- The One I Love (song)
Single infobox |
Name = The One I Love
Artist =R.E.M.
from Album = Document
Released = August 1987 (US)September 1991 (UK re-issue)
Format = US:7" , UK:7" , cassette,CD
Recorded = 1987
Genre =Alternative rock
Length = 3:17
Label = I.R.S.
Producer =Mitch Easter , R.E.M.
Last single = "Superman" (1986)
This single = "The One I Love" (1987)
Next single = "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) " (1987)"The One I Love" is a song by American rock band
R.E.M. It was released on the band's fifth full-length studio album, "Document", and also as a 7" vinyl single in 1987. The song was their first hit single, reaching #9 in the USBillboard Hot 100 , #14 in Canada, and later reached #16 in theUK singles chart on its UK release (1991). The song will be included on the upcomingActivision releaseThe accompanying video's director was artist
Robert Longo . Thedirector of photography wasAlton Brown , who later became aFood Network celebrity chef .In March 2005, "Q" magazine placed "The One I Love" at number 57 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
The song is included on "
R.E.M. Live ".Lyrics and meaning
In the ensuing months, listeners who misunderstood the song's meaning made the song a popular radio dedication to loved ones, relying on the main lyric, "This one goes out to the one I love." However, they missed an ensuing line: "A simple prop to occupy my time"; the song was not particularly a love song. Stipe related in 1987 to "
Rolling Stone ", "I've always left myself pretty open to interpretation. It's probably better that they just think it's a love song at this point." [Pond, Steve. "In the Real World: R.E.M.". "Rolling Stone ".December 3 ,1987 .] However, in an interview in the January 1988 issue of Musician magazine he said that the song was "incredibly violent" and "It's very clear that it's about using people over and over again". [Dennis Sullivan, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:wvfqxct5ldde song review on allmusic.com] ]The song contains only three verses, which are all near identical, with small variations each repeat of the verse. (For example "A simple prop to occupy my time", "Another prop has occupied my time"). The chorus consists of just the word "fire", repeated (with the backing vocal of "She's coming down on her own now/Coming down on her own", sung by
Mike Mills ).Cover versions
*The band Bush recorded a live version of the song at
Woodstock '99 which was included on the second disc of their greatest-hits album "".
*Rosie Thomas covered the song on her 2006 album "These Friends of Mine".
*Sufjan Stevens played a live version of the song at aNew York City acoustic-solo-benefit show in 2005.
*TheButthole Surfers covered the song during their late 1980s tours, and a performance of it can be found on their "Double Live" release.
*Over The Rhine covered the song at several shows in 2007. One version is available publicly on the [http://www.archive.org/details/otr2007-04-28.flac16 Live Music Archive] .
*The Moog Cookbook covered the song on their 1995 album "The Moog Cookbook".Track listing
All songs written by
Bill Berry ,Peter Buck ,Mike Mills andMichael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.# "The One I Love" - 3:16
# "Maps and Legends" (live)1 - 3:1512": IRS / IRS-23792 (US)
# "The One I Love" - 3:16
# "The One I Love" (live)1 - 4:06
# "Maps and Legends" (live)1 - 3:1512": IRS / IRMT 146 (UK)
# "The One I Love" - 3:16
# "Last Date" (Floyd Cramer ) - 2:16
# "Disturbance At The Heron House" (live)1 - 3:261 Recorded at McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, California; May 24, 1987.
Charts
*1 - The single originally reached #51 in the UK. It reached #16 in 1991 after the song was re-released.
*2 - Only charted in 1991 after the song's re-release.Notes
External links
* [http://www.remhq.com/shared_assets/videography/videos/theOne.html Video clip at REMhq.com]
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