Talk About the Passion

Single infobox |
Name = Talk About the Passion


Artist = R.E.M.
from Album = Murmur
Released = November 1983
Format = 12"
Recorded = 1983
Genre = College rock
Length = 3:23
Label = IRS
Producer = Don Dixon and Mitch Easter
Chart position = * did not chart
Last single = "Radio Free Europe"
(1983)
This single = "Talk About the Passion"
(1985)
Next single = "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)"
(1984)

"Talk About the Passion" was the second and final single released by R.E.M. from the band's debut album "Murmur" in 1983. It was released in Europe only, on 12" vinyl. This song failed to follow up on the success of "Radio Free Europe" released earlier in the year, as it did not chart.

"Talk About the Passion" is a "hunger song", although the only direct reference in the song is to "empty mouths". Michael Stipe has stated, "Talk About the Passion" was a song about hunger but the lyrics weren't clear enough. [cite book
last =Bowler
first =Dave
authorlink =
coauthors =Dray, Bryan
title =R.E.M. From "Chronic Town" to "Monster"
publisher =Carol Publishing Group
date =1995
location =Secaucus, NJ
pages =61
url =
doi =
id =
isbn =0-8065-1724-7 ] The video, made in 1988 and featured on the compilations "Pop Screen" and "When the Light Is Mine", made this meaning of the song more explicit by showing images of homeless people and images of a warship, ending with the caption, "in 1987 the cost of one destroyer-class warship was 910 million dollars."

The song was the first R.E.M. song to contain a foreign phrase, with the line "Combien du temps?". In French, this means "How much time?" or "For how long?" The song also includes the line "Combien reaction?", which is a blend of English and French that can be taken to mean, "How much reaction?"

The song was included on R.E.M.'s first I.R.S. Records greatest hits album, "Eponymous", and released as the only single from that album in 1988.

Covers

The 1992 tribute album "Surprise Your Pig" included an Italian-language version of the song by a band called Samson and the Philistines.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.

# "Talk About the Passion" - 3:24
# "Shaking Through" - 4:30
# "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)" - 3:55
# "1,000,000" - 3:07

References