We’re living through a weird time right now. People are stocking up on toilet paper like it’s the apocalypse, we’ve lost track of how many times we have said the phrase “social distancing,” and music that hasn’t been popular in over 30 years is suddenly back on the iTunes charts. Turns out, a lot of people are spending their self-quarantine time listening to one song in particular. Alternative rock band R.E.M.’s 1987 hit “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” must to be stuck in a lot of people’s heads lately because it is back on the U.S. iTunes charts thanks to a lot of streams.
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The throwback track is about frontman Michael Stipe’s anxieties in a stream-of-consciousness lyrical style about a litany of world-changing events and things to worry about. There’s no way he could have predicted the coronavirus, but the sentiment is very similar to how people are feeling amid the wider and wider spreading pandemic. The chorus repeats the phrase, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”
With the total number of cases growing rapidly by the day, everything from television shows to music festivals being shut down or postponed, and more and more employers asking people to work from home, the song seems more fitting now than ever.
It’s the end of the world as we know it... and I neeeed wwiiiiine.
— Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) March 14, 2020
The people of Wegmans have lost their minds. The only thing worse then this level of hoarding is that they were playing “end of the world as we know it” by REM. I’m not joking. pic.twitter.com/honcUPNJuq
— Ashley Holub (@ashtroid22) March 12, 2020
Pretty sure no one at work appreciated when I blasted the song "It's the end of the world as we know it" when they announced we should work from home all next week.
— Drunk Liz (@DrunkLiz1) March 14, 2020
But hey, I thought it was funny.#coronapocalypse
The song playing at Trader Joe’s just now was — and I cannot stress this enough — “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” by R.E.M. pic.twitter.com/rE4l4aVimN
— Kelgore (@KelgoreTrout) March 13, 2020
Funnily enough, despite the doom and gloom the lyrics portray, Stipe, according to an interview with Vulture last year, describes himself as an optimist and doesn’t view the world as close to the end.
"I do feel that we're moving toward something that is more inclusive and progressive, but we're having to go through pretty dark times to get there," Stipe said at the time. We’re just going to channel that positive outlook over the next couple weeks as we practice social distancing.
Who knows how long the popular ‘80s hit will be back on the charts, but given everyone keeping to themselves in self-quarantine and no sign of stopping the world spread of the virus, it could be a little while.
If you’re looking for some songs to blast for you and your neighbours while you’re stuck at home, look no further than our aptly-titled playlist.