Closing Statement: “Me in Honey” by R.E.M.

The late 1980s and early 1990s was a heck of a time for The B-52s’ Kate Pierson. In early 1989 she performed background vocals on Matthew Sweet’s album Earth. That summer The B-52s released their breakthrough crossover album Cosmic Thing that produced two massive hits in “Love Shack” and “Roam.” “Love Shack” reached # 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, # 2 on the UK Singles Chart, topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and its music video was Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. The follow up single “Roam” also reached # 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

In 1990, Pierson performed a duet with Iggy Pop on the song “Candy” from his ninth solo album Brick by Brick. It would be Pop’s one and only Top 40 hit in the United States, making it the biggest mainstream hit of his career. “Candy” was my first exposure to Iggy Pop. After seeing the music video on MTV, I picked up the cassette single. To this day, it is my favorite song by Iggy Pop and I suspect that Kate Pierson is a big part of the reason.

Then in 1991, Pierson collaborated with R.E.M. on three songs, two of which appeared on the band’s album Out of Time and one on Until the End of the World: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack. We’re going to focus on the two from Out of Time. “Shiny Happy People” was the album’s second single and quite possibly the bane of the band’s existence. It reached # 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would be R.E.M.’s last song to do so. (That’s right, “Everybody Hurts” was NOT a Top 10 single. In fact, it peaked at # 29.) The song was a full duet with Pierson and she was prominently featured in its music video.

And I’m sorry but that song rules!

Finally, there’s “Me in Honey.”

Out of Time is an interesting record in the R.E.M. discography, especially at that point. It was the band’s second album for Warner Bros. Records and doubled down on elements found on its predecessor, 1988’s Green. Peter Buck traded in his guitar for a mandolin and the album took on a more acoustic and, at times, subdued tone. I remember seeing an interview with the band discussing the album on MTV and singer Michael Stipe mentioned his general hatred of love songs. Tying it all together, he said that during the making of Out of Time, he challenged himself to write a record of good love songs.

The album, R.E.M.’s first to reach the top of the Billboard 200, is most well known for its lead single, “Losing My Religion.” Even though Out of Time contains two of the band’s biggest hits, it works best as a cohesive whole. All 11 songs are necessary and important, taking the listener on a journey of emotional highs and lows. It is also extremely important to me.

The second side of Out of Time, Memory Side, is bookended by the band’s collaborations with Kate Pierson. It opens with the bright pop anthem “Shiny Happy People” and closes with the uplifting (sonically at least) “Me in Honey.” Both songs are better because of Pierson and wouldn’t work without her. Subsequently, the entire album is better for her contribution. Stipe has a voice that mixes beautifully with others, just take a look at his live performance with 10,000 Maniacs on “Candy Everybody Wants,” but there is something magical that happens when he and Pierson sing together.

Speaking of the Maniacs, lyrically “Me in Honey” is a response to their song “Eat For Two” from 1989’s Blind Man’s Zoo. Both songs are about pregnancy, only from different perspectives (something I just learned while working on this piece). As with most R.E.M. songs, when looking at the lyrics, without any context from the band, it’s damn near impossible to suss out exactly what they are on about. I always saw “Me in Honey” as an uplifting song and the added context doesn’t change that assessment or feeling.

“Me in Honey” follows the extremely dark and somber “Country Feedback.” When taken in the context of the record, it is that final moment of hopeful release. More than that, it ties up Out of Time beautifully with its buoyant sound and the return of Pierson's glorious vocals. No other song could do what “Me in Honey” does in that position. Without it to close out the album, Out of Time simply falls apart.

References
The B-52s. (2025, August 30). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_B-52s&oldid=1308688987

Blind Man's Zoo. (2025, July 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blind_Man%27s_Zoo&oldid=1301572435

Candy (Iggy Pop song). (2025, April 18). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Candy_(Iggy_Pop_song)&oldid=1286281679

Hosken, P. (2016, December 6). Is “Me In Honey” The Best R.E.M. Song?. Medium. https://patrickhosken.medium.com/is-me-in-honey-the-best-r-e-m-song-d04c60c12431

Kate Pierson. (2025, July 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kate_Pierson&oldid=1298219847

Out of Time (album). (2025, August 30). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Out_of_Time_(album)&oldid=1308564655

Pop, I. (1990). Candy [Song]. On Brick by Brick [Album]. Virgin Records.

R.E.M. (1991). Out of Time [Album]. Warner Bros. Records.

R.E.M. – Me in Honey Lyrics. (n.d.). Genius. Retrieved August 31, 2025 from https://genius.com/Rem-me-in-honey-lyrics

10,000 Maniacs. (1989). Eat for Two [Song]. on Blind Man's Zoo [Album]. Elektra Records.

10000 Maniacs – Eat for Two Lyrics. (n.d.). Genius. Retrieved September 1, 2025 from https://genius.com/10000-maniacs-eat-for-two-lyrics