"Talk About The Passion" was the second and final single released by R.E.M. from the band's debut album Murmur in 1983. It was released in Europe only, on 12" vinyl. This song failed to follow up on the success of "Radio Free Europe" released earlier in the year, as it did not chart.

Michael Stipe has referred to the song as a "hunger song", although the only direct reference in the song is to "empty mouths". The video, made in 1988 and featured on the Pop Screen compilation, made this meaning of the song more explicit by showing images of homeless people and images of a warship, ending with the caption, "in 1987 the cost of one destroyer-class warship was 910 million dollars."

The song was the first R.E.M. song to contain a foreign phrase, with the line "Combien de temps?" When translated from French, this means "How long?" The song also includes the line "Combien de réaction?", which means, "How much reaction?"

The song was placed on R.E.M.'s first I.R.S. Records greatest hits album Eponymous (and released as the only single from that album) in 1988.

Tracklisting

1. Talk About The Passion
2. Shaking Through
3. Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)
4. 1,000,000

R.E.M. songs | 1983 singles