"Tongue" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released on July 17, 1995 as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album, ''

Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'' (1994). It was only released in the US, UK, and Ireland. In the song, lead 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. Pos ...

performs in

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...

; he has stated on several occasions that the narrator of the song is female. Stipe has also said the track is "all about

cunnilingus Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed by a person on the vulva or vagina of another person. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the human female genitalia, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused ...

". The single's

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) sy ...

, directed by

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Jonathan Dayton (born July 7, 1957) and Valerie Faris (born October 20, 1958) are a team of American film and music video directors who received critical acclaim for their feature film directorial debut, ''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006). Later th ...

and shot during the soundcheck prior to the band's June 20, 1995, performance at the

Knickerbocker Arena The MVP Arena (originally Knickerbocker Arena, and then the Pepsi Arena and Times Union Center) is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity ...

in Albany,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, shows a group of teenagers in a living room watching the band perform on TV. The version of the song that plays is slightly higher in tone than that of the album version. It was included as a bonus video on the DVD release of '' In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003''.

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' named the song Pick of the Week, noting that "this lovely single" finds R.E.M. "drastically toning down the energy of previous offerings", as " What's the Frequency, Kenneth?", " Bang & Blame" and "

Crush With Eyeliner "Crush with Eyeliner" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released as the fourth single from their ninth studio album, '' Monster'' (1994). Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore provides background vocals. Michael Stipe claims the song was inspired ...

". He added further, "Against a simple organstyled arrangement

delivers an impressive

that is one of the sweetest things the band has ever put on record. With the tour still going strong and the success of "

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, '' Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ...

" from the last album, there appears to be a promising future for this song. While Triple A will be the first to jump on the bandwagon, they will not be alone, as CHR,

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

and maybe even

Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

outlets will find room on their playlists for one of the most bankable acts in rock." Chuck Campbell from ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel, also known as Knox News,'' is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''The ...

'' viewed it as a "romantic, organ-laden" track. Paul Evans from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' felt that on "Tongue", "Stipe's

Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones ...

falsetto is a revelation; elsewhere he declaims with clear authority." Howard Hampton from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' opined that it's better than its "tearjerking predecessor", and "actually more subtle, even beautiful, it comes off as somehow more overwrought."

Live performances

The three live songs that make up the CD single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

were performed on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' in 1994. "Tongue" was performed frequently throughout the tours in support of ''Monster'' and ''Up'' but would only make three more live appearances ever again in 2003. On March 1, 1995, drummer

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...

had to leave the stage during a performance of this song complaining of a serious headache, which turned out to be caused by a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circul ...

; it is the likely reason for his leaving the band in October 1997. On subsequent dates Berry admitted that it gave him an eerie feeling every time the band performed "Tongue".

Track listings

All songs were written by

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 ...

Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...

, and

. * US 7-inch, CD, and cassette single # "Tongue" (album version) – 4:13 # "Tongue" (live) – 4:34 Note: "Tongue" was recorded live at

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, on June 7, 1995. * UK CD single # "Tongue" – 4:08 # " What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (live) – 4:04 # "

Bang and Blame "Bang and Blame" is a song by American alternative rock group R.E.M. It was released as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''Monster'' (1994), on October 31, 1994. The song was R.E.M.'s last to reach the top 40 on the US ''Billboar ...

" (live) – 4:52 # " I Don't Sleep, I Dream" (live) – 3:48 Note: All live tracks were recorded at ''

'',

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

, on November 12, 1994. * UK cassette and limited-edition 7-inch single # "Tongue" (album version) – 4:08 # "Tongue" (instrumental) – 4:10 Note: The cassette single has a reverse insert where the B-sides from all other singles could be dubbed onto a cassette and the insert flipped to show artwork and track listing for a live album.

Charts

Release history

References

External links

Full Video at YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongue 1994 songs 1995 singles Music videos directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris R.E.M. songs Song recordings produced by Bill Berry Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Michael Stipe Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Peter Buck Warner Records singles