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Losing My Religion

May 07, 2023

This article is about the R.E.M. song. For other uses, see Losing My Religion (disambiguation).

"Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in February 1991 as the first single from the group's seventh album, Out of Time (1991). Built on a mandolin riff, the song was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering extensive airplay on radio as well as on MTV and VH1 due to its critically acclaimed music video. The single became R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and expanding the group's popularity beyond its original fanbase. At the 1992 Grammy Awards, "Losing My Religion" won two awards: Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[4]

"Losing My Religion"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Out of Time
B-side"Rotary Eleven"
ReleasedFebruary 19, 1991 (1991-02-19)
RecordedSeptember–October 1990
Studio
Genre
Length4:28
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Get Up"
(1989) 		"Losing My Religion"
(1991) 		"Shiny Happy People"
(1991)
Audio sample
Music video
"Losing My Religion" on YouTube

Background

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck wrote the main riff and chorus to the song on a mandolin while watching television one day. Buck had just bought the instrument and was attempting to learn how to play it, recording the music as he practiced. Buck said that "when I listened back to it the next day, there was a bunch of stuff that was really just me learning how to play mandolin, and then there's what became 'Losing My Religion', and then a whole bunch more of me learning to play the mandolin."[5]

Recording of the song started in September 1990 at Bearsville Studio A in Woodstock, New York.[5] The song was arranged in the studio with mandolin, electric bass, and drums.[6] Bassist Mike Mills came up with a bassline inspired by the work of Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie; by his own admission he could not come up with one for the song that was not derivative.[5] Buck said the arrangement of the song "had a hollow feel to it. There's absolutely no midrange on it, just low end and high end, because Mike usually stayed pretty low on the bass." The band decided to have touring guitarist Peter Holsapple play acoustic guitar on the recording. Buck reflected, "It was really cool: Peter and I would be in our little booth, sweating away, and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it. It just had a really magical feel."[6] Singer Michael Stipe's vocals were recorded in a single take.[7] Orchestral strings, arranged by Mark Bingham, were added to the song by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Soundscape Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 1990.[8]

Composition and lyrics

"Losing My Religion" is based on Peter Buck's mandolin-playing. Buck said, "The verses are the kinds of things R.E.M. uses a lot, going from one minor to another, kind [of] like those 'Driver 8' chords. You can't really say anything bad about E minor, A minor, D, and G – I mean, they're just good chords." Buck noted that "Losing My Religion" was "probably the most typical R.E.M.-sounding song on the record. We are trying to get away from those kind of songs, but like I said before, those are some good chords."[6] Orchestral strings play through parts of the song. The song is in natural minor.[9]

Stipe has repeatedly stated that the song's lyrics are not about religion. The phrase "losing my religion" is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means "losing one's temper or civility" or "feeling frustrated and desperate."[10] Stipe told The New York Times the song was about romantic expression.[11] He told Q that "Losing My Religion" is about "someone who pines for someone else. It's unrequited love, what have you."[12] Stipe compared the song's theme to "Every Breath You Take" (1983) by The Police, saying, "It's just a classic obsession pop song. I've always felt the best kinds of songs are the ones where anybody can listen to it, put themselves in it and say, 'Yeah, that's me.'"[13]

In a 2020 interview for Song Exploder, a Netflix series, Bill Berry was reminded that handclaps were introduced later in the song. He was first played a stripped-down version of the song, featuring just his drum line and the handclaps. He was surprised to hear them and asked, "I wonder if they're in the mix. Is that the demo?" He was then played the final version of the song. "They are there!" he said, upon hearing it. "Wow. That's wild. I'm just flummoxed right now. It's thirty years ago; I'm sorry I didn't remember that."[14]

