E-Bow the Letter
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"E-Bow the Letter" is the first single from American rock 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 alternative ...
's 10th studio album, '' New Adventures in Hi-Fi'' (1996). It was released on August 19, 1996, several weeks before the album's release. During the same month, R.E.M. signed a then record-breaking five-album contract with
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 the ...
. The song features American singer-songwriter and " Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith performing backing vocals. Smith was cited as a major influence by band members Michael Stipe and Peter Buck, and she also provided backing vocals for "Blue", the closing track on the band's final studio album, ''
Collapse into Now ''Collapse into Now'' is the fifteenth and final studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 7, 2011, on Warner Bros. Produced by Jacknife Lee, who previously worked with the band on ''Accelerate'' (2008), the alb ...
'', in 2011. Although the song peaked at number four 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 ...
, the highest any R.E.M. song charted in the United Kingdom until " The Great Beyond" in 2000, the song fared less well in the United States, reaching only number 49 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It became R.E.M.'s lowest-charting lead single since " Fall on Me" released from '' Lifes Rich Pageant'' in 1986, when the band was on a smaller record label,
I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...
.
Jem Cohen Jem Alan Cohen (born 1962) is an Afghan-born American filmmaker based in New York City. Cohen is especially known for his observational portraits of urban landscapes, blending of media formats ( sixteen-millimetre, Super 8, videotape) and collab ...
directed the song's music video, which features R.E.M. in Los Angeles and Smith in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
.


Background and composition

The song is about Stipe's friend, the actor and musician River Phoenix. The title refers to the EBow, an electromagnetic field-generating device that induces sustained vibration in an
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
string (creating a
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
-like effect), and to a "letter never sent" by Michael Stipe.
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 alternative ...
has also played the song live with artists including
Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...
singing Patti Smith's vocal part. The band described the song as a "folk dirge". Marcus Gilmer of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said that the "dirge-like" song "dabbles in
Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
sounds—thanks to the use of the titular instrument— and features Patti Smith's haunting backing vocals." The song showed how the band's "enigmatic lyrics are glowing clearer, like images emerging on photographic paper". The song's stream of consciousness lyrics, writes Jessica Kennedy of
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, "reveal a vulnerable side, full of doubt".


Release

According to biographer
David Buckley David Buckley (born 7 June 1976) is a British composer of film and television scores, based in Santa Monica, California. Career Born in London in 1976, Buckley's first involvement with film music was as a cathedral choirboy performing on Pe ...
, ''New Adventures in Hi-Fi'', with its sombre, muted tone, had "no obvious singles or radio hits," although '' Consequence of Sound'' noted that R.E.M. could have selected a pop-oriented song like "
Bittersweet Me "Bittersweet Me" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their 10th studio album, ''New Adventures in Hi-Fi'' (1996). Like much of the album, the song originated while the band were on the road for the ''Monster ...
" to trail the album, yet "stuck to their guns". "E-Bow the Letter", one of the album's more introverted songs, was selected by R.E.M. as the lead single. Given its downbeat, "almost dirge-like" nature, spoken word verses, "
Dylanesque ''Dylanesque'' is the twelfth studio album by English singer Bryan Ferry, released on 5 March 2007 by Virgin Records. The album consists of cover versions of ten Bob Dylan songs and one traditional song that Dylan himself covered on his first ...
vocal delivery" and funereal pace, it was considered an unusual and brave choice as it, says Buckley, "it was largely inappropriate for hit radio". According to British chart watcher
James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...
in his column for Dotmusic, the single followed R.E.M.'s typical "marketing habit of issuing one of the most uncommercial tracks from the album as the lead single. Just like '
Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...
' back in 1992 the track at first sounds like a monotonous, tuneless mess which has caused radio programmers a few headaches, caught between the demand for people to hear the new single from one of the biggest groups in the world and the fact that it sounds so totally weird." According to Patrick M. Reilly of ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', executives at Warner Bros. said that "the band's choice of a droning, dirge-like first single" negatively impacted the album's sales. A retrospective article '' Consequence of Sound'' said that the song not only thwarted the album's commercial success, but also for R.E.M. going forward. "It was a proud display of artistic integrity," writes Stephen Troussé, "a label-infuriating demonstration that they commanded complete liberty."Troussé, Stephen "New Adventures in Hi-Fi", '' Uncut Ultimate Music Guide: R.E.M.'', TI Media (London, 2019), p. 88. David Stubbs of '' Uncut'' said the "heavy-duty avant-folk-rock" song was "another of REM’s unapologetic anti-single singles," with another to follow in 1997's "
How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" is a song by R.E.M. released as the fourth and final single from their tenth studio album ''New Adventures in Hi-Fi'' in 1997. It was released in Germany and Japan was the final R.E.M. single and music vi ...
". "Whatever is vexing them is inscrutable to the casual listener; indeed, obscurely compelling as the song is, it seems from one angle like a deliberate attempt to shed extraneous fans."
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 ...
said the band's choice of lead single was "in reaction to the fact that we've never taken the easy way out. It's important for us to challenge ourselves and the audience. Audiences can respond well to things like that, like putting out 'Drive' from ''
Automatic for the People ''Automatic for the People'' is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records on October5, 1992 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and on the following day in the United States. R.E.M. began pro ...
''. That was a very important decision for us, and the record company weren't real thrilled about it, but they trust us and they know we have reasons for what we do, and it usually works out. It didn't do ''Automatic'' much harm." Stipe refelected that the group held the ability "to release the most unlikely songs just to push radio as far as we could push them, get more good music on the radio. And there was… for a while. 'E-Bow the Letter' sounded the death knell for us being able to do that! But I think it represents some of my best writing."


Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' described the song as "one of the band's typically introspective
rock ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...
s." He added, " Michael Stipe trounces through thickly textured patches of swelling organs, acoustic strumming, and razor-sharp, sparingly placed electric guitars with the sad, furrowed brow and eternally ponderous voice that has become his signature. Patti Smith wraps the song with deceptively soothing incantations that effectively sneak up from behind the music to a full-frontal caterwaul by the track's close. Artful, affecting, and undeniably accesible...three solid traits of any R.E.M. recording." "E-Bow the Letter" was ranked number 21 on ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' magazine's list of the "Singles of the Year". ''
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' founder and owner Ryan Schreiber described it on the website as "possibly one of the greatest songs ever written." Masterton called the song "so totally weird" and compared it to Mott the Hoople's 1972 single " All the Young Dudes", which features similar instrumentation.


Chart performance

On the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "E-Bow the Letter" debuted at number 54 in the issue of September 7, 1996, reaching its peak of number 49 the following week and spending nine weeks on the chart altogether. The song reached the top five on the ''Billboard''
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 ...
chart, peaking at number two on September 14, 1996, and entered the top 10 on the Adult Alternative Songs ranking, reaching number seven on September 7 and spending seven weeks on the chart. The song also appeared on the ''Billboard''
Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
and Maxi-Singles Sales charts, reaching numbers 15 and 39, respectively, on September 14. Along with "
What's the Frequency, Kenneth? "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. 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 j ...
", it is the only R.E.M. song to appear on the latter listing. In Canada, the track reached the top 10, peaking at number six on the ''
RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' 100 chart and at number one on the ''RPM'' Alternative 30. The magazine later ranked the song as Canada's 53rd-best-performing single of 1996 as well as the 30th-best-performing rock song. In the United Kingdom, "E-Bow the Letter" became the band's highest-charting single until " The Great Beyond" in 2000, debuting and peaking at number four 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 ...
based on its "typically wry sense of humour". Giving R.E.M. their 18th top-40 hit on the chart, the song spent six weeks in the UK top 100. The song also reached the top 10 in Ireland, where it reached number eight. In Iceland, "E-Bow" the letter rose to number two on the Íslenski listinn chart after seven weeks, eventually ending 1996 as the country's 41st-most-successful single. The track became R.E.M.'s fifth top-10 hit in Norway, debuting and peaking at number six, where it remained for two weeks. In Finland, the song peaked within the top 20, reaching number 11 on the Finnish Singles Chart. Elsewhere in Europe, "E-Bow the Letter" appeared on the charts of Austria,
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, Germany, and the Netherlands, achieving a peak of number 28 on the
Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
. In Australia, the song reached number 23 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and spent four weeks in the top 50, while in New Zealand, it debuted at its peak of number 32 and left the RIANZ Singles Chart after three weeks.


Track listings

All songs were written by
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 ...
, Peter Buck,
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 Michael Stipe, except where noted. * US CD, cassette, and 7-inch single :UK cassette single # "E-Bow the Letter" (Seattle studio) – 5:22 (5:24 on UK version) # "Tricycle" (St. Louis soundcheck) – 1:58 (1:59 on UK version) * US 12-inch and maxi-CD single :UK and European CD single # "E-Bow the Letter" (Seattle studio) – 5:22 (5:24 on UK version) # "Tricycle" (St. Louis soundcheck) – 1:58 (1:59 on UK version) # "Departure" (Rome soundcheck) – 3:35 # "Wall of Death" (Athens studio) – 3:07 * Australian CD single # "E-Bow the Letter" – 5:24 # "Tricycle" – 1:59 # "Departure" (live) – 3:35 # "Wall of Death" – 3:07


Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the US CD single liner notes and the '' New Adventures in Hi-Fi'' booklet. Studio * Recorded at
Bad Animals ''Bad Animals'' is the ninth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on June 6, 1987, by Capitol Records. The album continues the mainstream hard rock style from the band's 1985 self-titled release, all while enjoying similar succ ...
(
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
) R.E.M. * Michael Stipe – vocals * Peter Buck – guitar,
electric sitar An electric sitar is a type of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the sitar, a traditional musical instrument of India. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional ...
* Mike Mills – bass, organ,
mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
,
moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...
* Bill Berry – drums, percussion * R.E.M. – production Additional personnel * Patti Smith – vocals * Scott Litt – production, mixing


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Release history


See also

* List of ''RPM'' Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:E-Bow The Letter 1996 singles 1996 songs Experimental rock songs Folk rock songs Music videos directed by Jem Cohen Patti Smith songs 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 about drugs Songs based on actual events Songs inspired by deaths Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Michael Stipe Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Peter Buck Warner Records singles