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Bad Songs by Good Bands: No. 18

  • Posted   by Spinner Staff
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'Stand'
--R.E.M. (1988)

The beloved Athens, Ga. band really stopped giving it the old college try with this inane dance instructional. Pop music being what it is, these melancholy babies had one of their first big hits with this self-consciously annoying, frivolous song. "Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before," Michael Stipe sings. Ironically, this was the moment his band began to lose its way.

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32 Comments

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pgmcats

Well, they tried to get me but they really screwed-it-up 'cause I just happened to be looking NORTH and I watched as one of 'em was putting something suspicious into my pizza! They acted so smug as I payed for the thing.... probably thinking I would soon be eating it and then they would be rid of me once and for all! HAH! It didn't work!! I carefully picked thru the pizza eating ONLY the items that didn't appear suspicious to me. I'm STILL HERE!

July 13 2010 at 2:09 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Doree

OK. I sang this song in Kindergarten in 1974, no kidding. We were being taught directions...North, South, East ,West, and the tune was very similar to this song...the teacher actually said :' Now childre, stand in the place where you are...NOW FACE NORTH, NOW FACE SOUTH, etc...and so on. I think Stipe was chanelling his Kindergarten or Pre School teacher.

November 10 2009 at 1:44 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Sleeverbar378

Sorry but REM SUCKS , don`t care how popular they were !...Boring !

September 25 2009 at 6:56 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Carly

Okay. This is not cool. R.E.M is AWESOME!

And i don't see why "Shiny Happy People" is so bad. I mean, come on. "Shiny Happy People holding hands?" That's adorable.

Lay off, suckers.

September 07 2009 at 10:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Beautiful_Loser

Shiney Happy People was the most annoying REM song ever! You forget about that one?

July 28 2009 at 12:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Dr.John Stoetzel

Great song, great band! Enuf said.

July 25 2009 at 1:25 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
iheartpopcorn14

Whoa this guy is creepy.

July 07 2009 at 12:26 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
sleepdeprived129

Did you know, this song was created when a member of the band created a guitar riff that the lead singer thought was stupid, so he created an equally stupid song to go with the riff.

June 04 2009 at 2:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Carlton W.Burgess

I'm just gonna sit here and see just how many song you screw up so far this is three!!!

April 22 2009 at 10:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Hopesworth

This song is one of my favorites. Ever. Suck on it Spinner!

February 26 2009 at 5:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
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