[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
R.E.M. — Strange Currencies
Album: Monster
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2536









Released: 1994
Length: 3:47
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I don't know why you're mean to me
When I call on the telephone
And I don't know what you mean to me
But I want to turn you on, turn you up, figure you out, I want to take you on

These words, ''"You will be mine."''
These words, ''"You will be mine."''
All the time

The fool might be my middle name
But I'd be foolish not to say
I'm going to make whatever it takes
Bring you up, call you down, sign your name, secret love
Make it rhyme, take you in and make you mine

These words, ''"You will be mine."''
These words, ''"You will be mine."''
All the time, oh

I tripped and fell and did I fall
What I want to feel, I want to feel it now

You know with love come strange currencies
And here is my appeal:
I need a chance, a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance
A word, a signal, a nod, a little breath
Just to fool myself, to catch myself, to make it real, real

These words, ''"You will be mine."''
These words, ''"You will be mine."''
All the time, oh

These words, ''"You will be mine."''
These words, they haunt me, hunt me down
Catch in my throat, make me pray,
Say, love's confined, on Earth
Comments (210)add comment
 TripletThreat wrote:


Said the "wise" king who sits in his backyard listening and watching a bug zapper.  Time to move out of the trailer park, my king.  


the "Wise King" is neither 
wow. i forgot about this one. i think it's a lot better than Everybody Hurts.
 thewiseking wrote:

Playing REM out here is like putting a bug zapper out in your yard at night in August. Ya can just  sit back and watch the imbeciles sizzle. 



Said the "wise" king who sits in his backyard listening and watching a bug zapper.  Time to move out of the trailer park, my king.  
 doktorkev wrote:

This is basically  Everybody hurts redone.


This is basically everything REM did redone.
Michael Stipe once said something like: “I abhor love songs”. And he comes up with this. I am confused. In a nice way.
1700+ ratings tell the story.  Good stuff that holds up to time.
The lyrics to this just stop me in my tracks, even all these years later. 
All the haters; never mind this is a 10 for me.
 LizK wrote:

Eddie Vedder thinks so.
 

kingart wrote:

You say that like enunciating the lyrics is a bad thing.

Eddie Vedder thinks so.


So does that Morning Jacket front man who sings like he and the sound engineer  are swallowing mangoes.
 Jelani wrote:
REM would be such a great band if they only found a better vocalist.
 
Seriously, I'm curious. What did Michael Stipe do to you? Did he insult your granny or something?
 kingart wrote:

You say that like enunciating the lyrics is a bad thing. 
 
Eddie Vedder thinks so.
One of my favorites. ..
Love the organ on this one
REM would be such a great band if they only found a better vocalist.
 Daveteauk wrote:
R.E.M - one of THE most overrated bands on Earth,,, IMO.

Nothing is overrated here on RP.  Let's get that straight.  

 123heyaho! wrote:

Agreed - especially here on RP!
 
I suppose you could do better?
 Daveteauk wrote:
R.E.M - one of THE most overrated bands on Earth,,, IMO.
 
Agreed - especially here on RP!
R.E.M - one of THE most overrated bands on Earth,,, IMO.
Playing REM out here is like putting a bug zapper out in your yard at night in August. Ya can just  sit back and watch the imbeciles sizzle. 
 milleronic wrote:
R.E.M. wasn't the same after Stipe started enunciating the lyrics...
 
You say that like enunciating the lyrics is a bad thing. 
For someone (although I do love him) who obfuscates in writing as much as Mr Stipe, when he hits it on the nose... he really lands an emotional punch. The longing in this song is palpable.  I'm no doubt biased by how formative this album was in my teens, but this one lands every time for me. Gorgeous and unabashed.
 milleronic wrote:
R.E.M. wasn't the same after Stipe started enunciating the lyrics...

 
I blame Bill Berry.
After he left they somehow went from being the Best American Band to something that just grates on my nerves.
Probably my favorite tune from their later years/albums.  Great guitar, slow ambling feel, compelling lyrics.  Doesn't seem like the kind of song that'd be easy to hate.
 folkrocker wrote:
Poor R.E.M. Not much love for them here. I just hear the great guitar and melody and think it's a great recording.
 
