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"Lotus"
A painting of a pink lotus flower
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Up
B-side"Surfing the Ganges"
ReleasedDecember 7, 1998 (1998-12-07)
Genre
Length4:30
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
R.E.M. singles chronology
" Daysleeper"
(1998) 		"Lotus"
(1998) 		" At My Most Beautiful"
(1999)

"Lotus" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their eleventh studio album, Up (1998). The song is somewhat minimalist, with Michael Stipe singing surreal lyrics in a percussive manner. It builds on a four-note keyboard part, with a distorted guitar riff at the beginning and after the second chorus. The song's recurring line "I ate the lotus" appeared in an alternate form ("I'll eat the lotus...") in a previous R.E.M. song, "Be Mine". The line "dot dot dot and I feel fine" is a reference to R.E.M.'s 1987 hit " It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)".

For live performances of the song, Peter Buck alternates between electric guitar (chorus) and keyboard (verse). "Playing keyboard always excites me," Buck explained in a soundbite during MTV Uplink, a recording of the band's performance at New York's Bowery Ballroom in October 1998, "even though it's only with one finger." "But it's a big finger," joked Mills. "It's great."

Music video

The single's video, directed by Stéphane Sednaoui, was included as a bonus video on the DVD release of In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003. "I wanted to work with Stephane for a long time," Stipe explained to MTV UK during An Hour with R.E.M. in 2001 after selecting the video for airplay. "Since I saw the video that he did with Björk for, what was that called, ' Big Time Sexuality' or something? Where she looks exactly like Shirley MacLaine, 1959–1961. The Apartment, I think, was the name of the film. Shirley MacLaine and Björk as Shirley MacLaine on the back of a pick-up truck driving down 5th Avenue in New York City, probably. But I thought this guy exudes sex, he's like sex on a stick, and I wanted to work with him for that reason. He somehow transmogrified that very thing through me. I look very, very foxy in this video, which is why I chose it; it shows off my incredible stomach muscles."

Track listings

All songs were written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated. The live version of " Suspicion" is different from the Ealing Studio recording found on the 1999 "Suspicion" single.

Canadian, Australian, and Japanese CD single [3] [4] [5]

  1. "Lotus" (LP version) – 4:30
  2. "Surfing the Ganges" – 2:25
  3. "Suspicion" (live in the studio) – 5:39
  4. "Lotus" (Weird mix) – 4:34

UK CD single [6]

  1. "Lotus" – 4:30
  2. "Surfing the Ganges" – 2:25
  3. "Lotus" (Weird mix) – 4:34

UK cassette single and European CD single [7] [8]

  1. "Lotus" – 4:30
  2. "Surfing the Ganges" – 2:25

UK mini-CD single [9]

  1. "Lotus" – 4:31
  2. "Suspicion" (live in the studio) – 5:39

Charts

Release history

Overview of formats for "Lotus" single releases
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom December 7, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 Warner Bros. [24]
Japan December 16, 1998 CD [25]
United States January 11, 1999 Active rock radio [26]

References

  1. ^ Zaleski, Annie (October 26, 2018). "20 Years Ago: R.E.M. Find Their Way as a Trio With 'Up'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Hill, Stephen (May 5, 2022). "Every R.E.M. album ranked from worst to best". Louder Sound. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (Canadian CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. CD 44600.
  4. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (Australian CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. 9362446002.
  5. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (Japanese CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. WPCR-2309.
  6. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (UK CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. W466CD, 9362 44601 2.
  7. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (UK cassette single sleeve). Warner Bros. Records. W466C.
  8. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (European CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. 5439 17115 9.
  9. ^ R.E.M. (1998). Lotus (UK mini-CD single liner notes). Warner Bros. Records. W466CDX, 5439 17114 9.
  10. ^ " R.E.M. – Lotus" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  11. ^ " Top RPM Singles: Issue 7350." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  12. ^ " Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7152." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  13. ^ " Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 7450." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. 7. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Íslenski Listinn (5.3–12.3. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 5, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  16. ^ " REM – Lotus". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  18. ^ " R.E.M. – Lotus". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  20. ^ "R.E.M. Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  21. ^ "R.E.M. Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  22. ^ "R.E.M. Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  23. ^ "The Best of '99: Most Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 38.
  24. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 5, 1998. p. 23.
  25. ^ "ロータス | R.E.M." [Lotus | R.E.M.] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "Adds for January 11 & 12". Gavin Report. No. 2237. January 8, 1999. p. 37.

External links

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Lotus_(R.E.M._song)&oldid=1198715804"