History Music / AutomaticForThePeople

''Automatic for the People'' is the eighth studio album by Music/{{REM}}, released on October 5, 1992. Starting production while ''Music/OutOfTime'', their previous effort, shot up the charts, the band initially sought out a harder, more aggressive sound similar to that of their late 80's output as a means of offsetting ''Out of Time''[='s=] LighterAndSofter approach, only to find themselves short on ideas. Consequently, at the suggestion of guitarist Peter Buck, they instead shifted towards a more acoustically-driven, melancholic sound featuring string arrangements by [[Music/LedZeppelin John Paul Jones]]: bleak in both sound and tone, the album ended up becoming the band's darkest album, with lyrics focusing on themes of mourning, morality, loss, nostalgia, and depression, fueled by the members of R.E.M. approaching their 30's and consequently no longer being young adults. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making audiences think that Michael Stipe was dying-- erroneously drawing comparisons to Music/{{Queen}}'s similarly dark and brooding album ''Music/{{Innuendo}}'' from the previous year and its thematic focus on Music/FreddieMercury's losing battle with AIDS-- but with time the false assumptions dissipated, aided by the band constantly being open about the album's meaning in interviews.

* SequelSong: "New Orleans Instrumental No. 2", a B-side of "Man on the Moon", to "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1".

** "Everybody Hurts" is an audible homage to [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"]] by Music/DavidBowie.

* TitledAfterTheSong: "Man on the Moon" not only became the title of, and was used in, an Creator/AndyKaufman {{Biopic}}, but R.E.M. provided the movie's instrumental underscore and a new song, "The Great Beyond".

Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, [[ItsPopularNowItSucks in part because of its immense success]], critics have been more favorable, regarding ''Automatic for the People'' as R.E.M.'s greatest album: it was ranked at No. 249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list (later being bumped up to No. 96 on [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 the 2020 revision]]) and No. 65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at No. 42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]. Among the fans who do like it, it's also frequently regarded as a major high point for the band, being ranked as one of their finest works alongside ''Music/{{Murmur}}'', ''Music/{{Document}}'', ''Green'', ''Out of Time'', and ''Music/NewAdventuresInHiFi''; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the same ceremony, but lost that award to ''Zooropa'' by Music/{{U2}}.

* CallBack: The opening line of "Drive" ("smack, crack, bushwhacked") nods back to a newspaper advertisement Michael Stipe put out in 1988 condemning the UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush campaign ("Don't Get Bushwhacked. Get out and vote"). The allusion to the ad here ties into the album's release during Bush's reelection bid, noting the administration's perceived failures both in the rest of the line and in the next one ("smack, crack" referring to the War on Drugs, and "tie another one to your racks" referring to lax gun control).

* ConceptAlbum: Loosely; several of the songs are about death in some way or another.

* {{Corpsing}}: In "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" after the line "...and a reading from Creator/DrSeuss", as he apparently [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY couldn't pronounce the name right]], saying "[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]]" instead of "Seuss." Ironically, the ''true'' correct pronunciation (which nobody ever uses) was "Dr. Soyce" (rhymes with "voice"), which would've more readily rhymed with the "a can of beans or black-eyed peas, some Nescafé and ice."

* {{Corpsing}}: In "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" after the line "...and a reading from Creator/DrSeuss", as he apparently [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY couldn't pronounce the name right]], saying "[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]]" instead of "Seuss." Ironically, the ''true'' correct pronunciation (which nobody ever uses) was "Dr. Soyce" (rhymes with "Royce"), which would've more readily rhymed with the "a can of beans or black-eyed peas, some Nescafé and ice."

* DrivenToSuicide: "Try Not to Breathe" may or may not be about this.

* IntercourseWithYou: "[[strike:Fuck]] Star Me Kitten".

* IronicNurseryTune: "Drive."

** "Drive" also sounded notably different live -- the studio version is again haunting and acoustic-based, whereas the live version they played at the time was faster, set to a funk rhythm, and featured distorted guitar. In later performances, they went back to approximating the studio arrangement though.

* {{Corpsing}}: In "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" after the line "...and a reading from Creator/DrSeuss", as he apparently [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY couldn't pronounce the name right]], saying "[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]]" instead of "Seuss."

** "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is named after and interpolates the opening of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens. R.E.M. actually licensed out the latter song in order to clear the interpolation, and in exchange a CoverVersion of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is included as a BSide to the single release.

''Automatic for the People'' is the eighth studio album by Music/{{REM}}, released on October 5, 1992. Starting production while ''Music/OutOfTime'', their previous effort, shot up the charts, the band initially sought out a harder, more aggressive sound similar to that of their late 80's output as a means of offsetting ''Out of Time''[='s=] LighterAndSofter approach, only to find themselves short on ideas. Consequently, at the suggestion of guitarist Peter Buck, they instead shifted towards a more acoustically-driven, melancholic sound featuring string arrangements by [[Music/LedZeppelin John Paul Jones]]: bleak in both sound and tone, the album ended up becoming the band's darkest album, with lyrics focusing on themes of mourning, morality, loss, nostalgia, and depression, fueled by the members of R.E.M. approaching their 30's and consequently no longer being young adults. This had the unfortunate side-effect of making audiences think that Michael Stipe was dying-- erroneously drawing comparisons to Music/{{Queen}}'s album ''Music/{{Innuendo}}'' from the previous year and its thematic focus on Music/FreddieMercury's losing battle with AIDS-- but with time the false assumptions dissipated, aided by the band constantly being open about the album's meaning in interviews.

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Mostly ranges from a 1 (i.e. "Nightswimming") to a 3 (i.e. "Man On the Moon", "Monty Got a Raw Deal"), but briefly jumps up to a hard 5 on "Ignoreland".

** David Essex's "Rock On" is quoted in "Drive".

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/automatic_for_the_people.png]]

''Automatic for the People'' is the eighth studio album by Music/{{REM}}, released on October 5, 1992. Starting production while ''Music/OutOfTime'', their previous effort, shot up the charts, the album shifts to a more acoustically-driven, melancholic sound than previous works (featuring string arrangements by [[Music/LedZeppelin John Paul Jones]]) and takes a decidedly more dour tone than even ''Music/{{Green}}'', with lyrics focusing on themes of mourning, morality, loss, nostalgia, and depression. The end result was R.E.M.'s biggest commercial success, selling over 18 million copies worldwide since its release and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

''Automatic for the People'' was backed by six singles; "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Everybody Hurts", "Nightswimming", and "Find the River". Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, critics have been more favorable, being regarded as R.E.M.'s greatest album: it was ranked at No. 249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list (later being bumped up to No. 96 on [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 the 2020 revision]]) and No. 65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at No. 42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]. Among the fans who do like it, it's also frequently regarded as a major high point for the band, being ranked as one of their finest works alongside ''Music/{{Murmur}}'', ''Music/{{Document}}'', ''Green'', ''Out of Time'', and ''Music/NewAdventuresInHiFi''; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the same ceremony, but lost that award to ''Zooropa'' by Music/{{U2}}.

On a somewhat darker note, this album is known for the fact that Music/KurtCobain of Music/{{Nirvana}} listened to it shortly before committing suicide in 1994, similarly to what Music/IggyPop's ''Music/TheIdiot'' was to Music/JoyDivision frontman Ian Curtis back in 1980. Michael Stipe would later write "Let Me In" (off of the band's next album, ''[[Music/MonsterREMAlbum Monster]]'') in Cobain's memory.

!!Nighttroping deserves a quiet night:

* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to ''Music/OutOfTime'' and even all of their prior work, the songs on ''Automatic for the People'' are decidedly more dour and introspective.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Right before the second chorus of "Ignoreland", Michael is singing "I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this, so [[PrecisionFStrike fuck you]], man!" and in the instrumental transition towards the chorus is also heard mumbling "fuck 'em!". It's nowhere near as indecipherable as some of their more famous examples, but the processed vocals still can make it easy to go through the song and miss it.

* LyricalDissonance: "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite." It seems like a fun song, but it's actually about dying in your sleep. Or suicide, depending on who you ask.

* NonAppearingTitle: "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", though it comes close twice.

* PrecisionFStrike: "Star Me Kitten" and "Ignoreland" both drop the F-bomb.

* TalkAboutTheWeather: "Find The River" is most hardcore fans' favorite R.E.M. song for this reason. The song seems to be the last words of a dying person who is at peace with their life and is telling their relatives not to worry. The music fits this, not being sad but being wistful and bittersweet. Essentially then the song is relaxing with a hint of melancholy, but is a tearjerker because it's so beautiful.

''Automatic for the People'' was backed by six singles; "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Everybody Hurts", "Nightswimming", and "Find the River". Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, critics have been more favorable, being regarded as R.E.M.'s greatest album: it was ranked at No. 249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list (later being bumped up to No. 96 on [[[[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 the 2020 revision]]) and No. 65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at No. 42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]. Among the fans who do like it, it's also frequently regarded as a major high point for the band, being ranked as one of their finest works alongside ''Music/{{Murmur}}'', ''Music/{{Document}}'', ''Green'', ''Out of Time'', and ''Music/NewAdventuresInHiFi''; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the same ceremony, but lost that award to ''Zooropa'' by Music/{{U2}}.

''Automatic for the People'' was backed by six singles; "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Everybody Hurts", "Nightswimming", and "Find the River". Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, critics have been more favorable, being regarded as R.E.M.'s greatest album: it was ranked at #249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list, #65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at #42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]. Among the fans who do like it, it's also frequently regarded as a major high point for the band, being ranked as one of their finest works alongside ''Music/{{Murmur}}'', ''Music/{{Document}}'', ''Green'', ''Out of Time'', and ''Music/NewAdventuresInHiFi''; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the same ceremony, but lost that award to ''Zooropa'' by Music/{{U2}}.