The song has a good rating overall, so most listeners seem to like it.  Apparently those who dislike it feel more of a compulsion to type out their negative comments about it.  That probably happens a lot though, for all recording artists.
I miss them.  I did get to them at a free concert at Copper Mountain Ski Area in 2011.  What an honor.  
Poor R.E.M. Not much love for them here. I just hear the great guitar and melody and think it's a great recording.
 Skydog wrote:
took it down a notch from 3 to 2
there is a phoniness to REM that is similar to the Eagles

 
To each their own. I don't see any similarity at all. Musically there's virtually no commonality and whereas The Eagles were going to keep touring as long as they could make money, REM went out on top and on their own terms. No one ever debates when The Eagles "sold out' the way they (kind of annoyingly, even on this thread) do for REM because they never had any cred to sell.

Anyway, this is a fine song on something of a beautiful mess on an album and anyone who thinks they were done or uninteresting by MONSTER doesn't give them much credit.
This being the last song by R.E.M. that I actually enjoyed listening to.
 Skydog wrote:
took it down a notch from 3 to 2
there is a phoniness to REM that is similar to the Eagles

 
2 is pretty generous.Whenever I hear an REM song I think"this is an Saturday Night Live parody of a goofy,awful band"and then it turns out it's a "real" band.
 milleronic wrote:
R.E.M. wasn't the same after Stipe started enunciating the lyrics...

 
That was with Lifes Rich Pageant. That was definitely a turning point, but I think they were still good for a few more albums.
 bseib wrote:

B-52's — Rock Lobster
R.E.M. — Strange Currencies


Now we just need some Drive By Truckers and Widespread panic to round out the Athens GA playlist. :-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Athens,_Georgia

 
Yes! That's the ticket!
took it down a notch from 3 to 2
there is a phoniness to REM that is similar to the Eagles

B-52's — Rock Lobster
R.E.M. — Strange Currencies


Now we just need some Drive By Truckers and Widespread panic to round out the Athens GA playlist. :-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Athens,_Georgia
One of very few very good REM tracks. Very soulful, great melody. 
 milleronic wrote:
R.E.M. wasn't the same after Stipe started enunciating the lyrics...

 
I kinda agree
And here is my appeal:
I need a chance, a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance
A word, a signal, a nod, a little breath
Just to fool myself, to catch myself, to make it real, real

Great song. I miss old REM. They had such a great groove for such a long time.

R.E.M. wasn't the same after Stipe started enunciating the lyrics...
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...  we love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll...
 lily34 wrote:
i love love love this song. i hardly ever hear it.

i kind of wish someone would cover it, to hear how different it would sound by someone else. i can almost hear joan osborne doing it in my head...

 
joan o. is a good strong woman voice choice, mayce neko case also. i can hear john hiatt (whose voice reminds me of michael stipe anyway),, or when in doubt i revert to jimmy lafave as my fallback physician.  the REM song i want covered by everybody is Cuyahoga.
This, and others of theirs from that period, absolutely raise the hairs on my arm, and make me wonder about people I used to know..

Not big on REM singer.  Wordy fellow.  Probably a little kid that nobody could make shut up.  But I do like guitar.  Thanks for the guitar.  Just lower the fader on the vocal during the mastering next time.  Thanks Mr Buck!


8->9

 

One of R.E.M.'s finest from that period. The older it gets, the more I appreciate this song, slowly becoming my favourite track off Monster.


good night to everyone:) i would like to wish now ; coldplay and fix you{#Bananapiano}
Good song.  Stipe/REM should have done their usual mix with mostly unintelligible lyrics.
i love love love this song. i hardly ever hear it.

i kind of wish someone would cover it, to hear how different it would sound by someone else. i can almost hear joan osborne doing it in my head...
 aristoteles wrote:

Every BODY in my church loves you Lazarus, even if you are an Egomaniac, repetitive kind of guy,...just enjoy, smile,..and have fun,...if you don't like it, why wasting time on it anyway,...
 

