Daysleeper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Daysleeper" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by R.E.M. | ||
| from the album Up | ||
| Released | 1998 | |
| Format | 7", cassette, CD | |
| Recorded | 1998 | |
| Genre | Alternative Rock | |
| Length | 3:40 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Producer(s) | Pat McCarthy and R.E.M. | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| R.E.M. singles chronology | ||
| "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us" 1997 |
"Daysleeper" 1998 |
"Lotus" 1998 |
"Daysleeper" was the first single to be released by R.E.M. from the band's eleventh studio album Up, and the first single to be released by the band since the departure of drummer Bill Berry.
The song was inspired after Michael Stipe saw a sign on an apartment door requesting quiet, as the occupant was a "daysleeper". Sleep and dreams have often played an important part in R.E.M. lyrics, for example "Get Up" and "I Don't Sleep, I Dream".
Sung from the point of view of a nightworker corresponding with far eastern colleagues, the song focuses on the disorientation of time and "circadian rhythm" in such a lifestyle, leading to despair and loss of identity.
The video was shot in stop-frame photography to get what Michael called a "really druggy, really great look." It features Michael as the office worker who goes to work at night. All three band members then wear pajamas and bed socks, while failing to get to sleep during the day.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.
CD
- "Daysleeper"
- "Emphysema" (instrumental)
- "Sad Professor" (live in studio) (Germany only)
- "Why Not Smile" (Oxford American version)
7" and cassette
- "Daysleeper"
- "Emphysema" (instrumental)
