As R.E.M. prepared for their 11th studio album, they almost broke up. During the initial sessions in 1997, drummer Bill Berry announced he was quitting. He had survived an onstage brain aneurysm in 1995 while the band toured in support of the colossal (and well-titled) album Monster. But it wasn’t only the health scare prompting Berry’s exit. The joy of being in the band was gone.
Reluctantly, R.E.M. soldiered on as a trio. Guitarist Peter Buck had been collecting drum machines and synthesizers, providing a new way to travel for a band known for its organic warmth and chiming guitars. The new album, Up, would employ a combination of drum machines and session drummers.
Up, released in 1998, was a divisive album for R.E.M. fans. Though it wasn’t out of step with late-’90s rock bands mixing guitars and drum machines, it was out of step with the world’s biggest college-rock alternative band.
The first single released from Up, whose meaning we discuss here, was “Daysleeper.” Curiously, Michael Stipe’s direct lyrics contrasted the album’s droning experimentations. Musically, listeners struggled to understand what was happening to R.E.M. Yet, here was a song easily understood lyrically, perhaps even lived out by some.
Circadian Rhythm
In New York City, Stipe noticed a sign on an apartment door that read “day sleeper.” The song’s narrator is a night shift worker moving through life disoriented and drowsy. The routine of sleeping during the day while working when the world sleeps leads to isolation and depression.
Receiving department, 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
Although clocking in for a graveyard shift isn’t the same as life in a rock band, staying up late and sleeping through the day adds to an equally unhealthy lifestyle. In his book Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker documents that one can reliably hurt the body by depriving it of sleep. It harms brain function, increases irritability, and can even lead to diseases like cancer.
I see today with a newsprint fray
My night is colored headache gray
Don’t wake me with so much
The ocean machine is set to nine
I’ll squeeze into heaven and valentine
My bed is pulling me, gravity
Daysleeper