Song · R.E.M.
“Perfect Circle” by R.E.M.
From the album Murmur (1983)
“Perfect Circle” by R.E.M. appears on 10 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2003 and 2020. It was first released in 1983 on the album Murmur. Its best result is #1599 on the WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,079 alternative song of all time.
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Tucked sixth on Murmur, R.E.M.'s 1983 debut album on I.R.S., "Perfect Circle" turns out to be the record's strangest, loveliest detour. It opens on honky-tonk piano, a sound that belongs to ragtime and old country records more than to the college-rock scene, and there are two of them: Mike Mills on one, Bill Berry on the other, slightly out of step and drenched in reverb so the whole thing seems to hover a few inches off the ground. Peter Buck's 12-string guitar shimmers through it, and Mitch Easter and Don Dixon produced.
The lyrics are cloudy on purpose, and the band say the feeling is the point, open to whatever you bring to it. The song took on new weight after Berry left in 1997: the band brought it back on stage while promoting Up, named him as its main writer and dedicated it to him.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1994 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2003 | 1939 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2007 | 1666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1638 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1659 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1697 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1765 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 1821 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1888 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2020 | 1599 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
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