Release and performance

"Losing My Religion" was released on February 19, 1991, in the United States as the lead single from R.E.M.'s forthcoming album Out of Time.[13] The band's record label, Warner Bros., was wary about the group's choice of the song as the album's first single. Steven Baker, who was vice president of product management at Warner Bros. at the time, said there were "long, drawn-out discussions" about releasing such an "unconventional track" as the single until the label agreed. While R.E.M. declined to tour to promote Out of Time, the band visited radio stations, gave numerous press interviews, and made appearances on MTV to promote the record. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. worked to establish the single at campus, modern rock, and album-oriented rock radio stations before promoting it to American Top 40 stations, where it became a success. "The record crosses the boundaries of being just an alternative record", one Top 40 radio station program director said; he admitted that "Losing My Religion" was "a hard record to program; you can't play L.L. Cool J behind it. But it's a real pop record—you can dance to it."[15]

"Losing My Religion" became R.E.M.'s biggest hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16] The single stayed on the chart for 21 weeks.[17] It topped both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, for three and eight weeks respectively, also personal bests for the band on both charts. It charted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at No. 16 and No. 11 in Canada and Australia, respectively.[16] Mills said years later, "Without 'Losing My Religion', Out of Time would have sold two or three million [copies], instead of the ten [million copies] or so it did. But the phenomenon that is a worldwide hit is an odd thing to behold. Basically that record was a hit in almost every civilised country in the world."[7] The success of "Losing My Religion" and Out of Time broadened R.E.M.'s audience beyond its original college radio fanbase. When asked at the time if he was worried that the song's success might alienate older fans, Buck told Rolling Stone, "The people that changed their minds because of 'Losing My Religion' can just kiss my ass."[18]

Critical reception

Caren Myers from Melody Maker named the song Single of the Week, adding, "'Losing My Religion' occupies a smaller, more intimate space, delicately picking a path with mandolins and acoustic guitars, soothed by the mournful sweep of a string section. Deceptive echoes of "World Leader Pretend" dissolve on second listen as the song wraps itself around the impossibility of communication with glancing but painful accuracy. Stipe's writing is getting sparser and more intense, riddled with oblique insights but unwilling to point out where. This is R.E.M. at their most tender and unsettling, Stipe's careworn voice filled with inexplicable sadness, but as warm and familiar as ever."[19] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote, "Hearing such a beautiful song with a striking mandolin arrangement, provides an ample religious substitute."[20] Terry Staunton from NME found that it "is likely to be read as self-reflection on R.E.M.'s position in the worldwide musical scheme of things, doubt and discomfort at the prospect of unwanted disciples".[21] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel remarked that here, the band returns to its "trademark jangle", "but Buck employs a mandolin instead of a Rickenbacker. Stipe touches again on what seems to be ambivalence about his role as a pop star, and about the need to communicate with an audience."[22] David Fricke from Rolling Stone felt that "there is melancholy in the air: in the doleful strings and teardrop mandolin of "Losing My Religion".[23] Celia Farber from Spin praised it as "a gorgeous, gorgeous song", adding, "When Stipe sings "That's me in the corner/That's me in the spotlight losing my religion", I actually get a hot/cold flash and have to play the song about 30 more times. Right away."[24]

The single placed second in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll, behind Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".[25] R.E.M. was nominated for seven awards at the 1992 Grammy Awards. "Losing My Religion" alone earned several nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[26] The song won two awards, for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Short Form Music Video.[27] In 2004, Rolling Stone listed the song at No. 169 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2007, the song was listed as No. 9 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.[28] In 2009, Blender ranked it at No. 79 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[29] The song is also included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[30]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Losing My Religion" was directed by Tarsem Singh. As opposed to previous R.E.M. videos, Michael Stipe agreed to lip sync the lyrics.[31] The video originated as a combination of ideas envisioned by Stipe and Singh. Stipe wanted the promo to be a straightforward performance video, akin to Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U". Singh wanted to create a video in the style of a certain type of Indian filmmaking, where everything would be "melodramatic and very dreamlike", according to Stipe.[32] Singh has said the video is modeled after the Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" in which an angel crashes into a town and the villagers have varied reactions to him.[33]

