Not the best song, because this is art, baby.
In chronological order:
- Murmur: This one is tricky, because a lot of songs here are equally good, there are no obvious standouts for me, but I’m going with “Catapult” because it showcases each band member as it bounces along energetically. But really, half a dozen other songs could go here, too.
- Reckoning: “(Don’t go Back To) Rockville”. As the kids would say, I love the jaunty, country-ish vibe. Mike Mills wrote the song and in concert he would often sing lead on it, though Michael Stipe does a fine job here.
- Fables of the Reconstruction: “Maps and Legends” because it captures the southern gothic/swamp rock thing so well. There’s a density to the production here that really clicks for me.
- Lifes Rich Pageant: I declare a tie between two songs: The beautiful and haunting “Cuyahoga” and “Fall on Me” which features a great vocal bridge by Mike Mills and I also like the way Stipe casually drops in “Don’t” at the start of every other chorus, entirely changing the meaning of the song, such as it is.
- Document: It would be easy to just pick “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” and that’s what I’m doing. R.E.M. was prone to more whimsy and absurdity in their early days, and this may be the best example of it.
- Green: Did the band pick the best song of the album as the lead-off single? Maybe, because I’m also picking “Orange Crush.” The harmonies are great, Buck’s guitar is cutting and the chorus is actually wordless.
- Out of Time: “Losing My Religion” is a great song and could easily be my pick, but I really like the drama of “Texarkana“, as well as Mike Mill’s lead vocals. I’ve heard the original version Stipe gave up on. It’s kind of funny that Mills kept the title, but never mentions it in the actual song.
- Automatic For the People: “Find the River.” Simple and beautiful. But a lot of other songs could slot in here, as well.
- Monster: “Crush with Eyeliner“, because of the weird, playful lyrics, and the sawing, reverb-laden guitar of Peter Buck.
- New Adventures in Hi-Fi: “Electrolite“, which is a fitting coda to both the album and Bill Berry’s time with the band. The piano works really well here.
- Up: The obvious pick might be “Daysleeper”, which sounds like classic R.E.M. but I’m partial to “Hope“, which has a somewhat techno sound with Stipe’s weird body horror lyrics layered over top.
- Reveal: Unlike Up, I am going with the classic R.E.M. sound of “Imitation of Life.” The video is great, too.
- Around the Sun: None. Just kidding! I like “Aftermath” but feel like the tempo is a little off, so I’ll go with the lead-off single “Leaving New York“, which features mad overdubbed vocals but works well, possibly because of them.
- Accelerate: “Man-Sized Wreath.” I have listened to this song a billion million times (usually while jogging). It’s short, it rocks and features Michael Stipe shouting “Wow!”
- Collapse Into Now: “It Happened Today” which changes from lyrics to wordless vocals for the last few minutes. Bonus Eddie Vedder humming.
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