"R.E.M." (sometimes stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

from her fourth studio album '' Sweetener'', released in 2018. It was written by Grande and

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

, production being handled by the latter. The song title inspired the name for Grande's makeup brand,

R.E.M. Beauty R.E.M. Beauty is a cosmetics brand by Ariana Grande, that was launched on November 12, 2021. History In August 2021, several billboards appeared across Times Square in New York City, saying "r.e.m. coming soon." The pop singer and actress lat ...

Background and composition

"R.E.M." is a R&B song containing a

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

beat. It runs for a duration of four minutes and six seconds. The song "Dream" was originally recorded as a demo by T-Pain on March 12, 2011, and ran for a duration of four minutes and 27 seconds. It was then passed onto

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and recorded under the title "Wake Up" in 2013. Grande kept the chorus, but changed the song's lyrics. She previewed "R.E.M." prior to the release of ''Sweetener''. The song's title refers to rapid eye movement sleep, and is about "a relationship that blurs between the dreamworld and reality". Grande has said "R.E.M." is about "dreaming someone into your life", and is one of her favorite tracks on ''Sweetener''. Grande's vocals span 2 octaves, from Eb3 to Eb5.

Reception

"R.E.M." received mixed reception from music critics. In 2018, '' Complex'' Mallorie List ranked "R.E.M." number two on her list of "The Best Ariana Grande Songs". Christopher Rosa of ''

Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...

'' called the song's lyrics "a tad generic". ''

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

'' Dennis Hinzmann said the track "feels like a throwback and a fresh pick all at the same time".

Live performances

Grande first premiered a 20-second snippet of the song on Elle magazine's Youtube channel, during their game "Song Association" on July 12, 2018. Grande also performed a snippet of the song on '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' on August 16, 2018. The song was officially debuted live on August 20, 2018 at

The Sweetener Sessions The Sweetener Sessions (officially American Express x Ariana Grande: The Sweetener Sessions in the United States, and Capital Up Close Presents Ariana Grande in the United Kingdom) was a promotional tour by American singer Ariana Grande, in suppo ...

. She also performed the song live on ''BBC Radio 1'' in September 2018, and on the one-hour special, ''

Ariana Grande at the BBC ''Ariana Grande at the BBC'' is a BBC television special featuring Ariana Grande. Grande performed thirteen songs during the hour-long special, and was interviewed by Davina McCall. The program was announced on 31 August 2018, recorded on 7 Sept ...

'', which was recorded on September 7, 2018, and aired on November 1. This song is also one of the songs from the set list of her Sweetener World Tour.

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of ''Sweetener''. Recording and management * Recorded at Midnight Blue Studios (Miami, Florida) and Conway Recording Studios (

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, California) * Mixed at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center ( Atlanta, Georgia) * Mastered at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

(New York City) * Published by EMI Pop Music Publishing/More Water From Nazareth (GMR) Personnel *

– lead vocals *

– songwriting, production, additional vocals * Andrew Coleman – recording, digital editing and arrangement for I Am Other Entertainment * Mike Larson – recording, digital editing, arrangement and additional programming for I Am Other Entertainment * Guilhermo Lefeld – recording assistant * Jon Sher – recording assistant * Phil Tan – mixing * Bill Zimmerman – additional engineering * Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * {{Ariana Grande songs 2011 songs 2013 songs 2018 songs Ariana Grande songs T-Pain songs Beyoncé songs Song recordings produced by Pharrell Williams Songs written by Ariana Grande Songs written by Pharrell Williams