The video begins with a brief sequence inside a dark room where water drips from an open window. Recreating a scene from the Andrei Tarkovsky film The Sacrifice, Buck, Berry, and Mills run across the room while Stipe remains seated as a pitcher of milk drops from the windowsill and shatters; the song then begins. Director Singh also drew inspiration from the Italian painter Caravaggio and the video is laden with religious imagery such as Saint Sebastian, the Biblical episode of the Incredulity of Thomas and Hindu deities, portrayed in a series of tableaux.[34] Actor Wade Dominguez (1966-1998), who played Emilio in Dangerous Minds (1995), appears in the music video.[35]

The music video was nominated in nine categories at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. The video won six awards, including Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Art Direction, Best Direction, and Best Editing.[36] "Losing My Religion" also ranked second in the music video category of the 1991 Pazz & Jop poll.[25]

The music video hit one billion views on YouTube in September 2022, becoming the band's first video to do so.[37]

MTV performances

On November 10, 1991, R.E.M. performed "Losing My Religion" with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the tenth anniversary of MTV. It was recorded at the Madison Morgan Cultural Centre in Madison, Georgia, about twenty miles south of Athens.[38]

They also performed the song earlier in the year for MTV Unplugged, and again in 2001.

Personnel

R.E.M.

Additional musicians

Track listing

All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe except where noted.

7-inch

  1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
  2. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32

12-inch and compact disc

  1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
  2. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32
  3. "After Hours" (Lou Reed) (Live)1 – 2:08

UK "Collector's Edition" CD one

  1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
  2. "Stand" (Live)1 – 3:21
  3. "Turn You Inside-Out" (Live)1 – 4:23
  4. "World Leader Pretend" (Live)1 – 4:24

UK "Collector's Edition" CD two

  1. "Losing My Religion" – 4:29
  2. "Fretless" – 4:51
  3. "Losing My Religion" (Live acoustic version/Rockline) – 4:38
  4. "Rotary Eleven" – 2:32

Notes

  • 1. Taken from the live performance video, Tourfilm.

Charts and certifications

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Losing My Religion"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe February 19, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Warner Bros. [39]
United States
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 [13]
United Kingdom February 25, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [79]

Covers

Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) covered the song in the 2010 Glee episode "Grilled Cheesus".[80] The song reached number 60 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 47 on the Canadian Hot 100.[81][82]

Tori Amos recorded a cover version which appeared in the film Higher Learning.

Italian band Lacuna Coil covered the song on their 2012 album Dark Adrenaline.

Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan covered the song on his 2020 album Thief.[83]

Hootie & the Blowfish covered the song for the 2020 reissue of their 2019 album Imperfect Circle. In a 2020 interview, guitarist Matt Bryan emphasized how influential R.E.M. had been in the band's development.[84][85]