Thank you so much!  I want you to know I appreciate that sincerely...  hope life is grand for you...  enjoy yourself...

I never imagined a radio station would be as good as Radio Paradise...  this is the best radio station ever... 
 cosmiclint wrote:

Yeah, it's what I like to call a Bic lighter song! Do enough people still carry lighters to do that at concerts these days?
 

I know exactly what you mean!  It really works like a soft candlelight on the crowd— really gorgeous...

hope you are having a great time right now, man!  Always good to see you here...  rock on, brother...

this song is marvelous...
 
This album now sounds dated, more than older R.E.M. records.
 dctrpunda wrote:
I'd rather hear hold music from a ultility bill customer service number then this drivel.
 
Now THAT'S the way to hurl an insult!
 Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 

 
Every BODY in my church loves you Lazarus, even if you are an Egomaniac, repetitive kind of guy,...just enjoy, smile,..and have fun,...if you don't like it, why wasting time on it anyway,...
 terrapin52 wrote:
I stopped listening to anything REM did after Document.  It just kept getting worse.

  stuck-in-the-past is a condition that's curable  ..and soo worth the effort



 Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 

 
Yeah, it's what I like to call a Bic lighter song! Do enough people still carry lighters to do that at concerts these days?

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
I sat at an outdoor patio table in some cool little place near the Perimeter in Atlanta, eating a bread bowl that had been baked in a flower pot. This record was just released and playing on the house sound. I was 38 years old. Atlanta was older and wiser...Sherman was long gone...
 terrapin52 wrote:
I stopped listening to anything REM did after Document.  It just kept getting worse.
 

Yeah, me too, sort of. Document, Automatic for the People—somewhere in there. They totally lost me with Monster and whatever came afterward. This song doesn't suck. Maybe I should revisit the album.
Dreadfully predictable dirge...
 terrapin52 wrote:
I stopped listening to anything REM did after Document.  It just kept getting worse.
 
Not possible. {#No}
I stopped listening to anything REM did after Document.  It just kept getting worse.

I agree with the tuma - perfect, perfect song. truly a sing-along piece.


 romeotuma wrote:


I'll dance to this...

 
 
You'll dance to anything.

 schrodingersdog wrote:

I think you're right about playing the strings above the nut. That's exactly what it sounds like.

 

Steven Wilson does this on the intro to Halo. Never knew it until I saw them live and it was quite distinct. Love that sound. Will have to listen to this song more closely to hear that!
great song
A gorgeous vocal from Michael Stipe - love this song.  In my top 10 of  REM songs
 Welly wrote:
LOVE REM. I balance the universe out {#Arrowd}
 

I love REM too, from1979-1991 and occasional tunes here and there after that. They used to be quite wonderful, now they just annoy.
Sounds pretty and warm, like a sunny autumn afternoon spent strolling through the woods and watching leaves in all shades come floating by in the soft light. Album cover looks Halloweeny, so festive choice

Have not hear this in ten years or more I bet.  Its good for the ears today
 romeotuma wrote:


This song is good  bad for the ears...
 


 gandalfbmg wrote:
If you don't like Monster, I'm not sure if we can be friends any more...
 
No worries here, my friend. Love it. (You were talking to me right?) {#Cool}

 greyfin10 wrote:
What's the weird chiming sound in the middle of the song (that I've never heard before, even though I've been hearing this song for years)?  Kalimba or someone playing the strings on an electric guitar above the nut?  Sorta weird and distracting, maybe I've just never listened to it under headphones... 
 
I think you're right about playing the strings above the nut. That's exactly what it sounds like.

If you don't like Monster, I'm not sure if we can be friends any more...
 romeotuma wrote:


still a great song...
 
Will always bee.
this band is just annoying.  80's - early 90's college radio tripe
 greyfin10 wrote:
What's the weird chiming sound in the middle of the song (that I've never heard before, even though I've been hearing this song for years)?  Kalimba or someone playing the strings on an electric guitar above the nut?  Sorta weird and distracting, maybe I've just never listened to it under headphones... 
 
