10 Songs You're Not Supposed To Understand
3. Radio Free Europe - REM
Murmur by REM tends to get overlooked as one of the first classics of the '80s. While many mainstream listeners were focused on the more fashionable artists like Prince and Cyndi Lauper, these four dudes from Athens, Georgia were bringing college rock to the masses with some of the emotional vocal performances of the decade.
Michael Stipe sure as hell seems impassioned, but then again you could never figure out what the hell he was saying.
Long before future classics like "Losing My Religion," "Radio Free Europe" was the first REM song that felt like pure gibberish, with many fans still wondering what the title even means. Even Stipe has admitted to just making up words when it actually came time to record some of these tracks. Something that unprofessional would normally sound dreadful in pop music, but the things Stipe talks about goes beyond just words.
When going over the more incomprehensible sections, Stipe explains that his goal was not to have the lyrics cut and dry but rather let the audience try to fill in the gaps to suit their own life experiences. "Radio Free Europe" may still sound like gibberish, but as long as people continue to bring their own stories to the forefront, it will remain evergreen in the world of rock.