References

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Bibliography

May 07, 2023
losing, religion, this, article, about, song, other, uses, disambiguation, song, american, alternative, rock, band, released, february, 1991, first, single, from, group, seventh, album, time, 1991, built, mandolin, riff, song, unlikely, group, garnering, exten. This article is about the R E M song For other uses see Losing My Religion disambiguation Losing My Religion is a song by American alternative rock band R E M released in February 1991 as the first single from the group s seventh album Out of Time 1991 Built on a mandolin riff the song was an unlikely hit for the group garnering extensive airplay on radio as well as on MTV and VH1 due to its critically acclaimed music video The single became R E M s highest charting hit in the United States reaching No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and expanding the group s popularity beyond its original fanbase At the 1992 Grammy Awards Losing My Religion won two awards Best Short Form Music Video and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal 4 Losing My Religion Single by R E M from the album Out of TimeB side Rotary Eleven ReleasedFebruary 19 1991 1991 02 19 RecordedSeptember October 1990StudioBearsville Woodstock New York John Keane Studios Athens Georgia Soundscape Atlanta GenreAlternative rock 1 2 folk rock 3 Length4 28LabelWarner Bros Songwriter s Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills Michael StipeProducer s Scott Litt R E M R E M singles chronology Get Up 1989 Losing My Religion 1991 Shiny Happy People 1991 Audio sample source source track filehelpMusic video Losing My Religion on YouTube Contents 1 Background 2 Composition and lyrics 3 Release and performance 4 Critical reception 5 Music video 6 MTV performances 7 Personnel 8 Track listing 9 Charts and certifications 9 1 Weekly charts 9 2 Year end charts 9 3 Certifications 10 Release history 11 Covers 12 References 13 BibliographyBackground EditR E M guitarist Peter Buck wrote the main riff and chorus to the song on a mandolin while watching television one day Buck had just bought the instrument and was attempting to learn how to play it recording the music as he practiced Buck said that when I listened back to it the next day there was a bunch of stuff that was really just me learning how to play mandolin and then there s what became Losing My Religion and then a whole bunch more of me learning to play the mandolin 5 Recording of the song started in September 1990 at Bearsville Studio A in Woodstock New York 5 The song was arranged in the studio with mandolin electric bass and drums 6 Bassist Mike Mills came up with a bassline inspired by the work of Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie by his own admission he could not come up with one for the song that was not derivative 5 Buck said the arrangement of the song had a hollow feel to it There s absolutely no midrange on it just low end and high end because Mike usually stayed pretty low on the bass The band decided to have touring guitarist Peter Holsapple play acoustic guitar on the recording Buck reflected It was really cool Peter and I would be in our little booth sweating away and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it It just had a really magical feel 6 Singer Michael Stipe s vocals were recorded in a single take 7 Orchestral strings arranged by Mark Bingham were added to the song by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Soundscape Studios in Atlanta Georgia in October 1990 8 Composition and lyrics Edit Losing My Religion is based on Peter Buck s mandolin playing Buck said The verses are the kinds of things R E M uses a lot going from one minor to another kind of like those Driver 8 chords You can t really say anything bad about E minor A minor D and G I mean they re just good chords Buck noted that Losing My Religion was probably the most typical R E M sounding song on the record We are trying to get away from those kind of songs but like I said before those are some good chords 6 Orchestral strings play through parts of the song The song is in natural minor 9 Stipe has repeatedly stated that the song s lyrics are not about religion The phrase losing my religion is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one s temper or civility or feeling frustrated and desperate 10 Stipe told The New York Times the song was about romantic expression 11 He told Q that Losing My Religion is about someone who pines for someone else It s unrequited love what have you 12 Stipe compared the song s theme to Every Breath You Take 1983 by The Police saying It s just a classic obsession pop song I ve always felt the best kinds of songs are the ones where anybody can listen to it put themselves in it and say Yeah that s me 13 In a 2020 interview for Song Exploder a Netflix series Bill Berry was reminded that handclaps