“So. Central Rain” by R.E.M. (1984)
Dad’s Song of the Day #47, Oct. 15, 2025
They called this “College Rock” at the time, and Athens, Georgia’s R.E.M. was at the forefront of an era of indie rockers that bubbled under the big hits of the day and spoke directly to young music addicts like me.
I remember seeking out as much of this kind of “jangly pop” music as I could find, by artists like The Smithereens, The Hoodoo Gurus, Let’s Active and The Go-Betweens.
But none could match the bright, arpeggioed and slightly distorted sound of R.E.M., which was accompanied by the mumbled, practically indecipherable vocals of Michael Stipe. These were enigmatic little puzzles to be worked through. (I remember being rather offended when, on their 3rd album, Document, the lyrics for songs like “The One I Love” were perfectly translucent: This is not what I came for.)
“So. Central Rain” has been on every mixed tape and Top Ten fave list I’ve conjured since its release on the 1984 Fables of the Reconstruction (or is it Reconstruction of the Fables?) album. This is the song that I sing out “I’m Sorry” several times and can work out “Did you never call?” a couple of times...but for the most part, I’m flummoxed.
I dare you to listen to the second stanza and sing along without a lyrics sheet. But the point of the early R.E.M. is that the Stipe vocals—drenched with emotion and reflecting his essential shyness—are just another instrument in the band...the mumbling was the point.