My guess would be that it's Peter Buck guitar played with an e-bow.

is this one of the munchkins from The Wizard of OZ singing?
has always struck a chord ~ now it means more to me than it ever did
Brilliant.
Such a good simple song..... {#Cool}
After Radiohead... best show in Rio last year...
Katanga crosses were used as currency in the copper mining region of what used to be Zaire, in Africa. They are made of copper and range from about a half-pound to 2.5 pounds. They are also associated with ritual, as they were buried with the dead. The crosses predate Christianity in the area, but missionaries adapted the symbolism of the cross for their own purposes. Katanga was an independent nation for a brief period, from 1960-1963, during which time they issued new national coins, francs, with a picture of the Katanga cross on them! https://www.neatorama.com/2007/10/16/funny-money-strange-currencies-of-the-world/
Katanga cross
LOVE REM. I balance the universe out {#Arrowd}

This song represents everything that is wrong with REM!{#Puke}


Probably my favorite song on that album.

I've told that to people with similar music interests as mine and a couple replied "..really?...don't like it.."

You say tomato...
Very nice!
heckler


 robco1 wrote:
 Danimal174 wrote:
It's so funny that, despite all of the comments about how horrible this is, the song is still rated a 7 overall. Sounds like you naysayers are in the minority, no?

Darlington wrote:


Good point....

The more well-liked a song is by the majority of listeners, the more shrill the hecklers will be on the comments board. This is especially true for any band that has been around for more than ten years.

Hecklers suck: {#Moon} They are the same class of people that get behind the wheel of a car and take out their aggressions by driving as rude as possible and laying on their horn as often as they can.
 
And how are they different from people like you who put up mooning icons? What class of people are you?
 Danimal174 wrote:
It's so funny that, despite all of the comments about how horrible this is, the song is still rated a 7 overall. Sounds like you naysayers are in the minority, no?

Darlington wrote:


Good point....

The more well-liked a song is by the majority of listeners, the more shrill the hecklers will be on the comments board. This is especially true for any band that has been around for more than ten years.

Hecklers suck: {#Moon} They are the same class of people that get behind the wheel of a car and take out their aggressions by driving as rude as possible and laying on their horn as often as they can.

 TanteJensen wrote:
Ah, this band did never get better than on that demo tape they only gave to some really good friends like me before they had a label contract. From then on, they sucked.
 

If you put that on posters, I'd buy one...


I'd rather hear hold music from a ultility bill customer service number then this drivel.



Ah, this band did never get better than on that demo tape they only gave to some really good friends like me before they had a label contract. From then on, they sucked.

Oh, my guess is strings above the nut.
What's the weird chiming sound in the middle of the song (that I've never heard before, even though I've been hearing this song for years)?  Kalimba or someone playing the strings on an electric guitar above the nut?  Sorta weird and distracting, maybe I've just never listened to it under headphones... 
i love this song.
and thank god...after that edie brickell crap!!!
Yeah, I rate it an 8.  Pretty damn good song.{#Roflol}
 Danimal174 wrote:
It's so funny that, despite all of the comments about how horrible this is, the song is still rated a 7 overall. Sounds like you naysayers are in the minority, no?
 

