Release date: 21/08/95 | Length: 4:13 | Release: Monster | UK: #13 | SuE: #132

Don’t leave that stuff all over me

Tongue was an odd choice to be Monster‘s final single (in the UK only), and even more surprising is that it charted at a healthy #13. For a song that went so strongly against the grain of the album and the times, this was a fair coup for the band, no doubt helped by the band’s return to touring and increased relevance.

Monster is utterly packed with guitar distortion, so Tongue is a refreshing about-turn from this, as Peter Buck plays only a supporting role with some mini licks after the chorus. Compared to the full-frontal assault that he performs on the rest of the album, less is certainly more on Tongue. It’s Mike Mills who’s the star here, playing an organ that holds together the whole track, one that’s described as “soulful” by producer Scott Litt in retrospect.

The single also continues R.E.M.’s sexual mood that worms itself onto so much of the album, though whether one deems Tongue as a result to be sexy or depressing as a result is a matter of opinion. It’s wholly sung in falsetto, and Michael Stipe quite frankly sounds amazing. When compared to some later work on Reveal that flirts with falsetto again, you can sense the thoughtfulness and purpose behind his voice on Tongue, as he sings from the perspective of a female always resorting to the whims of her lover. There are some rather blunt lines here that really don’t need much dissecting, and whilst the song might be sexy to some, it lacks the passion for that and simply comes across as horny.

One cool thing that the 25th anniversary edition of Monster included was a completely new album, in that Scott remixed all twelve tracks on the album to incorporate aspects that he feels missed out on its initial release. No song sounds radically different, but they do offer a new take on things. Mike’s organ and piano are turned up on Tongue‘s remix, and his Beach Boys-esque backing vocals are also included towards the end of the song. It actually makes the song aesthetically very pretty on the ears, but in the process of making the song sound sweeter, it doesn’t seem to fit the non-platonic relationships that exist in the song.