Imitation of Life (song)

2001 single by R. E. M.
the song by Anthrax

"Imitation of Life" is a song by American alternative rock band R. E. M. It was written by band members Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe and produced by the band with Pat McCarthy for their 12th studio album, Reveal (2001). The track's title comes from Douglas Sirk's 1959 film of the same name and is used as a metaphor for adolescence and adulthood. One of R. E. M.'s most pop influenced tracks, "Imitation of Life" has been described lyrically as "see[ing] through the puffed up performance of a hopeful entertainer", The song was almost excluded from Reveal because it was too much like the rest of the album, but during the mixing process, the band decided to set it apart by turning it into an up tempo track. R. E. M. chose to release "Imitation of Life" as the first single from Reveal because it was the "poppiest" track on the album and possessed their "classic" sound. Along with the rest of the album, R. E. M. recorded the song at four locations: The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia; John Keane Studios in Athens, Georgia; The Dalkey Lodge in Dublin, Ireland; and The Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida. Warner Bros. Records first serviced the song to European radio on March 23, 2001. The single received its first commercial release on April 16, 2001, when a maxi CD single was issued in Australia containing three additional tracks: the original version of "The Lifting", a demo of "Beat a Drum" recorded at The Dalkey Lodge, and "2JN". Seven days later, another CD single was distributed across continental Europe—this one containing only "2JN" as an additional track—and a maxi CD with the same track listing as the Australian format was also released.

Listen|pos=left|filename=R. E. M. Imitation of Life. ogg|type=music|title="Imitation of Life"|description=A 19 second sample of the chorus of "Imitation of Life", illustrating the song's "jangly" instrumentation. The drumming is the result of a machine rather than a session drummer. "Imitation of Life" has been described as R. E. M.'s most pop sounding song at the time both by the band and from music critics, with the band noting that it encapsulates their characteristics well. On the song, Buck, Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey, and Ken Stringfellow play acoustic guitars, while a drum machine is used for the percussion, as ex drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997. R. E. M. and Johnny Tate arranged the track's strings while producer Pat McCarthy overdubbed them into the song. Stringfellow also added in the song's synthesizer solo. Stipe sings lead vocals and is backed by Mills. Lyrically, Jordan Stepp of online magazine God Is in the TV described the track as "see[ing] through the puffed up performance of a hopeful entertainer," while Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the song is about "the pleasures of love and their aftermath." The main chorus lyrics—"That sugarcane that tasted good / That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood / Come on, come on, no one can see you try"—are changed several times throughout the song, with Stipe repeating one variation until the track ends. British trade paper Music Week likened the song to R. E. M.'s Automatic for the People era, calling its production "lush" and noting Stipe's "yearning" vocals. Matt LeMay of Pitchfork Media wrote that the track's lyrics were "terrible" and that the song resembled R. E. M.'s 1999 song "The Great Beyond" but praised its hook and sound. Reviewing for the album for Rolling Stone, Sheffield proclaimed "Imitation of Life" R. E. M.'s "most beautiful" song since 1992's "Man on the Moon" and commending its goosebump inducing instrumentation. In a retrospective review of Reveal 20 years after its release, Stereogum writer Ryan Leas praised "Imitation of Life" for its relatable lyrics and "deeply catchy" composition that is neither too cheerful nor too depressing. In 2021, Far Out Magazine ranked the track at number three on its list of "The 10 Best Songs Based on Films", calling the track an "earworm" and noting its "pretty serious" theme.

On May 26, 2001, "Imitation of Life" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 83, which would become its peak; it was R. E. M.'s second single to debut at its peak, following "Electrolite" in 1997. Afterwards, the song spent five more weeks on the chart before leaving. Across continental Europe, "Imitation of Life" made top 10 debuts in Italy, Norway, Spain, entering directly at numbers three, four, and three, respectively. It was directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Nick Goldsmith. Wanting to try something different, Stipe has described the video's format as a "dead, dead form", taking inspiration from Polish director Zbigniew Rybczyński's 1981 film Tango. Jennings filmed the video using 12 Super 8 cameras, whose shots were subsequently merged to create one collective 20 second clip. New York Press has described the video as a live action Where's Waldo? puzzle and wrote that the video exposes the flaws of television editing without compromising its own cinematic merit. Technology website TNW noted that the video is one of the earliest precursors of a Vine clip.

+Release dates and formats for "Imitation of Life"RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)IDRef. (Reference)EuropeMarch 23, 2001RadioWarner Bros. WPCR 11011DVDWPBR 90032Canada2001Maxi CDCD 42363AustraliaDVD7599385402EuropeUnited KingdomW559DVD