R.E.M. 80s Hits Quiz: Test Your Fan Knowledge Now

R.E.M.'s 1987 hit "The One I Love" is commonly mistaken for a romantic anthem, but the lyrics were intended as a cold, even vengeful, one-line commentary rather than a love song.

R.E.M.'s song "Orange Crush" (1988) was inspired by the Vietnam War and Agent Orange, but R.E.M. never uses the phrase Agent Orange in the lyrics, leaving the political reference implicit rather than explicit.