When exactly did R.E.M. peak? Was it during the chaotic live 1980s live shows, in the latter part of the decade when the group was reshaping American underground, or during its imperial 1990s phase? I’m not necesarily a fan of R.E.M. I simply think that “Drive” is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 1990s and that this little group from Georgia is the most important alternative band of that decade.
But I was always intrigued and somewhat troubled by “Drive.” What exactly do the lyrics mean? And how did the band come to achieve such phenomenal success all these years after their debut? Here are some of the questions I’m trying to answer in this blog post.
R.E.M.’s Road to Making “Drive”
I didn’t catch the debut album R.E.M. on its release day or any of the group’s now legendary shows. Quite amazingly, though, even when simply enjoying documents of this, it is hard not to appreciate the band’s unique strengths.
R.E.M. always, I think, humbly dreamed of greatness. The group was formed in Athens, Georgia. Its guitarist, Peter Buck, worked in a record store. Its singer, Michael Stipe, was a shy artist. Together with Mike Mills and Bill Berry, they obsessed over New York art-rock, London punk, and Manchester’s The Smiths.
And, maybe that’s why R.E.M. created its version of all those sonic elements long before it had the opportunity to be perverted by corporate interests. 1983’s “Murmur” was a sensation in the American underground, as were the subsequent three studio albums.
Grassroots momentum and a deal with EMI Records helped 1987’s “Document” become a genuine mainstream rock hit. However, by the 1990s, REM had taken a step further, becoming one of the world’s biggest bands on the strength of the single “Losing My Religion.”
“Drive” arrived in 1992. It was a dark, stripped-down follow-up to the group’s multi-platinum-selling release of a year prior. It captured a group at its creative peak, and individually at the group members’ lowest ebb.
The Meaning Behind the Lyrics to “Drive”
The first thing that’s striking about “Drive,” I think, is the tone of the piece. Frankly, this sounds like a minimalist rock funeral march, and I’ve always enjoyed Peter Buck’s guitar work on the song. Fun fact: the guitar solo was used with a nickel as a plectrum. I’ve tried it. Sounds great, but prepare to have to change your strings quickly after a more intense jam session.
Why does the song sound this way? In many ways, the song is about the allure of success and the false promises it holds. Unlike Nirvana, R.E.M. grew gradually. Still, the group’s newfound status did not, at all times, sit well with the band members.
Furthermore, the song was written at a time of upheaval in American politics and society as a whole. The song was written and recorded in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but the tone is not a celebratory one.
You can catch a glimpse of that through the opening line, “Hey kids, rock n’ roll.” That’s a lyric borrowed from David Essex’s song “Rock On.” Essex, if you ask me, wrote bubblegum glam pop songs about rockers reaching the summit of fame and then falling apart.
Music Video
The music video is just as sombre. It was directed by Peter Care and shot in black and white. In the video, the band members, chiefly Michael Stipe, are carried by the crowd like a gigantic wave.
Asked if this means that the audience is caring, or wants to hurt him, Stipe said: “It’s everything. I’m about to be devoured.”
Stipe also recalls two famous friends joining the shoot: “We shot it in Los Angeles with a thousand people as extras. River Phoenix came and hung out in the trailer. We had a great time, until Oliver Stone showed up. I think they had both been drinking, and they got in a fist fight in my trail (gaffaws heartily). I think River won, to tell you the truth. I know he did, in fact.“
Mike Mills weighed in on the meaning of the music video, saying, “I’m not much of a symbolist. There’s something messianic about being passed over the heads of the people like that, and yet we’re anything but messiahs. That was always a strange thing to me. I mean, yes, they get to touch you, but at the same time they’re holding you up like a saint.”
The Legacy of “Drive” and R.E.M.
Listen, I’m not much of a fan of Michael Stipe. He is not a man I’d like to meet alone in an elevator while wearing a skin-tight T-shirt. However, he was a really good singer and the engine for R.E.M.’s creative success.
“Drive” was released one week ahead of the album “Automatic for the People.” It was a hit across the world, and “Automatic for the People” has an astounding 18 million units, making it the band’s most successful album.
The band continued to experiment and, for a while, grow. I suppose REM’s evolution was a natural one, with the band’s final albums not being colossally interesting. Wisely, but unexpectedly, the group called it a day in 2011. Frankly, as a fan of the band’s music, I sincerely hope that it stays this way. That’s because “Drive” is one of the great songs of the 1990s, and we’re all better off remembering R.E.M. for this.
