Tongue (song)

"Tongue"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Monster
B-side	"Tongue (Instrumental Version)"
Released	October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)
Format	CD single, 7" single, Cassette
Recorded	1994
Genre	Rock
Length	4:08
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Berry, Buck, Mills, Stipe
Producer	Scott Litt & R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Crush with Eyeliner" (1995) "Tongue" (1995) "E-Bow the Letter" (1996)

"Tongue" is a song by R.E.M., released as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album Monster. It was only released in the UK. In the song, lead singer Michael Stipe performs in falsetto; he has stated several times he is in fact supposed to be a girl in the song. Stipe has also said the track is "all about cunnilingus."

On March 1, 1995, Bill Berry had to leave the stage during a performance of this song complaining of a serious headache. It in fact turned out to be a brain aneurysm, and is the likely reason for his leaving the band in October 1997. On subsequent dates Berry admitted that it gave him an eerie feeling every time the band performed "Tongue".^{[citation needed]}

The single's video, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and shot during the soundcheck prior to the band's June 20, 1995 performance at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York, shows a group of teenagers in a living room watching the band perform on TV. The version of the song that plays is slightly higher in tone than that of the album version. It was included as a bonus video on the DVD release of In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003.

The three live songs that make up the CD single's B-sides were performed on Saturday Night Live in 1994.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe

UK/DE CD Single

1. "Tongue" – 4:08
2. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (Live) – 4:04
3. "Bang And Blame" (Live) – 4:52
4. "I Don't Sleep, I Dream" (Live) – 3:48

US 7" and CD Single

1. "Tongue" (Album version) – 4:09
2. "Tongue" (Live) – 4:34

7" and Cassette UK Single

1. "Tongue" (Album version) – 4:09
2. "Tongue" (Instrumental version) – 4:09

• "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," "Bang And Blame" and "I Don’t Sleep, I Dream" recorded live at Saturday Night Live appearance, New York, New York, on November 12, 1994.
• "Tongue" recorded live at Detroit, Michigan on June 7, 1995.

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Irish Singles Chart	12
UK Singles Chart	13

External links

• Video clip at REMhq.com