Good point....
It's so funny that, despite all of the comments about how horrible this is, the song is still rated a 7 overall. Sounds like you naysayers are in the minority, no?
It's tough to figure it all out, but I do believe this is one of the bottom 10 songs from a band that produces at best, a "2". It goes without saying that this song is a "1", but were there a zero, it would be there. All I can do beyond that is to repeat the last post with a
bbHappy wrote:
8 => 9
2 -> 1
dmax wrote:
SHUT THE HELL UP. And take your bored, underutilized backup band with you.
That was well said Usually these guys cause such brain death the best I can do is
"The exchange rate of eight Ningis to one Pu is simple enough, but since a Ningi is a triangular rubber coin six thousand eight hundred miles along each side, no one has ever collected enough to own one Pu. Ningis are not negotiable currency as the Galactibanks refuse to deal in such fiddling small change."
8 => 9
dctrpunda wrote:
I see this song topping out in the grand scheme of things as a slow dance number at some midwest high school prom.
I think Everybody Hurts will remain their main contribution to that genre.
99 wrote:
It is good but Nightswimming is REM's best song ever. Spoken.
Hear, hear. It is almost impossible to do better than Nightswimming.
NO no no! I was just getting over the stomach flu!
REM at their best. Great song.
dctrpunda wrote:
I see this song topping out in the grand scheme of things as a slow dance number at some midwest high school prom. Any reverence above that realm of status seems completely unjustified. He sounds like a bleating farm animal..
you're just jealous of their enormous success (just kidding) couldn't agree more...
I see this song topping out in the grand scheme of things as a slow dance number at some midwest high school prom. Any reverence above that realm of status seems completely unjustified. He sounds like a bleating farm animal..
99 wrote:
It is good but Nightswimming is REM's best song ever. Spoken.
Hm. Nightswimming is my least favorite REM song.
SpaceCase wrote:
This is a very good song....... People are just jelous of their enormous Success....
nope. don't think so. they just suck.
charolastra2 wrote:
I think he was trying to say that Michael Stipe's rhymes sound forced. (Note: the other band members wouldn't address him as "Mike," though. Stipe would think they were talking to Mike Mills, the bassist.) If we're talking pre-"Up", I'd have to disagree. These days, it's unfortunately a different story... "Strange Currencies" is a gem of a song on an album that sold millions of copies, later got panned as a failure, and yet in the end is probably one of the most enjoyable album R.E.M. albums to listen to.
I've got all of REM's stuff except "Adventures in Hi-Fi" CD and in my opinion for what it's worth this is there weakest....
RobK wrote:
I have no idea what you are trying to say here.
I think he was trying to say that Michael Stipe's rhymes sound forced. (Note: the other band members wouldn't address him as "Mike," though. Stipe would think they were talking to Mike Mills, the bassist.) If we're talking pre-"Up", I'd have to disagree. These days, it's unfortunately a different story... "Strange Currencies" is a gem of a song on an album that sold millions of copies, later got panned as a failure, and yet in the end is probably one of the most enjoyable album R.E.M. albums to listen to.
tnt_thomas wrote:
Right up there with ABBA. I can just imagine the sessions. "Okay what rhymes with ____?" "But Mike that don't make any sense, man!" "Don't worry, guys. It's gonna be great!" He was right!
I have no idea what you are trying to say here.
eastcoast wrote:
I'm crying. Tears of pain...is this a sad song? I can't get through the tempo to listen to the lyrics. I hear Snipe is a lyrical genious though.
Right up there with ABBA. I can just imagine the sessions. "Okay what rhymes with ____?" But Mike that don't make any sense, man!" "Don't worry, guys. It's gonna be great!" He was right!
I always felt REM went downhill after Green. I guess I'm just old- ha.
REM rules. Singer is fantastic and band tight and talented. Different strokes...
eastcoast wrote:
Finally, I know I am not alone in the universe. Someone else feels this band has been sooooo overrated and over played and overhyped.
you are most certainly not alone, o maritime friend of mine!
bokey wrote:
No,some people really don't like them without being jealous.
Thanks for that comment. I am so sick of these assertions that if you don't like something, you're just jealous, or resentful of someone's success, or trying to be "cool" by dissing something popular. That's just absurd. I am fully capable of assessing whether or not I like something based on its own merits and my own tastes.
SpaceCase wrote:
This is a very good song. . . . . . . People are just jelous of their enormous Success. . . .
No,some people really don't like them without being jealous.
This is a very good song....... People are just jelous of their enormous Success....
eastcoast wrote:
Finally, I know I am not alone in the universe. Someone else feels this band has been sooooo overrated and over played and overhyped.
Not over-rated for early stuff, but early stuff is solid.