Pop Song 89

"Pop Song 89"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Green
B-side	"Pop Song 89" (acoustic version)
Released	May 1989
Format	7" Single, CD single
Recorded	1988
Genre	Alternative rock pop rock jangle pop
Length	3:03
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe
Producer(s)	Scott Litt & R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Stand" (1989) "Pop Song 89" (1989) "Get Up" (1989)

"Pop Song 89" was the opening track and third single released from R.E.M.'s sixth studio album Green. It peaked at number 86 on the Hot 100, and in the UK "Stand" was re-released instead.

The video was directed by band frontman Michael Stipe and features him and three women, all of them topless, dancing to the song. When MTV asked Stipe to put censor bars on the three women in the video, he superimposed black bars on the chests of all four dancers, himself included, later stating, "a nipple is a nipple."

The acoustic version that was used as the single's B-side was also included on disc 4 of the 1993 box set The Automatic Box, along with the other Green B-sides, and the bonus disc of the limited two-disc edition of In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003.

"Pop Song 89" was covered by Motion City Soundtrack for Punk Goes 80's and by Rockfour for their record For Fans Only!.

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Canadian Hot 100	94
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	86
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	14
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	16

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.

1. "Pop Song 89" – 3:03
2. "Pop Song 89" (acoustic) – 2:58

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics