Maybe it took R.E.M. half of their 30 years together as a band to formally announce their breakup because they were afraid of what would happen. Yup, when the Athens, Ga. band called it quits yesterday, 2,070 articles on Google used a play on the band's 1987 hit “It's the End of the World (As We Know It)” to announce the news.
Here's the bit from Winnipeg Free Press:
It's the end of R.E.M. as we know it.
The veteran rockers from Athens, Ga., have announced on their website that they are calling it quits.
The band, fronted by Michael Stipe, said they have decided to “call it a day” and that they walk away with “a great sense of gratitude” for all they have accomplished. The band's original members included Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry.
Their songs include “Losing My Religion,” “Man on the Moon” and “It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” Earlier this year, they released their latest studio album “Collapse Into Now.”
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At least the Chicagoist was ickily self aware about the overkill, and tried to make some sense out of the news:
It's The End Of R.E.M. As We Know It And … Oh, That Joke's Been Done. And So Are They.
We
know some folks out there are full of snarky comments in the wake of
R.E.M.'s announcement today that they are breaking up. (“Wait, I didn't
know they were still around!” Real original.) That doesn't make the
band's dissolution any less depressing in our eyes though, especially
since the trio finally seemed to have finally regained a bit of the
swagger and power they lost when drummer Bill Berry left the band years
ago.
Even ABC News couldn't resist, and wove in song lyrics throughout their story:
It's the end of R.E.M. as we know it.
The iconic alternative rock band that became a pop culture phenomenon in the 1990s and put out 15 original albums in 31 years announced it's breaking up today.
“To our Fans and Friends,” the group wrote on its website, REMHQ.com. “As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”
Suffice is to say, R.E.M.'s fans probably do not feel fine.
Personally, I have a better R.E.M. song to wallow in today:
