“Nightswimming” is a ballad by R.E.M. from their 1992 album Automatic for the People, released as a single in 1993. It is musically distinct for its minimalist arrangement, featuring only Mike Mills on piano (played on the same instrument used for Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla”), Michael Stipe on vocals, a string arrangement by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and oboe by Deborah Workman.
I started listening to R.E.M. in 1983 with the release of Murmur. Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983, by I.R.S. Records. The hit song Radio Free Europe was R.E.M.’s debut single released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone. The song features what were to become the trademark unintelligible lyrics which have distinguished R.E.M.’s work ever since.
Automatic for the People was released in October 1992. In the United States, the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album charts. Nightswimming is the 5th song and the second side of the album.
Having said all this, tonight was the first time I ever heard this song and I think it is amazing. There are several versions on YouTube, but I like this one because Michael Stipe’s vocal sounds good considering it was recorded 19 years ago.
