Song · R.E.M.
“Strange Currencies” by R.E.M.
From the album Monster (1994)
“Strange Currencies” by R.E.M. appears on 20 radio countdowns from 11 stations between 1994 and 2026. It was first released in 1994 on the album Monster. Its best result is #31 on the WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1995. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #71 alternative song of 1995 and #1,729 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (remhq). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Strange Currencies" is the tender-sounding creep of R.E.M.'s ninth studio album, Monster, released in 1994, and it came out as the album's fourth single in April 1995. Like "Everybody Hurts" before it, it rolls in 6/8 time, but the sway hides something darker. Peter Buck said every song on Monster was about peeping and stalkers, and Michael Stipe described the record as role-playing; this one, he said, is about someone convinced that words alone can make another person believe they're the only one.
Bill Berry, Buck, Mike Mills and Stipe wrote it together, Scott Litt produced it with the band, and Pat McCarthy mixed. It climbed to nine on the UK Singles Chart and 47 in the States, and Mark Romanek directed the video.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 81 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1994 | 91 |
| 1994 | 86 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1994 | 101 |
| 1995 | 105 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1995 | 107 |
| 1995 | 85 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1995 | 101 |
| 1995 | 31 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1995 | 100 |
| 1995 | 45 | Radio 104.1 Hartford-New Haven, CT | WMRQ Top 104 Songs of 1995 | 104 |
| 1995 | 84 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 95 Songs of 1995 | 95 |
| 1995 | 33 | WDRE Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | WDRE Top 103.9 Songs of 1995 | 104 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 835 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 1999 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1823 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 544 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2021 | 162 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2023 | 679 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2026 | 857 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
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