O.K. this might seem really dum, but "shiny happy people" is like a prayer to me, it lifts my spirits and makes me sing and dance rgardless of where i am. i'm a recent rem fan, and i want to know, does this song have the same effect on anyone else? kay in the U.K.

-- kay (kay_jw@yahoo.com), July 14, 2000

Answers

I'm more of a "Near Wild Heaven" person myself.

-- Kent Stevens (smashingpete@yahoo.com), July 14, 2000.

I guess it says something about my personality that I can't get into the happy, upbeat songs as much as the more depressing ones. Therefore I'm more a "Belong" or "Texarkana" kind of guy rather than a Shiny Happy person or "Near Wild Heaven." Then again, I love Me In Honey, which is pretty happy, so, whatever... ;) -eddie

-- Eddie Yo (Mr_BRETT@angelfire.com), July 15, 2000.

I agree, im nore of a depressing song fan, but shiny happy peopla does have a strange effect on me, sep when i watch the video. Near wild heaven is so beautiful, it just really makes me want to cry. I love it !!

-- Suzanne (clanlennie@zoom.co.uk), July 15, 2000.

Hey kay, try 'stand' from green.... see what effect that has on you

-- Amit (amitb84@hotmail.com), July 15, 2000.

Yeah, i would agree that the depressing songs are more interesting than the happy ones. But i don't really like shiny happy people, it seems to me to be just a bit sort of unreasonably happy. i think stipe and mills both consider it to be the worst song rem have ever written

-- mark (MarkStephenBell@hotmail.com), July 15, 2000.

Near Wild Heaven is a brilliant song, and to the person who said it was a happy song, The music is, but listen again to the lyric.

As for Shiny Happy People, I think that song is bad, possibly because I, like most people on this note, see the benefit of darker songs (Probably why Country Feedback is one of my favorite songs). Besides that, even the band said there would never be another Shiny Happy People. Looks like they didn't like it either....

-- Jon Kinsey (eeg@btinternet.com), July 16, 2000.

Yeah I like Shiny happy people it's actually the song that got me interested in REM but it was only i stopped liking and started loving that I realised there was so much more to them than this seemingly meaningless song it was only after REM became my life aswell as my love that I realised that I hated pop and adored rock and that REM came to that border line in making "stand, and shiny happy people" of crossing the rock bounderies into the sad happy go lucky world of pop

-- darragh (djnugent@oceanfree.net), July 16, 2000.

If u think of shiny happy people as a really cynical song then its great but otherwise its a bit pop-y for me. not sure about stand though - it doesn't seem to have any real puppose except to be catchy

-- Ryan (rflewis@another.com), July 16, 2000.

it is nothing but a silly pop song........dont over analyse it!!! michael sitpe said so many times,its a bit of fun,not a bob dylan cry 4 help.

-- ms.Stipe (unit@eircom.ie), August 17, 2000.

just because its not a serious song, it doesn't mean it can't make you happy...

-- jen (not@tellingyou.com), August 17, 2000.