Imitation Of Lifeby R.E.M.

If this sounds like vintage R.E.M., it's because the band really did imitate life when they accidentally took the verse chords from 1985's "Driver 8" and used them in this song. --- Check out the incredibly unique video for this song, filmed using 12 Super 8 cameras, whose shots were subsequently merged to create one collective 20-second clip: www.youtube.com The song title is taken from the classic 1959 film of the same name. Directed by Douglas Sirk, the movie (a remake of the 1939 version starring Claudette Colbert) follows a young African-American girl's struggle as she abandons her mother so she can pass as white in the '50s south. "I thought at the time that the title was a perfect metaphor for adolescence. Unfortunately I have come to believe that it is a perfect metaphor for adulthood, too. But that's another story," Peter Buck explained.

If this sounds like vintage R.E.M., it's because the band really did imitate life when they accidentally took the verse chords from 1985's "Driver 8" and used them in this song. --- The song title is taken from the classic 1959 film of the same name. Directed by Douglas Sirk, the movie (a remake of the 1939 version starring Claudette Colbert) follows a young African-American girl's struggle as she abandons her mother so she can pass as white in the '50s south. "I thought at the time that the title was a perfect metaphor for adolescence. Unfortunately I have come to believe that it is a perfect metaphor for adulthood, too. But that's another story," Peter Buck explained.

According to the liner notes on In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, this song's title came from Douglas Sirk's 1959 film of the same name.

After the release of their debut EP in 1982, R.E.M. gained a cult following, but it still took several years before they would hit the US charts

A listener wrote in to recommend the music video for "Imitation of Life." Watch it here: www.youtube.com

by request for Daniel in São Paulo, Brazil. Happy Birthday!