were introduced later in the song He was first played a stripped down version of the song featuring just his drum line and the handclaps He was surprised to hear them and asked I wonder if they re in the mix Is that the demo He was then played the final version of the song They are there he said upon hearing it Wow That s wild I m just flummoxed right now It s thirty years ago I m sorry I didn t remember that 14 Release and performance Edit Losing My Religion was released on February 19 1991 in the United States as the lead single from R E M s forthcoming album Out of Time 13 The band s record label Warner Bros was wary about the group s choice of the song as the album s first single Steven Baker who was vice president of product management at Warner Bros at the time said there were long drawn out discussions about releasing such an unconventional track as the single until the label agreed While R E M declined to tour to promote Out of Time the band visited radio stations gave numerous press interviews and made appearances on MTV to promote the record Meanwhile Warner Bros worked to establish the single at campus modern rock and album oriented rock radio stations before promoting it to American Top 40 stations where it became a success The record crosses the boundaries of being just an alternative record one Top 40 radio station program director said he admitted that Losing My Religion was a hard record to program you can t play L L Cool J behind it But it s a real pop record you can dance to it 15 Losing My Religion became R E M s biggest hit in the U S peaking at No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 16 The single stayed on the chart for 21 weeks 17 It topped both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts for three and eight weeks respectively also personal bests for the band on both charts It charted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at No 16 and No 11 in Canada and Australia respectively 16 Mills said years later Without Losing My Religion Out of Time would have sold two or three million copies instead of the ten million copies or so it did But the phenomenon that is a worldwide hit is an odd thing to behold Basically that record was a hit in almost every civilised country in the world 7 The success of Losing My Religion and Out of Time broadened R E M s audience beyond its original college radio fanbase When asked at the time if he was worried that the song s success might alienate older fans Buck told Rolling Stone The people that changed their minds because of Losing My Religion can just kiss my ass 18 Critical reception EditCaren Myers from Melody Maker named the song Single of the Week adding Losing My Religion occupies a smaller more intimate space delicately picking a path with mandolins and acoustic guitars soothed by the mournful sweep of a string section Deceptive echoes of World Leader Pretend dissolve on second listen as the song wraps itself around the impossibility of communication with glancing but painful accuracy Stipe s writing is getting sparser and more intense riddled with oblique insights but unwilling to point out where This is R E M at their most tender and unsettling Stipe s careworn voice filled with inexplicable sadness but as warm and familiar as ever 19 A reviewer from Music amp Media wrote Hearing such a beautiful song with a striking mandolin arrangement provides an ample religious substitute 20 Terry Staunton from NME found that it is likely to be read as self reflection on R E M s position in the worldwide musical scheme of things doubt and discomfort at the prospect of unwanted disciples 21 Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel remarked that here the band returns to its trademark jangle but Buck employs a mandolin instead of a Rickenbacker Stipe touches again on what seems to be ambivalence about his role as a pop star and about the need to communicate with an audience 22 David Fricke from Rolling Stone felt that there is melancholy in the air in the doleful strings and teardrop mandolin of Losing My Religion 23 Celia Farber from Spin praised it as a gorgeous gorgeous song adding When Stipe sings That s me in the corner That s me in the spotlight losing my religion I actually get a hot cold flash and have to play the song about 30 more times Right away 24 The single placed second in the Village Voice Pazz amp Jop annual critics poll behind Nirvana s Smells Like Teen Spirit 25 R E M was nominated for seven awards at the 1992 Grammy Awards Losing My Religion alone earned several nominations including Record of the Year and Song of the Year 26 The song won two awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Short Form Music Video 27 In 2004 Rolling Stone listed the song at No 169 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time In 2007 the song was listed as No 9 on VH1 s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s 