Been a small time B52s fan since I heard Rock Lobster on the radio way back in the day. Loved the band thru the 90s in my college days with their newer stuff. Also REM and hits like this. And finally only a year or 2 ago saw B52s live on their final tour.
Kate Pierson is one of those very few singers who can deliver studio-quality vocals at seemingly any given time, under any circumstance - and that still holds true, even now that she's 70 years old.
So true. However, I have been looking into some of her collaborations and obscure recordings and finding some gems. For instance, she did a song for the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack called 'Let's Spend Half a Day Together', it's pretty good. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NDoJkUe7JE0.html
I think this song belongs Kate, 60%, Rem 40% ;) if not convinced watch ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uBJJbDrvLqc.html Boring, tasteless, without soul!!
The Bible says faith in Jesus Christ and repentance are the ONLY way into the Kingdom of Heaven. John 14:6 Make sure you get you Judgement-Ready by repenting and accepting Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38-39
I think the only thing I liked about this song when it came out was the idea of Kate Pierson singing on an REM song. But I’ve softened on it admit watching this the whole way through 😊
I've said it and I'll say it again: the period between the fall of the Berlin wall and the 9/11 attacks is a true belle epoque, a wonderful time, no protracted wars, shared prosperity, everything was exciting... and the pop culture man. A true golden age.
To bookend that time period with those two events just hit me so hard. Your comment made me put that time period in that context and it brought tears to my eyes. I turned 13 in 1990, picked up a guitar for the first time 2 years later, played in a band, graduated high school in 1995. What a great time to be that age. It seemed like anything was possible. Just never saw it in the context of those 2 events that way. Sounds silly but, sincerely, thank you.
Couldn't agree more. 90s had some great pop music in all genres. Rock and hip hop. Techno for ravers. I listened to a lot of 60s and 70s music back then growing up, as well as 90s. Now i dont really listen to modern pop that much. Some songs are good, but they're few and far between. Jonas brothers and bieber and drake would have been laughed at 30 years ago, like new kids on the block. Taylor swift???? Unimaginable Things went in a whole bubblegum direction with britney puff daddy backstreet in 99 2000 Whatever happened to the post cold war "peace dividend" we were supposed to get? The military Industrial complex must always be fed, I guess. I feel like we've been on the wrong timeline since 2001, like back to the future 2
@@stevencoardvenice I don't want to get too political because the point is how awesome pop culture was back then, and also how we had a peaceful world and prosperity that didn't automatically go to the top 1%, for many reasons, well beyond America's domestic politics. And also how cool technology was back then; I still remember transitioning from MS-DOS to Windows and man, let me tell you, even if you were only interested in playing games, dealing with with command prompt based OS's was testing, challenging, a journey and you learn something useful, while right now I'm afraid to expose my kids to technology and depression inducing social networks. BUT I still wonder sometimes how the world would look like if we had a president Gore. If there are two timelines like you said, they split in Florida in November, 2000. Well, actually, NO, because Gore won that fair and square. It was an ill-fated SCOTUS decision in 2001. We weren't aware how fragile our world was.
Spot on. Watching this video just brought me so much joy. Seeing Kate and Michael dancing around like that, really enjoying themselves, one can't help but get drawn into the spirit of this rehearsal. So many other bands completely miss the point and their live performances cannot ever match what REM did in their career, whether it was a rehearsal, live performance or simple jam.
@@mylescharles wrong. He hits that exact same note other times throughout this song, because he knows it harmonises perfectly with Kate's melody. Listen first, instead of showing how musically stupid you are.
Not going to engage in insults with a child. He hits a C# when he typically hits a B when he sings the first syllable of “Happy.” He did something different and he was smiling because it still sounded okay.
matt8863 That’s the main reason for rehearsals like this...so the floor director can know when to switch from one camera to another. That, and sound engineering. The bands know their stuff.
It’s a three-dimensional rehearsal; you have to get sound, vocal, and correct camera posture for a live show. This is the time when you want to fuck up
This song gets a lot of flack for the lyrics, but the melodies, harmonies and chord progressions are just outstanding. And then you learn about the meaning behind the lyrics, and it really is an outstanding song.
but what was the meaning ? I read an interview of Stip saying this was just a silly song...made for fun.....and most of the band hates it..... I like very much....in other interview Kate said she loved it and always think it was a homage for the B52...
In a lot of ways, Mike is a better singer than Michael, technically. Michael has more emotion in his voice, and mystery, to my ears. What made the band truly great was both of them, and then when you added in Bill Berry on third vocals, they were truly magic.
the guys from rem dont like this song at all. its a shame cos i love it. sure its cheesy as fuck but it puts a smile on your face and theres nothing wrong with that
Michael Stipe has stated he deeply dislikes this song , I love it , uplifting , fun and love Kate Piersons vocal , nothing to dislike Michael , REM badly missed
@@jrcflaus She's a switch hitter. Or at least was until she got married. I dated a lesbian once. Gorgeous redhead. I didn't know she was a lesbian when we met through a mutual friend. Was a lot of fun. She lived in a different city, and we only saw each other occasionally. Memorable nonetheless.
