Automatic for the People

"Drive" sets the tone for the album. It sounds much like a funeral march. From the first five notes, it's direction is clear: dark, moody, and foreboding ... you know the this is no ordinary CD ... there are no "shining happy people" here ...

AFTP begins by tackling the decision to live or die. "Try Not to Breathe" is about deciding to die. It presents the thoughts of an old man who has lived a full life and has decided that he is ready to go. He muses what the world will be like without him and how he'll be remembered when he's gone.

"Everybody Hurts" is about deciding to live. The case is made that hurting is a necessary and temporary part of life ... it's not a reason to give up. Nor do we hurt alone. The lyrics and melody are nakedly simple and direct.

"Sweetness Follows" is about the healing and perspective that the death of a loved one can sometimes bring. The image is of the death of a loved one who was made more distant by a preoccupation with the banal, everyday concerns of life. Their death is a wake up call to forget the little things and recognize the power of the relationships with those we love.

"Man on the Moon" is probably the best known of the songs on AFTP. It wonders aloud ... what is it like in heaven? The human beings of the ages (Moses, Newton, and Darwin) are used to evoke a sense of an infinite hereafter. One wonders, what does someone like Andy Kaufman do in heaven amidst the likes of Moses? Well, Andy Kaufman is there, still "goofing on" Elvis, still wrestling, and still having breakfast with Mr. Blassie. Maybe it's not such a serious place after all.

"Nightswimming" is a bullet through the heart. I've heard it described as a song about nostalgia, but I think it's much more than that. It's a regretful look at a path not taken viewed from the wisdom obtained from the passage of time. The image is of someone driving alone at night wistfully looking at the image on a precious old photograph sitting on the dashboard. Swimming at night is a metaphor for the memory of a moment at the crossroads, facing a choice that involved playing it safe, or taking a personal, reckless risk of exposure.

The picture, like the memory it represents, is turned away ... as if it's painful to see But just like the picture on the windshield, turned around for all to see, the memory is worn like a badge:

"The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago, turned around backwards so the windshield shows."

The haunting image comes and goes with each passing streetlight. Although the image is seen backwards, the hindsight made possible by the passing of time reveals a significance of the moment that was not fully understood at time:

"Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse. Still, it's so much clearer."

With the passage of time, the fears (and the vitality that go with them) are gone and replaced by the tedium of everyday life ...

"These things they go away, replaced by every day"

... but the longing remains, and now with profound regret. He's left with a bittersweet memory of what was and the fantasy of what might have been:

"Nightswimming, remembering that night. September's coming soon. I'm pining for the moon. And what if there were two; side by side in orbit around the fairest sun? That bright, tight forever drum could not describe nightswimming."

"The photograph reflects, every streetlight a reminder. Nightswimming deserves a quiet night."

All of these achingly personal lyrics are accompanied with the stark loneliness of Stipe's voice and a wonderfully sad but sweet piano melody. "Nightswimming" is the brightest star in an album full of celestial wonders.

Nightswimming is a tough act to follow, but "Find the River" pulls that off nicely. It uses a flowing river as a metaphor for the passing of life. The image is one of a solitary soul floating down a river watching his life pass before his eyes, throwing aromatic fruit and spices as if he was sowing seeds. The river flows toward its inexorable but natural end at the ocean, just as life flows toward inevitable death.

"The river to the ocean goes, a fortune for the undertow. None of this is going my way. There is nothing left to throw of Ginger, lemon, indigo, coriander stem and rose of hay. Strength and courage overrides the privileged and weary eyes of river poet search naivete. Pick up here and chase the ride. The river empties to the tide. All of this is coming your way."

The repeated use of the phrase "nothing is going my way" is a reminder that the journey of life, especially at the end, is one that everyone takes alone.

A final brilliant aspect of "Find the River" is the way that it ends. Unexpectedly ... almost suddenly ... with a lot of loose ends untied. Just like life.

If you're looking for happy melodies and easy to digest lyrics, look elsewhere ... AFTP is not for you. But if you're looking for a companion on a guided tour of your soul, this is it. There are good reasons why so many people think AFTP is one of the best CDs of the 90s. It is.