28 In 2009 Blender ranked it at No 79 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born 29 The song is also included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame s list of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll 30 Music video EditThe accompanying music video for Losing My Religion was directed by Tarsem Singh As opposed to previous R E M videos Michael Stipe agreed to lip sync the lyrics 31 The video originated as a combination of ideas envisioned by Stipe and Singh Stipe wanted the promo to be a straightforward performance video akin to Sinead O Connor s Nothing Compares 2 U Singh wanted to create a video in the style of a certain type of Indian filmmaking where everything would be melodramatic and very dreamlike according to Stipe 32 Singh has said the video is modeled after the Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings in which an angel crashes into a town and the villagers have varied reactions to him 33 The video begins with a brief sequence inside a dark room where water drips from an open window Recreating a scene from the Andrei Tarkovsky film The Sacrifice Buck Berry and Mills run across the room while Stipe remains seated as a pitcher of milk drops from the windowsill and shatters the song then begins Director Singh also drew inspiration from the Italian painter Caravaggio and the video is laden with religious imagery such as Saint Sebastian the Biblical episode of the Incredulity of Thomas and Hindu deities portrayed in a series of tableaux 34 Actor Wade Dominguez 1966 1998 who played Emilio in Dangerous Minds 1995 appears in the music video 35 The music video was nominated in nine categories at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards The video won six awards including Video of the Year Best Group Video Breakthrough Video Best Art Direction Best Direction and Best Editing 36 Losing My Religion also ranked second in the music video category of the 1991 Pazz amp Jop poll 25 The music video hit one billion views on YouTube in September 2022 becoming the band s first video to do so 37 MTV performances EditOn November 10 1991 R E M performed Losing My Religion with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the tenth anniversary of MTV It was recorded at the Madison Morgan Cultural Centre in Madison Georgia about twenty miles south of Athens 38 They also performed the song earlier in the year for MTV Unplugged and again in 2001 Personnel EditR E M Bill Berry drums percussion Peter Buck electric guitar mandolin Mike Mills bass guitar backing vocals keyboards and arrangement Michael Stipe lead vocalsAdditional musicians Peter Holsapple acoustic guitarTrack listing EditAll songs were written by Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills and Michael Stipe except where noted 7 inch Losing My Religion 4 29 Rotary Eleven 2 3212 inch and compact disc Losing My Religion 4 29 Rotary Eleven 2 32 After Hours Lou Reed Live 1 2 08UK Collector s Edition CD one Losing My Religion 4 29 Stand Live 1 3 21 Turn You Inside Out Live 1 4 23 World Leader Pretend Live 1 4 24UK Collector s Edition CD two Losing My Religion 4 29 Fretless 4 51 Losing My Religion Live acoustic version Rockline 4 38 Rotary Eleven 2 32Notes 1 Taken from the live performance video Tourfilm Charts and certifications EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1991 1992 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 39 11Austria O3 Austria Top 40 40 6Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 41 1Canada Top Singles RPM 42 6Canada Adult Contemporary RPM 43 17Denmark IFPI 44 9Europe European Hot 100 Singles 45 14France SNEP 46 3Ireland IRMA 47 5Italy Musica e dischi 48 8Netherlands Dutch Top 40 49 1Netherlands Single Top 100 50 1New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 51 16Norway VG lista 52 4Sweden Sverigetopplistan 53 3Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 54 11UK Singles OCC 55 19US Cash Box Top 100 56 6US Billboard Hot 100 57 4US Adult Contemporary Billboard 58 28US Alternative Airplay Billboard 59 1US Mainstream Rock Billboard 60 1Chart 2008 PeakpositionItaly FIMI 61 14Chart 2013 PeakpositionSlovenia SloTop50 62 14Chart 2015 PeakpositionPoland Polish Airplay Top 100 63 88Chart 2017 PeakpositionSlovenia SloTop50 64 46 Year end charts Edit Chart 1991 PositionAustralia ARIA 65 54Austria O3 Austria Top 40 66 24Belgium Ultratop 67 12Canada Top Singles RPM 68 28Europe European Hot 100 Singles 69 22Netherlands Dutch Top 40 70 7Netherlands Single Top 100 71 4US Cash Box Top 100 72 39US Billboard Hot 100 73 33Certifications Edit Certifications and sales for Losing My Religion Region Certification Certified units salesDenmark IFPI Danmark 74 Platinum 90 000 Italy FIMI 75 2 Platinum 100 000 United Kingdom BPI 76 Platinum 600 000 United States RIAA 77 Physical single Gold 500 000 United States RIAA 78 Digital single Platinum 1 