This song REM rarely ever played live. This song they had a problem doing without Kate Pierson and it was not their favorite tune to play despite the fact it is the ONLY REM Song to get to the top 10 in Billboard in both the USA and the UK. Even the way you see the way Michael Stipe dancing it like the B-52s. Stipe is quoted as saying, ""It's a fruity pop song written for children. If there was one song that was sent into outer space to represent R.E.M. for the rest of time, I would not want it to be 'Shiny Happy People" Too bad it is their best performing song.
@@aikidoisthebombyeah They thought they wanted to do more of a pop song, so they collaborated with Kate Pierson who was nearby to them in Georgia (the B-52s were a pop band in the 1980s based out of Georgia). The collaboration worked out extremely well for REM, but unfortunately, Stipe did not like the song. The rest of the band liked it - and they were right considering how well it charted.
great to see this thanks you so much, I have always loved this song since it came out and even more for Kate. I am a keen b-52 listener for more than thirty years. Kate looks as adorably sweet as she sounds.
Kate's voice is fantastic. And for those of u that do not know the background of this song; REM wrote it as a FU to the critics who kept on saying they always wrote gloomy depressing songs so they deliberately wrote an over the top happy song as a joke. Ironically it became one of their biggest hits.
@@sashasahasrahla6852 oh yeah part of it as well. The Chinese characters on the poster literally translate to "shiny happy people holding hands". It's creepy and freaky considering it's from a communist propaganda poster.
@@joncampos5551 Yeah... I'm sure the ACLU got a ton of complaints about the way people were dressed for job interviews. Did you like being told how to wear your hair and how to look? If you look like trash, you look like trash. You can have a beard or no beard, hair, bald, whatever style... It doesn't matter as long it's done without bringing a negative of the business.. Y'know... the way people who complain about an organization that exists solely to protect our American rights, makes our country look to to the rest of the world. Nice job, buddy. Way to represent. Incidentally, you seem to be pretty familiar with Walmart. I suppose shopping there would give a person an idea as to how the patrons look, but you insinuate that Walmart customers look trashy.. meaning you, yourself are trashy.. Ahhhh... now it makes sense. You NEEDED someone to tell you to get a haircut, shave, wipe your ass and wash your hands, didn't you?
This is great. Stipe is trying to mock the whole thing with the weird happy dance, Buck is trying not to enjoy himself and Mills looks absolutely furious! It's a decent song in my opinion!
To all of those who listened this music in 80' 90',. Can you feel lucky and happy, because these masters pieces and amazing music, never will back again...
Damn, these guys are superb. They occupy a unique niche in rock music and this song engenders the sort of beautifully offbeat melody that is so characteristic of REM. The addition of Kate on this tune turns a darn good song into an absolute gem!
Me too. Hell, I didn't really like Losing My Religion, although I've always loved R.E.M. and their music. But lately, I have been listening to all of their music and loving all of it.
On my honor, I swear this: There is not one cheesy thing about this song. Those who think it so are mistaken. I wish this song to all sapient life everywhere in the multiverse.
In case nobody gets the joke - "Shiny happy people holding hands" was a slogan from a Chinese communist propaganda poster. This song was released at a time of huge uncertainty and negative attitudes in the media and the arts - so it's about the most ironic piece of music to become a hit in 1991. It's like "I'll Be Watching You" by the Police - a lot of people love the song but might like it a lot less if they knew what it's about.
Thank you! So many people don't get the irony on this song. The lack of understanding, among other things, is why R.E.M won't play this song anymore. For REM, It's like telling an ironic joke over and over again and no one gets the humor of it. I am not sure what is more painful, the people who see this as ONLY a poppy fun song, or the people that see the ironic content, but can't interpret it and comment that he is "dancing silly" or the music is "strained" or "out of tune".
OrchestrationOnline I have heard that but don’t believe it to be true. Michael Stipe has said that he doesn’t care for this song because it was just meant for children.
I'm not buying that. One reason why is the zest and pleasure Stipe and Kate put into the performance (and the video). Is that ironic, too? Look, the song is a bouncy, poppy pop song done for sugary sweet pleasure. Being that the song achieved that in spades actually might have bit "serious" REM in the ass. Regardless, it's just a bad song. Ironic, poppy, silly, serious...label it what you want, ultimately it just is not a very good song.
Michael, Kate, and Mike Mills are an absolutely perfect blend on this song and album. I will never relent in my unabashed love for this song no matter how much abuse it has taken over the years. Thank god in this insane and mostly awful world we have artists like REM and the B-52s.