* ColorMotif: Continuing R.E.M.'s longstanding association with the color yellow, the back cover prominently uses yellow tones, the CD label is bright yellow, and early CD copies feature a translucent yellow media tray, similar to the translucent red tray on Music/DavidByrne's ''Uh-Oh'' from earlier that year. The 25th anniversary deluxe edition release of the album also features a yellow banner on the top of the front cover and prominently features yellow throughout the rest of its packaging too.

** "Man on the Moon" was written in memory of Creator/AndyKaufman (and became so associated with him that... well, see TitledAfterTheSong below).

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: How the video for "Everybody Hurts" ends. Everyone in the traffic jam just gets out of their cars and leaves. A [[TheStinger stinger]] shows shows TV footage from above the abandoned cars, and we hear a traffic reporter lamenting the scene.

->"''...about an hour and a half ago. We've had no official explanation. Police estimate some three of four hundred people. They just...[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere they just got out and walked]]. God... We've gotten confirmation, we cannot find anyone. I've never seen anything like this.''"

->"''...about an hour and a half ago. We've had no official explanation. Police estimate some three, four hundred people. They just...[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere they just got out and walked]]. God... We've gotten confirmation, we cannot find anyone. I've never seen anything like this.''"

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: How the video for "Everybody Hurts" ends. Everyone in the traffic jam just gets out of their cars and leaves. A [[TheStinger stinger]] shows a traffic reporter lamenting the scene.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: How the video for "Everybody Hurts" ends. Everyone in the traffic jam just get out of their cars and leave. A [[TheStinger stinger]] shows a traffic reporter lamenting the scene.

* UnusualEuphemism: "Star Me Kitten"

* TalkAboutTheWeather: "Find The River" is most hardcore fans' favorite REM song for this reason. The song seems to be the last words of a dying person who is at peace with their life and is telling their relatives not to worry. The music fits this, not being sad but being wistful and bittersweet. Essentially then the song is relaxing with a hint of melancholy, but is a tearjerker because it's so beautiful.

* MinimalisticAlbumCover: Simply the band name and album title against a black-and-white photograph of a metal star sculpture.

* ColorMotif: Continuing R.E.M.'s longstanding association with the color yellow, the CD label is bright yellow and early CD copies feature a translucent yellow media tray, similar to the translucent red tray on Music/DavidByrne's ''Uh-Oh'' from earlier that year.

* ContinuityNod: "The Great Beyond" features the lines "Here's a little agit for the never-believer/Here's a little ghost for the offering" as a CallBack to "Man on the Moon", where those lines are originally from.

** The more subdued, acoustic sound mixed with string arrangements evokes the roots rock style of groups like Music/DireStraits that was still popular in the early 80's, as evidenced by the success of albums like ''Making Movies'' (1980) and ''Music/LoveOverGold'' (1982) during that time.

''Automatic for the People'' was backed by six singles; "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Everybody Hurts", "Nightswimming", and "Find the River". Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, critics have been more favorable: it was ranked at #249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list, #65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at #42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''. It was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the same ceremony, but lost that award to ''Zooropa'' by Music/{{U2}}.

-->The movies had that movie thing

''Automatic for the People'' is the eighth studio album by Music/{{REM}}, released on October 5, 1992. Starting production while ''Music/OutOfTime'', their previous effort, shot up the charts, the album shifts to a more acoustically-driven sound than previous works (featuring string arrangements by [[Music/LedZeppelin John Paul Jones]]) and takes a decidedly more dour tone than even ''Music/{{Green}}'', with lyrics focusing on themes of mourning, morality, loss, nostalgia, and depression. The end result was R.E.M.'s biggest commercial success, selling over 18 million copies worldwide since its release and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

* NewSoundAlbum: Acoustic rock with string backings.

* SequelSong: "New Orleans Instrumental No. 2" to "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1".

* BookEnds: "Monty Got A Raw Deal" begins and ends with the line "Monty, this seems strange to me".

''Automatic for the People'' was backed by six singles; "Drive", "Man on the Moon", "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite", "Everybody Hurts", "Nightswimming", and "Find the River". Although the album is seen as polarizing to some fans, critics have been more favorable: it was ranked at #249 on Magazine/RollingStone's [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list, #65 on Magazine/{{NME}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime similar list]], and is currently at #42 on Website/AcclaimedMusic's [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums compilation of critics' lists]]; it's also a personal favorite of bandmates Peter Buck and Mike Mills, for what it's worth. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1994 Grammy Awards, but lost to Music/WhitneyHouston's soundtrack for ''Film/TheBodyguard''.

----

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Yep, they did it again on the vinyl version, despite the format having rapidly fallen from mass popularity at this point. This time around, the sides are labeled "Drive Side" and "Ride Side".