"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by 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 commerci ...

band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

from their ninth studio album, '' Monster'' (1994). The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986, when two then-unknown assailants attacked journalist

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hur ...

, while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" The song was the first single taken from the album and was released on September 5, 1994. It peaked at number 21 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 2 in Canada, number 4 in New Zealand, and number 9 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-s ...

. In Iceland, it peaked at number 1 for four weeks. It was the first song to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" was placed on R.E.M.'s compilation albums '' In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003'' in 2003 and ''

Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011 ''Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011'' is a 2011 greatest hits album from alternative rock band R.E.M. Intended as a coda on their career, this is the first compilation album that features both their early work on indepe ...

'' in 2011, the only track from ''Monster'' to feature on either. The song was one of the band's most-played songs at live gigs, and was played at every show on their 2008 ''Accelerate'' tour. A live version was released on ''

R.E.M. Live ''R.E.M. Live'' is a live album from R.E.M., recorded at the Point Theatre, Dublin, on February 26 and 27, 2005, the closing nights of the winter European leg of the ''Around the World Tour'' in support of their thirteenth studio album ''Around t ...

'' in 2007.

History

Background and recording

R.E.M. began work on '' Monster'' in August 1993 and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" was realized about two months later in October. This song was written and recorded at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, where the band also wrote and recorded "Tongue" 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 b ...

". 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 ...

has said in interviews that the lyrics are about the

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s a ...

phenomenon in contemporary mass media, sung in character as an older critic whose information consists exclusively of media products. 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 ca ...

explained why the song slows towards its conclusion in an interview with '' Guitar World'' magazine:

Post-release

"What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" made its first live television debut on November 12, 1994, for ''

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 (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', recorded at NBC Studios in New York City. The set on the show opened with "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" and was followed by two other songs from the new album, ''Monster'', "

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 ''Billboa ...

" and "I Don't Sleep, I Dream". The following year, on June 22, 1995, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Dan Rather accompanied the band during a

soundcheck A sound check is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small p ...

performance of the song. The clip was shown prior to R.E.M.'s performance of "

" on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' the following night.

Critical reception

Steve Baltin from '' Cash Box'' said "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is "a strong song, but it’s not as much a single as the introduction to the most eagerly anticipated record of the fall. On that level, it’s a smashing success. The song literally explodes onto the airwaves with an updated version of classic guitar rock before the booming of the drums takes the song into Michael Stipe’s unique vocals. From there, the track weaves its way through various rock tempos without ever losing the momentum from its initial burst of energy." Pan-European magazine '' Music & Media'' wrote, "Are they losing their religion? Radically breaking with the tradition of their last semi-acoustic CDs, R.E.M. give a first taste of the "heavy Monstersound" of the new one." Alan Jones of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' said, "Kenneth is the most straightforward rock song the group has done in years, a full-throttle aural assault and very intense. With bonus live tracks, this one will sell."

Music video

Shot in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, in August 1994, the music video was directed by Peter Care, who had previously worked with the band on music videos for " Drive" and " Man on the Moon" in 1992. It features the band playing along to the song under bright blue, red, yellow and green flashing lights.

appears timid behind the microphone until the first chorus, breaking into an energetic dance. Prominent in the guitar solo,

uses Kurt Cobain's Jag-Stang that he received as a gift from

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

after Cobain died; he plays it upside-down as Cobain was left-handed. Singer Stipe's newly shaven head and bassist

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., h ...

's new look (long-hair and the use of

Nudie suit Nuta Kotlyarenko ( uk, Нута Котляренко; December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984), known professionally as Nudie Cohn, was an American tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other el ...

s) prominent on the 1995 ''Monster'' world tour, were given wide exposure in this video. The suit seen in the music video was owned by musician

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

. The DVD companion to ''

In Time ''In Time'' is a 2011 American science fiction action film written, directed and produced by Andrew Niccol. Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake star as inhabitants of a society which uses time from one's lifespan as its primary currency, with ...

'', entitled '' In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003'' (featuring the promotional videos to most of the songs from ''In Time'') included the music video to "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?".

Track listings

All songs were written by Bill Berry,

, and

. US CD and cassette single # "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" – 3:59 # "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (instrumental version) – 3:59 UK 7-inch and cassette single # "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" – 3:59 # "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (K version) – 3:59 UK, European, Australian, and Japanese CD single # "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" – 3:59 # "Monty's Got a Raw Deal" (live) – 4:22 # "

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 ...

" (live) – 5:41 # " Man on the Moon" (live) – 5:24 The live recordings of "Monty Got a Raw Deal", "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon" were recorded at the

40 Watt Club The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music. The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Georgia on November 19, 1992. The performance—a benefit for Greenpeace—was recorded in a solar-powered mobile studio.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Songfacts.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:What's The Frequency, Kenneth 1994 singles R.E.M. songs Number-one singles in Iceland Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Peter Buck Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Michael Stipe Warner Records singles Songs based on actual events Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe Song recordings produced by Mike Mills Song recordings produced by Bill Berry Song recordings produced by Peter Buck Glam rock songs Grunge songs 1994 songs Garage rock songs