The two REM songs that helped Michael Stipe overcome depression
That REM became a stadium-filling band at all still blows the mind, and that they did so coming from the world of 1980s indie rock is even more unbelievable. Even by the standards of the time, they were an esoteric, heady band. One that was making incredible music, yes, but one whose singer, Michael Stipe, was so terrified of live concerts that he’d often perform entire sets with his back to the audience, mumbling lyrics that, even on the page, were barely decipherable.
Yet still, in the decade that taste forgot, they were headlining the same arenas that were hosting Cyndi Lauper and Billy Idol mere weeks earlier. Despite this, REM were hating every moment of it. In an interview with Pitchfork, Stipe elaborated on this period of the band, saying that their misery was at its peak around the tour for 1985s Fables of the Reconstruction. While they were consistently playing to larger and larger audiences, the pressure was taking its toll on Stipe and Co.
He recounted, “We were five years into REM, and I was going through profound depression and a nervous breakdown that took a year and a half to work through. We were still touring and making records and marching forward at this insane velocity, which didn’t help my situation at all.” As anyone who’s gone through anything similar can attest, this sort of hardship stops you from effectively taking care of yourself, and Stipe was no exception.
“I lacerated my eyes really badly with these really dirty contact lenses—I had neglected them for three or four months at that point—and accidentally blinded myself.” A legitimately stomach-churning consequence that wouldn’t be out of place in a Saw film. One that not only made Stipe’s day-to-day life a slog but also his artistic life as, in the same interview, he described himself as “an extremely visual person”.
Yet, this experience would inspire not one but two of the band’s most beloved songs from what would be their following album, 1986‘s Lifes Rich Pageant. “During that time,” he says. “I had these crazy dreams. ‘I Believe’ and ‘These Days’ were basically written as a way for me to remember what those dreams were.” What’s bizarre about this is that the songs inspired by this experience are two of the most uplifting, inspiring numbers of the band’s whole early career.
Both of them are upbeat rockers about seizing the moment and remaining positive in the face of depression and oppression. Not for nothing, ‘These Days’ is built around the line “All the people gather / fly to carry each his burden / We are young despite the years / We are concern / we are hope despite the times”. How could this be? Well, Stipe answers this very question in the interview. Doing so in a way that gives us something to hang on to as we soldier on into the hellscape that’s 2025.
After those ten days spent totally blind, he got to remove them after a plane flight to Seattle. He recalled, “I’ll never forget looking out the window onto the street in Seattle and feeling this elation. Something had happened. I had this turning point that was deeply profound and important. I took those bandages off my eyes and came out of the depression. I felt emboldened and strong enough to carry on. I was a different person from that day forward.”
All of us can relate to feeling like things are too tough to carry on. If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that the will to keep fighting can come from the most unlikely experiences. So, if you’re going through hell, keep going. You never know when you’ll emerge, and when you do, you’ll be stronger for it.
