Song · R.E.M.
“Bad Day” by R.E.M.
Released 2003
“Bad Day” by R.E.M. appears on 14 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 2003 and 2022. It was first released in 2003. Its best result is #17 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 2003. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #87 alternative song of 2003 and #7,050 alternative song of all time.
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"Bad Day" was the lead single from In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, one of just two new songs on that 2003 compilation, and it's older than it looks. The band first tried it back during the Lifes Rich Pageant sessions: an outtake finally surfaced on the 2006 I.R.S.-era collection And I Feel Fine..., and a demo from the same sessions showed up on the 25th anniversary edition of Lifes Rich Pageant in 2011, each version arranged a little differently.
The finished take is a brisk, jittery rocker with the old jangle still in its bones, all nervous energy and churning guitars. It's credited to Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, and it came out on Warner Bros.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 79 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2003 | 106 |
| 2003 | 91 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2003 | 100 |
| 2003 | 30 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2003 | 101 |
| 2003 | 51 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2003 | 102 |
| 2003 | 43 | The Bear Ottawa, ON | The Bear Top 107 Songs of 2003 | 107 |
| 2003 | 72 | WBCN Boston, MA | WBCN Top 104 Songs of 2003 | 104 |
| 2003 | 31 (tie) | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2003 | 196 |
| 2003 | 17 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2003 | 103 |
| 2004 | 36 | The Bear Ottawa, ON | The Bear Top 107 Songs of 2004 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1936 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1937 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1929 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2009 | 786 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2022 | 780 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
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