The One I Love

R.E.M. recorded “The One I Love” in April 1987 at Sound Emporium in Nashville during the Document sessions. Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe wrote the song, with Scott Litt producing it with the band and helping give the record its sharper, more direct sound. Released by I.R.S. in 1987 as the lead single from Document, it became R.E.M.’s first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 9. Its stark guitar figure, minimal lyric and Robert Longo video moved the band from college-radio prominence toward mainstream visibility. The track remains one of R.E.M.’s signature 1980s singles and a defining moment in American alternative rock’s move into the pop charts. Its recurring misreading as a love song has become part of its cultural afterlife and reinforced the tension between its direct hook and bleak lyric.