The Patti Smith song that “completely lifted” Michael Stipe
After founding R.E.M. in 1980 as a student, Michael Stipe made it clear that he was on the cusp of something great. Fronting an indie band throughout the decade came naturally to him, and together with Bill Berry, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills, they penned some of the most defining songs of an era.
The decade following their formation saw the band take on iconic status as revered as the likes of The Smiths, and by the time 1991’s Out of Time was released, they went from being somewhat confined to cult spaces to players on a big scale. R.E.M.’s bag was foremost indie rock, with enough sprinklings of experimentation and pop sensibilities to give them global appeal.
Of course, Stipe had a big part to play in this rise to prominence – with his perfect merging of endearing vocal delivery and poetic lyricism, he contributed to the band’s signature sound, resulting in mass popularity after the release of hit songs like ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Losing My Religion’.
As an artist with notable lyrical talent, therefore, it’s no surprise that Stipe is particularly fond of another wordsmith: Patti Smith. In fact, there’s been a lot of mutual respect shared between the two artists over the decades, with Smith even featuring on the track ‘E-Bow The Letter’ from 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi.
For the band’s follow-up, Up, Smith’s influence on the group was made even more apparent, with the track ‘Walk Unafraid’ directly inspired by her friendship with Stipe. “Its quite literal inspiration was something Patti Smith told me,” Stipe revealed. “Some great advice, the song title, she gave me as a lyricist and artist when I was really in hardcore writer’s block. But, I think it goes beyond me, and that’s not my self mythologising but trying to push it further out into the world of collective experience.”
Stipe also once discussed his appreciation for Smith’s 1975 release ‘Birdland’, a haunting song exploring complex themes of loss and longing. Stipe recalls discovering an image of Smith in Creem magazine, which encouraged him to check out her music and buy a copy of her album Horses. “[I] sat all night listening to it,” he told Pitchfork. “‘Birdland’ was the one that just completely lifted me.”
He added: “I had this epiphany and realised that this is what I wanted to do with my life: learn how to sing and start a band. All the punk rockers were saying, “We’re not special people,” and “Anyone can do this,” and I took that very literally as a 15-year-old. Of everything on this list, this is the most significant moment for me.”
Revisit the song below.