One of rock's best albums. Absolutely essential.   January 1, 2002
Mike London (Oxford, UK)
30 out of 32 found this review helpful

Easily one of the best albums of the 1990s, R.E.M.'s AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE becomes one of the cornerstones of modern music in the last decade. Few albums can touch this in terms of lyrical responsibility, well-crafted music, and top-rate song writing. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE also takes a very big risk which pays off wonderfully. At the height of the grunge movement, R.E.M. releases a largely calm album. There is quite a bit of contrast between this and NEVERMIND or TEN. In the end, however, AUTOMATIC is more rewarding on the emotional level for the listener in the long run that either one of those albums. And on a sonic level, it's a radical left-of-the-mainstream album which not only became huge but, without a doubt, forever secured R.E.M. a place in music history. Not only was it in complete opposition to the music scne of the time, it also is, along with Radiohead's OK COMPUTER, the two top albums on the 1990s.

To give a personal listening history, my brother, big into grunge at the time, had bought this album when it first came out and really didn't think much of it. So I always took it out of his CD-case and listened to it on my own. To this day our musical tastes are pretty far divided, although we do have mutual ground. Why this didn't capture him as it did me, I still have not understood why. He was to busy listening to TEN, I suppose, to really get the gest of this album.

Anyway, point being, I've listened to this album since 1993, and track for track I am very hard pressed to come up with a 1990s album even half this good. This is also an album, even after having listened to it for years, which I never tire of, and I've literally listened to it so many times I've lost count. While I'm not real familiar with R.E.M.'s body of work, as I understand it this is their best album, and from what I have listened too I can understand that. The albums I have heard (MONSTER, GREEN, DOCUMENT, and OUT OF TIME) have some great songs, but they're nowhere near as consistent as they are here. The melodies and arrangements are inventive and well-suited to the music.

The atmosphere is probably what is best about the album. This album is a collection of music dealing with several interrelated themes. There is a sense of struggle on this album, and a very real sense of hope that we can indeed make this a better world. While some albums revel in despair, this never sinks to preachy or self-pitying. You will find few releases where the emotional resonance is as strong as it is here. I would even almost except the fact that emotionally this has more of an impact than even Dylan's BLOOD ON THE TRACKS lp. That captures pain, etc, but it is not emotionally as well-rounded as this is. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE captures pain, but also hope, love, a calm soothing effect make it a well-balanced piece. "Try Not To Breathe", coming from the prospective of an elderly person, deals with Euthanasia and how he/she has decided to die. Yet even when he has decided to die the will to live still presses on, and with "Everyone Hurts," and "Sweetness Follows" in quite close proximity, it is obvious that, while you should understand their request and respect them as humans, euthanasia is not the answer. Help them, do not kill them. After all, everybody hurts.

As for tracks that are "weak", there are two. "New Orleans Instrumental", which is fine in it's own right, was never my favorite although it fits the mood of the album. "Star Me Kitten," although I like the song both in texture an lyrics, says "f- me kitten" instead of "Star Me Kitten," so parents be warned. "Ignoreland" is also a rather perfunctory track. Even with these considered, AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE is still easily a masterpiece.

In the end, AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, alongside Radiohead's OK COMPUTER, are my two top picks of the 1990s music, and both of these albums join that coveted "essential" list of rock albums.


Sublime Musical Gift   September 10, 2000
Philip Petch (Stellenbosch, South Africa)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

This is the pinnacle of the band's achievements and this cannot be disputed. REM has come a long way since the early days of college music and Michael Stipe having mustard in his hair. If the enormous success of Out of Time didn't establish them as one of the greatest bands of the 80's & 90's, this album leaves absolutely no doubt about that!

REM tones things down on this masterpiece and makes wide ranging social commentary. "Drive" starts by instucting voters not to get "Bushwhacked" in the line "smack, crack, bushwhacked, tie another one to the rack, baby". The hauntingly beautiful "Everybody Hurts" has won numerous MTv awards and these are all justified. Many critics believe that this suicide ballad is very depressing, but upon closer inspection it is in fact an incredibly uplifting song. "Take comfort in your friends" and "you are not alone" shows that there is hope and solice to be found in those around us. "Try not to Breathe" is often refered to as commenting on euthanasia and Dr. Death's practises. "monty got a Raw Deal" discusses the life and career of actor Montgomery Cliff and the happenings during his life. The legendary Andy Kaufman is immortalised in the track "Man on the Moon" and later in the movie by the same name. the orchestral arrangement on "Nightswimming" is breathtaking while the final track "Find the River" leaves us a hope-filled final line:"All of this is coming your way".

