Song: “Shiny Happy People”
A collab between two Athens, GA, bands should put a smile on your face
Kate Pierson of the B-52s has been one of the most joyful presences in music over the last decades, her dancing, smiles, songs, and singing all levitating anything she has been involved in. So, when old friends from Athens, GA — the members of R.E.M., a band the B-52s paved the way for to a large extent — called with an idea to work together on a song called “Shiny Happy People,” she had to know there was just her type of magic in the air.
However, as you’d expect with an intellectual art band, the title and chorus are used ironically, and there’s a little tinge of sarcasm to it, as noted by one recent analysis.
Based on a Chinese propaganda poster, the slogan “Shiny happy people holding hands” had a different feeling when the song was released in 1991, two years after Tienanmen Square where hundreds of protesters were killed by the Chinese government.
The song was written as almost a dare from the band to lead singer, Michael Stipe, who admitted to being a fan of The Archies, The Monkeys, and The Banana Splits growing up. Could he also do a bubble-gum pop song?
He pulled it off, but it’s almost painful to watch Stipe smile and dance in such a carefree manner, and he was embarrassed when the song became hit. Later, he accepted how it showed a different side of him, the fun-loving musician who too often came across as serious because he worked so hard to get his thoughts across. Here, he is just having a good time.
Midway through, the song switches to waltz time. It was R.E.M.’s guitarist Peter Buck’s idea to do this even though the other bandmates thought it was “kind of fruity.” He thought it was cool, and gives the song “a ‘Saturday In The Park’ feel.”
The song reached #6 in the UK and the Top 10 in the US.
In 1999, R.E.M. performed the song in a delightful segment on Sesame Street, retitled as “Furry Happy Monsters.” Pierson’s part was performed by a Muppet made to look like her and was voiced by Stephanie D’Abruzzo, a Muppeteer who was also a huge fan of both bands.
In 2024, R.E.M.’s secret weapon, Mike Mills (bass, piano, harmonies) told Rick Beato:
It started out as not the bubblegum epic that it became. I wrote the thing on acoustic guitar. We made it a song about kids. It’s for kids. It’s a great song, I’m proud of it, we don’t hate it.
The music video below was directed by Katherine Dieckmann and inspired by the 1948 movie Letter From an Unknown Woman. The backdrops were painted by third graders from a class taught by a friend.
Make sure you stay for the final round of dancing, singing, and fun.
Enjoy!
