprint this inventive band adopted. The band may say it would take "a comet" to inspire a permanent reunion (via CBS News), but we'd love to see it anyway.

An R.E.M. resurrection would be a welcome event for more than just a spoonful of sweet musical nostalgia. The band was too full of talent as a unit not have more great music in them. In case we've all forgotten how amazing they were, here's a little reminder of the bands ascent, the contributions they made to modern music, and reasons why they more than any other '80s band should be in line for a resurgence. They've said it will never happen, but we're still convinced it should.

If you followed the American music circuit in the early '80s, you know the impact R.E.M. had on the earliest concepts of alternative rock. The band brought their jangle to a thoughtful version of guitar-oriented rock as part of the college music scene when they emerged from Athens, Georgia and cracked the public consciousness. They were louder than folk, more rock 'n' roll than country, and less trendy than pop, yet their music contained elements of all four.

Just as the band was basking in underground acclaim, something unexpected happened: R.E.M. released "Stand," a perky, radio-friendly ditty that seemed antithetical to the band's counterculture spirit. Their best-known singles before this were "The One I Love," one of the most deceptively cynical love songs ever, and a high-energy tongue-tripping listing of unrelated images that came to a chipper chorus that declared, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." It was a surprising evolution for the unit, but it was well-received and helped them crack the top 10.

And then came the brooding again. The hidden meaning in R.E.M.'s single "The One I Love" didn't stop the song from jumping to No. 9 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1987. It solidified R.E.M.'s status as a mainstream success, reclaimed the dusky pondering of Michael Stipe, and came with a video that felt like cinema. The band ushered in a new decade with a song that you couldn't escape.

Sales of 90 million records took this gritty little quartet to the height of success. But after releasing "Collapse Into Now" in 2011, R.E.M. broke up, with no intention of reuniting. Lead singer and lyricist Michael Stipe has turned his creative attention to fine art, while Mike Mills, Bill Berry, and Peter Buck are still active musically with separate projects. The band did connect again 17 years after their last live performance together to perform at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024, giving fans a sweet taste of the past by playing R.E.M's highest-ever charting song, "Losing My Religion," which made it to No. 4 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. 

Fans can't help visualizing what an R.E.M. album for the 2020s might sound like. Would there be high-tech experimentation or a return to earthy analog instruments? Considering the civic involvement and social causes the band championed over the years, the current social climate would provide more than enough inspiration for meaningful lyrics and shimmering melodies that stun in classic R.E.M fashion.

For some of us who followed their trail from the start, R.E.M. was the band our older siblings introduced us to, and who we in turn introduced our friends too. While we can dream, it's unlikely that we will introduce new music from this fundamental rock band to our children and grandchildren, however, their robust catalogue leaves plenty of room for discovery for younger generations. Still, if they decide to launch a come back, we are absolutely here for it.