| "Man on the Moon" | ||||
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| Single by R.E.M. | ||||
| from the album Automatic for the People | ||||
| B-side | "New Orleans Instrumental No. 2" | |||
| Released | November 9, 1992 | |||
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| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
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| R.E.M. singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Man on the Moon" on YouTube | ||||
"Man on the Moon" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in November 1992 as the second single from their eighth album, Automatic for the People (1992). The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck. The song was well received by critics and reached number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 17 on the US Cash Box Top 100, number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Iceland. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs[3][4] and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.
"Man on the Moon" is a tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman, with numerous references to his career including his Elvis impersonation, wrestling, and the film My Breakfast with Blassie. The song's title and chorus refer to Moon landing conspiracy theories, as an oblique allusion to rumors that the moon landing was faked. The song gave its name to Miloš Forman's Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon (1999), and features prominently in the film's soundtrack.
- ^ "10 Classic R.E.M. Tracks Revisited". Billboard.
- ^ "In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 Review". NME. September 12, 2005. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
allmusicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Greene, Andy (September 28, 2011). "Readers Poll: The 10 Best R.E.M. Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.