"(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" is the second and final single released by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, 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 fir ...

from their second studio album, '' Reckoning''. The song failed to chart on either the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 or the UK Singles Charts.

Background

The song was written by the band's 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., hi ...

, though credited to all four members of R.E.M. Mills wrote the song as a plea to girlfriend Ingrid Schorr, asking her to not move to

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

, where her parents lived. Schorr, who later became a journalist, has expressed amusement at the many factual inaccuracies about her relationship with Mills and the song's origins that have circulated among R.E.M. fans over the years. Peter Buck has stated that the song was originally performed in a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

/ thrash style, and that it was recorded for this single in its now more-familiar country-inspired arrangement as a joke aimed at R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs.

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 the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe was born in Metro Atlanta in January 1960. Due to his father's militar ...

sings lead while Mills and

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 guita ...

provide backing and harmony vocals on the album version, although Mills usually sings the lead vocal of "Rockville" during live performances. A live version of the song was released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to "

Leaving New York "Leaving New York" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released as the lead single from the band's 13th studio album, ''Around the Sun'' (2004). Although it was not as heavily promoted as earlier singles, it reached number ...

" in 2004 and on '' R.E.M. Live'' in 2007. Twelve years after originally written, alternative rock band

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

included a cover version as the fourth track on their 1992 single " Candy Everybody Wants".

Track listings

All songs 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 played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

and

. European singles #"(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" (Edit) – 3:55 #"Wolves, Lower" – 4:14 #"9-9" (Live)¹ (12" only) #" Gardening at Night" (Live)¹ (12" only) US singles #"(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" (Edit) – 3:55 #"Catapult" (Live)²

Notes

¹ Recorded at the Theater El Dorado,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, April 20, 1984.
² Recorded at the Music Hall,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, June 27, 1984.

Personnel

Sources: *

– drums, backing vocals *

– guitar *

– bass, backing vocals, piano *

– lead vocals

References

External links

Ingrid Schorr on the song
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dont Go Back To Rockville R.E.M. songs Rockville, Maryland Songs written by Bill Berry Songs written by Peter Buck Songs written by Mike Mills Songs written by Michael Stipe I.R.S. Records singles 1984 singles Songs based on actual events Song recordings produced by Don Dixon (musician) Song recordings produced by Mitch Easter Alternative country songs Country rock songs 1984 songs