Comparisons will always be made. It is important not to make this comparison according to sales figures, but based on the contribution that an album makes to the industry. This album's value cannot be underestimated. It has severed as inspiration to artists like the late Kurt Cobain, Counting Crows and Live. Some have gone as far as to compare it favourable to the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's".

This is a must have album, not only to fans of the band, but to lovers of exceptional music.


This album is a masterpiece, a triumph by any standard.   February 25, 1999
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

"Automatic For The People" is truly one of the greatest albums of all time. Its use of compelling imagery makes it one of the most passionate and emotional albums that this or any other band has ever released. "Automatic" is fully worthy of every one of the fifty-million-plus people worldwide who have bought it. I say without hesitation that I belive it surely will go down in history as one of the greatest albums of all time.

"Drive" is a great album opener. Its moody, somber strains and downbeat, dark riffs give it a serious and powerful feel. It reflects the entire feel of the album.

"Try Not To Breathe" is a passionate and serious look at life and its dilemmas.

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" is a catchy but serious expression of Michael Stipe's opinion of American pop culture. It is lyrically and musically a great pop song that has decptively real undertones.

"Everybody Hurts" is without question the most heartfelt, sincere and emotional song to ever hit the airwaves of American radio. It is a passionate and soulful plea to teenagers thinking life isn't worth living. It is inspiring, uplifting, and thoroughly beautiful. Asong of true hope and inspiration for the lost.

"New Orleans Instrumental No. 2" is a great follow-up to "Everybody Hurts", allowing the listener to take a deep breath and reflect on what they just heard. As sadly beautiful as anything.

"Sweetness Follows" is a direct contrast to "Everybody Hurts". It is a song about death and depression. Dramatic both lyrically and musically.

"Monty Got a Raw Deal" is a strange mix of contrasts: the fast-paced beat below Stipe's slowly balladeering voice, the catchy guitar riff under his monotonous and serious tone. An effective way to open the "Ride" side of this album.

"Ignoreland" is the most viciously political song ever recorded. Severe and harsh both musically and lyrically, Stipe paints an apocalyptic picture of America's future. Kudos to Stipe on the incredible lyrics. This song was an inkling of things to come on "Monster".

"Star Me Kitten" is a beautiful, passionate song of lost love that lazily floats its way through the middle of "Ride". It is a stark contrast, the polar opposite, of "Ignoreland".

"Man On the Moon" is a deceptively serious, sad song about Stipe's hero, comedian Andy Kaufmann. "It's about a great journey, one we must all take", Stipe is known to say when introducing it in concert.

"Nightswimming" is a starkly beautiful, melodiously passionate song about lost innocence of past days of youth. Its lyrics are simple in appearance, but it may be a criticism of society's infatuation with "faster, higher, farther",in the pursuit of which gets lost small pleasures, like nightswimming.

"Find the River" is a soft, sad, emotional album closer, one of the most insistently beautiful songs on the album. This, more than any other song, sums up the soft moodiness of the entire album.

These things considered, the darkly beautiful "Automatic For The People", with its serious and dramtically emotional overtones, is one of the most stunningly compelling collection of songs ever put on the market. R.E.M. proved their collective intellect with this album is as high as any other person's. Thank you for giving us this work, R.E.M. May it be one of the few that endure history.


The best of the best of the best of the best   December 3, 1999
Karlis Streips (Riga, Latvia)
22 out of 24 found this review helpful

This disk is on my CD player right now, and I'm listening to "Everybody Hurts". I can listen to this song 1,000 times and love it (and I can watch the video on MTV 100 times and get all teary and choked up every time). "Drive" is astonishing in its musicality. "Man on the Moon" is a great tribute. Quite a few people in Latvia, where I live, have had close encounters with REM, because Michael Stipe has made himself very available to Eastern European reporters when he's been in this neck of the woods. I wish I had been one of them, 'cause I'd just like to shake his hand and say "Thank you". "Automatic for the People" is simply magnificent.