"Stand" is a song by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...

band R.E.M., released as the second single from the album ''

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a c ...

'' in 1989. The song peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming R.E.M.'s second top 10 hit in the United States, and topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

charts. The song reached number 48 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...

and number 16 in Canada. It was placed on R.E.M.'s

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of ...

"best of" album '' In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003'' in 2003, as well as the 2011 compilation album '' Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage''. The song is an example of phrase modulation, as the last two rounds of the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all vers ...

are each one

whole step In Western music theory, a major second (sometimes also called whole tone or a whole step) is a second spanning two semitones (). A second is a musical interval encompassing two adjacent staff positions (see Interval number for more deta ...

higher than the one previous. The song is meant to be a self-aware "tongue-in-cheek" 1960s-esque

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...

ditty, meant to resemble the music of The Banana Splits,

The Archies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

and

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

. "Stand" was used as the theme song for the 1990–1992

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve s ...

sitcom '' Get a Life'', starring

Chris Elliott Christopher Nash Elliott (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1988), created and starred in the comedy series '' Get a Life'' (1990–1992) ...

. It was parodied by

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specif ...

as the song "Spam" on the album ''

UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff ''UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff'' is the sixth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on July 18, 1989. The album is the final of Yankovic's to be produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorde ...

''.

Meaning

Singer

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

has said of the song's meaning, "It's about making decisions and actually living your life rather than letting it happen" Stipe has said of the song's origin that he and the other band members were discussing The Banana Splits,

, and similar 1960s’ pop groups. "They threw these super bubblegummy songs at me, and I said, 'I'll raise you and see you one.' And I wrote the most inane lyrics that I could possibly write. Now, it was a very intentional thing to do that. I really like most of those songs, in fact." Guitarist

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his car ...

described "Stand" as "without a doubt, ..the stupidest song we've ever written. That's not necessarily a bad thing though", comparing the song to " Louie Louie" by

the Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ...

in terms of 'stupid' lyrical content.

Critical reception

Betty Page from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''R ...

'' commented, "Ah, this

— a god amongst men, apparently (along with

Michael Hutchence Michael Kelland John Hutchence (22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997) was an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Hutchence co-founded the rock band INXS, which sold over 75 million records worldwide and was inducted into t ...

, of course). What a curiously endearing accent the boy has. This is one of the REMers' more commercial gems — quirky but with an appealing guitar noise and a very nice tune to boot. This would make me want to go and listen to the LP, which I suppose is the idea. Stipe, you have Presence with a capital P." The song was called "A splendid pop song..simultaneously stupid and profound. Stipe writes about the need for orientation in one's life, as if based on a series of steps for an unknown, invented, dance."

Track listing

All songs written by

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

, Buck,

Mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Un ...

and Stipe except where indicated. 1st issue 7" Vinyl & Cassette single #"Stand" – 3:10 #"Memphis Train Blues" – 1:38 12" Vinyl & 3" CD single #"Stand" – 3:09 #"Memphis Train Blues" – 1:37 #"(The Eleventh Untitled Song)" – 3:56 Notes: The UK 3" CD single with the catalogue number W7577 CDX came in a leaf-shaped sleeve. "(The Eleventh Untitled Song)" is an extended instrumental version of the closing (eleventh) unlisted (untitled) track from the album ''

''. 2nd issue – released later in 1989 with different cover art (a picture of the band on stage) in the UK instead of " Pop Song 89." #"Stand" – 3:09 #"Pop Song 89" (Acoustic) – 2:56 #"Skin Tight" (Live

Ohio Players Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and " Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models feat ...

cover, written by Jones, Pierce, Bonner, Middlebrooks) – 2:03 Note: live track recorded in Orlando, Florida 30 April 1989

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stand 1989 singles R.E.M. songs Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Peter Buck Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Michael Stipe Warner Records singles 1988 songs Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Song recordings produced by Bill Berry Comedy television theme songs Bubblegum pop songs