The big news out of last night's Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction: All four members of R.E.M. performed together onstage for the first time in 17 years. The reunion was just for one song, an acoustic version of "Losing My Religion," but it was still a big deal.
Inducting R.E.M. into the hall was Jason Isbell, their fellow Southern songwriting great. “Nobody sounds like R.E.M., even now, and it ain’t for lack of trying,” he said. “R.E.M. moved like a single instrument and the songs they created served a real purpose for kids like me growing up in a small Southern town.”
Isbell recorded the R.E.M. songs "Nightswimming" and "Driver 8" for Georgia Blue, the covers album he released after Joe Biden won Georgia in the 2020 presidential election. Thursday in NYC, he performed a third R.E.M. tune, "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." Check out footage of the cover and Isbell's speech below.
