#97 Out of Time by R.E.M.
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 97
- 2011 Album Rank
- 67
- Total Points
- 663
- Year Released
- 1991
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 1
- Weeks at #1
- 2
- RIAA Sales Certification
- 4,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)
- Buy Album
- Apple Music Amazon
Out of Time Album Details
Released in March 1991, Out of Time marked a turning point for R.E.M., transitioning the band from critical darlings of college rock to international superstars. Blending folk, pop, and chamber music elements, the album showcased the band's most eclectic instrumentation to date, including mandolins, harpsichords, and strings. Though it retained their introspective spirit, Out of Time embraced a more open, melodic, and sometimes playful tone, departing from the denser textures of earlier releases like Document or Green.
The album's massive success was driven by the unexpected breakout hit Losing My Religion, a song built around a mandolin riff and a haunting vocal performance from Michael Stipe. Other highlights include the warm, organ-laced Near Wild Heaven and the wistful Country Feedback, often cited by fans as one of the band's most emotionally powerful tracks. Out of Time won three Grammy Awards and cemented R.E.M.'s place as one of the defining bands of the alternative era.
Other R.E.M. albums on the chart: Automatic for the People
Interesting Facts about Out of Time
- Losing My Religion became the band's highest-charting single in the U.S., peaking at No. 4, despite lacking a traditional chorus and featuring unconventional instrumentation.
- The phrase "losing my religion" is a Southern expression meaning to lose one's temper or composure, not a reference to literal religious doubt.
- Radio Song, which opens the album, features rapper KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions, a bold and unexpected collaboration that divided listeners and critics.
- Bassist Mike Mills took lead vocals on both Near Wild Heaven and Texarkana.
- Michael Stipe famously refused to tour for Out of Time, resulting in no full concert tour to support one of their biggest-selling albums.
- The album was recorded in multiple studios, including Bearsville in New York and John Keane Studios in Athens, Georgia, giving it a patchwork but cohesive sound.
- Country Feedback was largely improvised in the studio, with Stipe recording the vocal in a single take. The lyrics were reportedly scribbled on a piece of paper moments before the take.
- The string arrangements, particularly on Half a World Away and Low, were scored by Mark Bingham and added a baroque texture that deepened the album's sonic palette.
- Out of Time debuted at No. 1 in both the U.S. and the U.K., and went on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide.
- Though Out of Time was a commercial high point, the band would follow it with the darker, more politically charged Automatic for the People in 1992, further expanding their creative reach.
- "Losing My Religion" won MTV's Music Video of the Year award in 1991.
Out of Time Tracklist
- Radio Song
- Losing My Religion - Reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Low
- Near Wild Heaven
- Endgame
- Shiny Happy People - Reached #10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
- Belong
- Half a World Away
- Texarkana
- Country Feedback
- Me in Honey