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Release history EditRelease dates and formats for Losing My Religion Region Date Format s Label s Ref Europe February 19 1991 7 inch vinyl12 inch vinylCD Warner Bros 39 United States 7 inch vinylcassette 13 United Kingdom February 25 1991 7 inch vinyl12 inch vinylCDcassette 79 Covers EditFinn Hudson Cory Monteith covered the song in the 2010 Glee episode Grilled Cheesus 80 The song reached number 60 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 47 on the Canadian Hot 100 81 82 Tori Amos recorded a cover version which appeared in the film Higher Learning Italian band Lacuna Coil covered the song on their 2012 album Dark Adrenaline Canadian singer songwriter Dan Mangan covered the song on his 2020 album Thief 83 Hootie amp the Blowfish covered the song for the 2020 reissue of their 2019 album Imperfect Circle In a 2020 interview guitarist Matt Bryan emphasized how influential R E M had been in the band s development 84 85 References Edit Ducker Eric March 11 2016 The Making of R E M s Iconic Losing My Religion Video Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 19 2017 Retrieved June 28 2017 Ranking Every Alternative Rock No 1 Hit From Worst to Best March 28 2016 Retrieved January 31 2022 Browne Ray Broadus Browne Pat January 1 2001 The Guide to United States Popular Culture Popular Press ISBN 9780879728212 via Google Books Jon Pareles February 26 1992 Cole s Unforgettable Sweeps the Grammys The New York Times Archived from the original on January 11 2008 Retrieved December 30 2007 a b c Black p 177 a b c Mettler Mike R E M Radio Songs Guitar School September 1991 a b Buckley p 205 Black p 178 Stephenson Ken 2002 What to Listen for in Rock A Stylistic Analysis p 89 ISBN 978 0 300 09239 4 Robert Sloane Tensions Between Popular Music R E M as Artists Intellectuals Archived August 5 2020 at the Wayback Machine Chapter 4 in A Companion to Media Studies Angharad N Valdivia ed John Wiley amp Sons 2008 Holden Stephen The Pop Life The New York Times March 13 1991 Retrieved on January 13 2008 Snow Mat R E M Q October 1992 a b c Black p 180 Song Exploder 2020 R E M Losing My Religion Browne David It s About Time for R E M Archived December 4 2019 at the Wayback Machine Entertainment Weekly May 31 1991 Retrieved on January 13 2008 a b Buckley p 358 Losing My Religion Rolling Stone December 9 2004 Retrieved on January 15 2008 Giles Jeff No 1 With an Attitude dead link Rolling Stone June 27 1991 Retrieved on January 13 2008 Myers Caren March 9 1991 Singles Melody Maker p 30 Retrieved April 6 2023 New Releases Singles PDF Music amp Media March 16 1991 p 10 Retrieved December 14 2022 Staunton Terry March 16 1991 Long Play NME p 30 Retrieved April 6 2023 Gettelman Parry March 22 1991 R E M Orlando Sentinel Fricke David December 12 1991 December 26 1991 The year in records Rolling Stone Issue 619 620 Farber Celia March 1991 Spins Spin p 73 Retrieved January 23 2023 a b Christgau Robert The 1991 Pazz amp Jop Critics Poll Village Voice March 3 1992 Retrieved on January 20 2008 Pareles Jon Grammy Short List Many For a Few The New York Times January 9 1992 Retrieved on January 20 2008 The Grammys Past Winners Search grammys com Archived from the original on April 20 2017 Retrieved April 19 2017 Digital Videos Episodes TV Series VH1 Archived from the original on February 14 2012 Blender Staff The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born Blender com April 1 2009 Retrieved on April 15 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs That Shaped Rock Rocklist 2004 Archived from the original on April 20 2017 Retrieved April 20 2017 Buckley p 206 Fricke David The Rolling Stone Interview Michael Stipe Rolling Stone March 5 1992 Retrieved on May 19 2008 Ducker Eric The Making of R E M s Iconic Losing My Religion Video Archived September 13 2017 at the Wayback Machine Rolling Stone March 11 2016 Retrieved on February 15 2016 Buckley pp 206 07 Wade Dominguez biography imdb Video Music Awards Past VMAs 1991 Archived January 5 2008 at the Wayback Machine MTV com Retrieved on January 21 2008 Aniftos Rania September 21 2022 R E M s Losing My Religion Reaches 1 Billion YouTube Views Billboard Retrieved September 26 2022 Watch Losing My Religion Live From MTV s 10th Anniversary Celebration R E M HQ November 14 2014 Archived from the original on May 8 2017 Retrieved April 19 2017 a b R E M Losing My Religion ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved March 25 2013 R E M Losing My Religion in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved January 20 2008 R E M Losing My Religion in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved January 20 2008 Top RPM Singles Issue 1552 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved November 22 2019 Top RPM Adult Contemporary Issue 1523 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved April 27 2020 Top 10 Denmark PDF Music amp Media Archived