Thirteen years after R.E.M.
disbanded, the original members of the iconic rock group reunited before their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday night to reflect on the highs and lows of their career. “You know, we lived or died on the strength of our songs. So this is a huge honor,” guitarist Peter Buck said on “CBS Mornings,” speaking ahead of the induction ceremony in New York and during the group’s first interview together in 30 years.
“It is the hardest thing that we do. And it’s the thing that we’ve worked on the most from the very beginning,” bassist Mike Mills told CBS ’ Anthony Mason. “Because we had to,” drummer Bill Berry said.
“I mean really, early on, just to put food on the table, we had to write songs as fast as we could.” The indie rock group formed as college students at the University of Georgia in Athens in the early 1980s before dropping out to pursue music full time. They gained local recognition before releasing their critically acclaimed debut album “Murmur” in 1983, which The Times named the No.
2 album of the year . The foursome would gather in the studio every day with a list of ideas and trade them back and forth to see whether anyone was inspired. Mills, Buck and Berry would write the music, then hand it over to vocalist Michael Stipe to write the lyrics.
“Michael, of course, is one of the best melodists in the world,” Mills said. That much is clear, given the group’s recognition by the Songwr.
