Near Wild Heaven
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"Near Wild Heaven" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released in August 1991 as the third single from their seventh studio album, Out of Time (1991). The song was also the first single released by the band to have had its lyrics both co-written and sung by bassist Mike Mills. According to a quote from Peter Buck in R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song by Craig Rosen, the lyrics are a collaboration between Mills and lead singer Michael Stipe. It peaked at No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart but the single was not released in the United States. Mike Mills had written the lyrics to the single "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", and he had sung the cover song "Superman", but he had not sung his own work on a released-as-a-single recording.
Critical reception
Barbara Ellen from NME wrote, "This whilst still gorgeous does not match 'Losing My Religion's maverick vision, or the ecstatic giggle of 'Shiny Happy People'."[1] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel felt that "Near Wild Heaven" "already overdoes the contrast between dark-edged lyrics and a light-hearted melody by folding Mike Mills' lead vocal into a sugary arrangement. Adding strings to the recipe is like putting frosting on cherry pie."[2]
Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.
- 7" / cassette
- "Near Wild Heaven"
- "Pop Song '89" (live)1
- 12"
- "Near Wild Heaven"
- "Pop Song '89" (live)1
- "Half a World Away" (live)2
- CD
- "Near Wild Heaven" – 3:18
- "Tom's Diner" (Suzanne Vega) (live)1 – 2:04
- "Low" (live)1 – 4:59
- "Endgame" (live)1 – 3:28
Notes
1 Recorded at The Borderline Club, London, England; March 15, 1991. Further songs from this performance were later released on an album.
2 Recorded on Rockline, Los Angeles, California; April 1, 1991.
Personnel
Personnel taken from Out of Time liner notes.[3]
R.E.M.
- Bill Berry – drums, percussion, piano, vocals
- Peter Buck – guitar
- Mike Mills – vocals, bass guitar
- Michael Stipe – vocals
Additional musicians
- Kidd Jordan – baritone saxophone
- Kate Pierson – backing vocals[4]
Strings
- David Arenz – violin
- Ellie Arenz – violin
- Mark Bingham – string arrangements
- David Braitberg – violin
- Andrew Cox – cello
- Reid Harris – viola
- Ralph Jones – double bass
- Dave Kempers – violin
- Elizabeth Murphy – cello
- Paul Murphy – viola
- Jay Weigel – orchestral liaison
Charts
Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 65 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[6] | 11 |
References
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- ↑ Gettelman, Parry (March 22, 1991). "R.E.M.". Orlando Sentinel.
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External links
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- Pages with script errors
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- Music infoboxes with malformed table placement
- 1991 singles
- R.E.M. songs
- Songs written by Bill Berry
- Songs written by Peter Buck
- Songs written by Mike Mills
- Songs written by Michael Stipe
- Warner Records singles
- Song recordings produced by Scott Litt
- Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe
- Song recordings produced by Mike Mills
- Song recordings produced by Bill Berry
- Song recordings produced by Peter Buck
- 1991 songs
- Sunshine pop songs
- American pop songs