PDF from the original on July 15 2020 Retrieved March 21 2018 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 8 no 33 August 17 1991 p 21 Archived PDF from the original on July 18 2020 Retrieved April 27 2020 R E M Losing My Religion in French Les classement single Retrieved January 20 2008 The Irish Charts Search Results Losing My Religion Irish Singles Chart Retrieved November 22 2019 Top 10 Sales in Europe PDF Music amp Media Vol 8 no 30 July 27 1991 p 20 Archived PDF from the original on July 13 2020 Retrieved November 22 2019 Nederlandse Top 40 week 17 1991 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved November 22 2019 R E M Losing My Religion in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved December 15 2009 R E M Losing My Religion Top 40 Singles Retrieved May 25 2013 R E M Losing My Religion VG lista Retrieved May 25 2013 R E M Losing My Religion Singles Top 100 Retrieved January 20 2008 R E M Losing My Religion Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved January 20 2008 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved November 22 2021 Whitburn Joel 2014 Cash Box Pop Hits 1952 1996 Sheridan Books Inc ISBN 978 0 89820 209 0 R E M Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved September 8 2021 R E M Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved September 8 2021 R E M Chart History Alternative Airplay Billboard Retrieved August 7 2017 R E M Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved September 8 2021 R E M Losing My Religion Top Digital Download Retrieved May 25 2013 SloTop50 Slovenian official singles weekly chart in Slovenian SloTop50 Archived from the original on December 22 2016 Retrieved February 17 2013 Listy bestsellerow wyroznienia Zwiazek Producentow Audio Video Polish Airplay Top 100 Retrieved December 20 2015 SloTop50 Slovenian official singles chart SloTop50 Archived from the original on December 9 2017 Retrieved December 20 2017 Ryan Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 Mt Martha VIC Australia Moonlight Publishing Jahreshitparade Singles 1991 in German Archived from the original on December 3 2019 Retrieved November 22 2019 Jaaroverzichten 1991 in Dutch Ultratop Archived from the original on May 2 2019 Retrieved November 22 2019 RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991 RPM Library and Archives Canada Archived from the original on April 1 2019 Retrieved November 22 2019 Eurochart Hot 100 1991 PDF Music amp Media Vol 8 no 51 52 December 21 1991 p 21 Archived PDF from the original on December 31 2020 Retrieved January 17 2020 via World Radio History Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1991 Dutch Top 40 Archived from the original on March 3 2020 Retrieved April 16 2020 Jaaroverzichten Single 1991 in Dutch MegaCharts Archived from the original on March 24 2019 Retrieved November 22 2019 Cash Box Top 100 Singles Retrieved January 8 2023 Billboard Top 100 1991 Archived from the original on January 7 2014 Retrieved September 15 2009 Danish single certifications R E M Losing My Religion IFPI Danmark Retrieved May 18 2021 Italian single certifications R E M Losing My Religion in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved August 16 2022 Select 2018 in the Anno drop down menu Select Losing My Religion in the Filtra field Select Singoli under Sezione British single certifications REM Losing My Religion British Phonographic Industry Retrieved April 19 2021 American single certifications R E M Losing My Religion Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved March 28 2014 American single certifications R E M Losing My Religion Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved October 18 2020 New Releases Singles Music Week February 23 1991 p vi Nguyen Hanh October 7 2010 Glee Cory Monteith talks Losing My Religion Zap2it Tribune Media Services Archived from the original on October 11 2010 Retrieved October 12 2010 Hot 100 Week of October 23 2010 Biggest Jump Billboard Prometheus Global Media Retrieved November 4 2010 Canadian Hot 100 Week of October 23 2010 Biggest Jump BIllboard Prometheus Global Media Archived from the original on July 9 2013 Retrieved November 4 2010 Alex Hudson Dan Mangan Releases Covers Album Thief Exclaim November 20 2020 New R E M Cover of Losing My Religion Now Available on Imperfect Circle Hootie amp the Blowfish July 17 2020 Retrieved July 31 2020 Taylor Katherine Yeske May 20 2020 Hootie amp the Blowfish Explains Influence Importance of R E M American Songwriter Retrieved July 31 2020 Bibliography EditBlack Johnny Reveal The Story of R E M Backbeat Books 2004 ISBN 978 0 87930 776 9 Buckley David R E M Fiction An Alternative Biography Virgin 2002 ISBN 978 1 85227 927 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Losing My Religion amp oldid 1153505787, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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