Document (album)

Document is the fifth studio album by R.E.M. and their sixth overall. It was released in 1987 a few months after their rarities collection Dead Letter Office appeared and is the last album of new material by the band released on the I.R.S. Records label.

Document was R.E.M.'s first album co-produced by Scott Litt and the band, a collaboration that continued through Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and may account for their success with this album as well as the following five. This album was significant not only in launching R.E.M.'s first US Top 10 hit in "The One I Love" (which reached #9), but also giving them their first platinum album.

After Document, their I.R.S. contract expired. With the band poised to become a major rock group—perhaps to the dismay of their college rock fans—R.E.M. signed a five-album deal the following year with major label Warner Bros. and saw their commercial fortunes grow exponentially.

In 2005, Capitol Records (who now own I.R.S. Records' catalog) issued an expanded DualDisc edition of Document which includes a digitally remastered version of the album on the CD side, a DVD-Audio, DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound mix of the album done by Elliot Scheiner on the DVD side, and the original CD booklet.

Song notes

"Exhuming McCarthy" makes an explicit parallel between the red-baiting of Joe McCarthy's time and the strengthening of the sense of American exceptionalism during the Reagan era, especially the Iran-Contra affair. Starting with the click-clack of a typewriter, it also includes a sound clip of Joseph Welch's rebuke of McCarthy from the Army-McCarthy Hearings: "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator.... You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

The song "Strange" was originally recorded by the art punk band Wire. This version has slightly altered lyrics, such as "Michael's nervous and the lights are bright."

Track listing

All songs were written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, except as indicated.

"Finest Worksong" – 3:48
"Welcome to the Occupation" – 2:46
"Exhuming McCarthy" – 3:19
"Disturbance at the Heron House" – 3:32
"Strange" (B.C. Gilbert, Graham Lewis, Colin Newman, Robert Gotobed) – 2:31
"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – 4:05
"The One I Love" – 3:17
"Fireplace" – 3:22
"Lightnin' Hopkins" – 3:20
"King of Birds" – 4:09
"Oddfellows Local 151" – 5:21

Personnel

Additional personnel

Steve Berlin – horns
Carl Marsh – Fairlight CMI

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1987	The Billboard 200	10

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Position
1987	"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	16
1987	"The One I Love"	Billboard Hot 100	9
1988	"The One I Love"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
1988	"Finest Worksong"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	28

Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – USA	Gold	November 2 1987
RIAA – USA	Platinum	January 25 1988

R.E.M. albums | 1987 albums