Recorded 1994 Length 4:08 | Genre Rock | |
B-side "Tongue" (instrumental version) Released October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21) Format CD single, 7" single, Cassette | ||
"Tongue" is a song by R.E.M., released as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album Monster. It was only released in the UK. In the song, lead singer Michael Stipe performs in falsetto; he has stated on several occasions that the narrator of the song is female. Stipe has also said the track is "all about cunnilingus."
On March 1, 1995, Bill Berry had to leave the stage during a performance of this song complaining of a serious headache. It in fact turned out to be a brain aneurysm, and is the likely reason for his leaving the band in October 1997. On subsequent dates Berry admitted that it gave him an eerie feeling every time the band performed "Tongue".
The single's video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and shot during the soundcheck prior to the band's June 20, 1995 performance at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York, shows a group of teenagers in a living room watching the band perform on TV. The version of the song that plays is slightly higher in tone than that of the album version. It was included as a bonus video on the DVD release of In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003.
The three live songs that make up the CD single's B-sides were performed on Saturday Night Live in 1994.
Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe
- "Tongue" – 4:08
- "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (Live) – 4:04
- "Bang and Blame" (Live) – 4:52
- "I Don't Sleep, I Dream" (Live) – 3:48
- "Tongue" – 4:09
- "Tongue" (Live) – 4:34
- "Tongue" – 4:09
- "Tongue" (Instrumental version) – 4:09