CST Approved
Track 11 off R.E.M.'s 14th studio album, "Up". Their very first album without longtime drummer Bill Berry and their first with Berry's studio replacement...a drum machine.
The song is the portrayal of a "daysleeper", or, one who stays up all night and sleeps all day. In the case of the song, the "character" they speak of in the song works at night and sleeps during the day. Peter Buck longtime R.E.M. guitarist provided the following commentary on "Daysleeper" in the band's 2003 release "The Best of R.E.M. - In Time 1988 - 2003":
"On an album (Up) not exactly chock-full of top pop smashes, this was the first single. Although not at all representative of the album, I've always liked this song. After all, when was the last time that a song in 3/4 time was a hit single?
Lyrically, what can I say? I relate. After all the years we've been a band, the one thing I know we have in common is that we stay up all night and sleep in the day. Also, we're all incredibly stubborn, so I guess that's too things. Anyway, I think this song perfectly captures that woozy, seasick feeling you get during the daylight hours when you haven't slept"
"Daysleeper" clocks in at three minutes, thirty nine seconds (3:39) and actually charted pretty well in 1998, when it was actually being played on the radio. Peaking at #18 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, #30 on the Mainstream Rock chart, #33 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and peaked at #57 on the Billboard Top 100. There was a time when R.E.M fans feared that this tune would be the last hurrah for the band. As the track was the only commercial and critical success off the album, as well as the most embraced by fans. Luckily, they returned in 2001 with Reveal, which contained twelve tracks that impressed critics and fans alike, and proved they could still churn out a great Top 40 hit with Imitation of Life.
The lyrics are listed below:
receiving dept., 3 a.m.
staff cuts have socked up the overage
directives are posted.
no callbacks, complaints.
everywhere is calm.
Hong Kong is present
Taipei awakes
all talk of circadian rhythm
I see today with a newsprint fray
my night is colored headache grey
daysleeper
the bull and the bear are marking
their territories
they're leading the blind with
their international glories
I'm the screen, the blinding light
I'm the screen, I work at night.
I see today with a newsprint fray
my night is colored headache grey
don't wake me with so much.
daysleeper.
I cried the other night
I can't even say why
fluorescent flat caffeine lights
its furious balancing
I'm the screen, the blinding light
I'm the screen, I work at night
I see today...
don't wake me with so much. the
ocean machine is set to 9
I'll squeeze into heaven and valentine
my bed is pulling me.
gravity
daysleeper. daysleeper.
daysleeper. daysleeper. daysleeper.
Allow me to also mention I'm writing this node after an all-nighter. God bless R.E.M