E-Bow the Letter
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| “E-Bow the Letter” | |||||
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| Single by R.E.M. from the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi |
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| B-side | "Tricycle" | ||||
| Released | August 27, 1996 | ||||
| Format | CD single, 7", Cassette | ||||
| Recorded | Bad Animals Studio, 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 5:22 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||
| Writer(s) | Bill Berry, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck |
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| Producer | Scott Litt & R.E.M. | ||||
| R.E.M. singles chronology | |||||
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| Patti Smith singles chronology | |||||
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"E-Bow the Letter" is the first single from R.E.M.'s tenth studio album New Adventures in Hi-Fi. It was released in August 1996 just weeks before the album's release. During the same month, R.E.M. signed its then record-breaking five-album contract with Warner Bros. Records. Although it peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart, the highest any R.E.M. song charted in the UK until "The Great Beyond" in 2000, the song flopped in the United States, reaching only #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became R.E.M.'s lowest charting lead single since "Fall on Me" released from Lifes Rich Pageant in 1986, when the band was on a smaller record label, I.R.S. Records.
Patti Smith sings guest backing vocals on this song. The song's title refers to the EBow, an electromagnetic field-generating device that induces sustained vibration in an electric guitar string (creating a violin-like effect), and to a "letter never sent" by Michael Stipe. It is believed that the letter in question was written to actor River Phoenix expressing Stipe's concern for his friend's spiraling substance abuse with the letter never being sent due to Phoenix's death; the words 'For River' are visible in the bottom of the rear view mirror that appears on the song's single sleeve. Guitarist Peter Buck can be seen using an EBow in the video for the song at approximately 1:27 to 1:30.
"E-Bow the Letter" was ranked number 21 on NME magazine's list of the "Singles of the Year".[1] In 2003, song was placed on R.E.M.'s compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except where noted.
[edit] 7", Cassette and CD Single
- "E-Bow the Letter" – 5:22
- "Tricycle"[2] – 1:59
[edit] 12" and CD Maxi single
- "E-Bow the Letter" – 5:22
- "Tricycle"[2] – 1:59
- "Departure"[3] – 3:35
- "Wall of Death"[4] (Richard Thompson) – 3:07
[edit] Personnel ("E-Bow the Letter" only)
Band
- Michael Stipe – vocals
- Bill Berry – drums, percussion
- Peter Buck – guitar, electric sitar
- Mike Mills – bass, organ, mellotron, moog synthesizer
Additional personnel
- Patti Smith – vocals
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1996)[5][6] | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 49 |
| Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
| Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| Hot Dance Singles Sales | 39 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ End of Year Lists. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ a b Recorded during soundcheck at the Riverport Amphitheater, St. Louis, Missouri; September 22, 1995.
- ^ Recorded during soundcheck at the Paleur, Rome, Italy; February 22, 1995.
- ^ Taken from the Richard Thompson tribute album, Beat the Retreat. Produced by John Keane.
- ^ Billboard singles charts. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
- ^ UK chart. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
[edit] External links
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