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Near Wild Heaven

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Near Wild Heaven"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Out of Time
B-side"Pop Song '89" (live acoustic)
ReleasedAugust 5, 1991 (1991-08-05)
Studio
Genre
Length3:18
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriters
Producers
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Shiny Happy People"
(1991)		 "Near Wild Heaven"
(1991)		 "Radio Song"
(1991)

"Near Wild Heaven" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released in August 1991 by Warner Bros. as the third single from their seventh studio album, Out of Time (1991). The song was also the first single released by the band to have had its lyrics both co-written and sung by bassist Mike Mills. According to a quote from Peter Buck in R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song by Craig Rosen, the lyrics are a collaboration between Mills and lead singer Michael Stipe. It peaked at No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart but the single was not released in the United States. Mike Mills had written the lyrics to the single "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", and he had sung the cover song "Superman", but he had not sung his own work on a single release

Critical reception

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Barbara Ellen from NME wrote, "This whilst still gorgeous does not match 'Losing My Religion's maverick vision, or the ecstatic giggle of 'Shiny Happy People'."[2] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel felt that "Near Wild Heaven" "already overdoes the contrast between dark-edged lyrics and a light-hearted melody by folding Mike Mills' lead vocal into a sugary arrangement. Adding strings to the recipe is like putting frosting on cherry pie."[3]

Track listing

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All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe except "Tom's Diner", written by Suzanne Vega. All live tracks were recorded at The Borderline Club in London, England, on March 15, 1991, except "Half a World Away", which was recorded on Rockline in Los Angeles on April 1, 1991.

  • 7-inch and cassette
  1. "Near Wild Heaven"
  2. "Pop Song '89" (live)
  • 12-inch
  1. "Near Wild Heaven"
  2. "Pop Song '89" (live)
  3. "Half a World Away" (live)
  • CD
  1. "Near Wild Heaven" – 3:18
  2. "Tom's Diner" (live) – 2:04
  3. "Low" (live) – 4:59
  4. "Endgame" (live) – 3:28

Personnel

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Personnel are taken from Out of Time liner notes.[4]

R.E.M.

Additional musicians

Strings

  • David Arenz – violin
  • Ellie Arenz – violin
  • Mark Bingham – string arrangements
  • David Braitberg – violin
  • Andrew Cox – cello
  • Reid Harris – viola
  • Ralph Jones – double bass
  • Dave Kempers – violin
  • Elizabeth Murphy – cello
  • Paul Murphy – viola

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Near Wild Heaven"
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 65
Europe (European Hit Radio)[7] 28
Germany (GfK)[8]46
Ireland (IRMA)[9]3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[10] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11]51
UK Singles (Official Charts)[12]27
UK Airplay (Music Week)[13] 8

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Near Wild Heaven"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom August 5, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Warner Bros. [14]
Australia September 9, 1991
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [15]

References

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  1. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Near Wild Heaven - R.E.M. | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ Ellen, Barbara (August 17, 1991). "Singles". NME. p. 22. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (March 22, 1991). "R.E.M.". Orlando Sentinel.
  4. ↑ Out of Time (CD liner notes). 1991.
  5. ↑ Ivie, Devon (2021-03-11). "Kate Pierson Likes to Think 'Shiny Happy People' Was an 'Homage to the B-52's'". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 232.
  7. ↑ "European Hit Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 38. September 21, 1991. p. 31. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – R.E.M.". Irish Singles Chart.
  10. ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 37, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ "R.E.M. – Near Wild Heaven" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  12. ↑ "Search results for "R.E.M." | Official Chart". Official Charts Company.
  13. ↑ "Playlist Chart" (PDF). Music Week. August 31, 1991. p. 14. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  14. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 3, 1991. p. 19.
  15. ↑ "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 09/09/91: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 85. September 8, 1991. p. 18.
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