After 31 years of making music together and selling millions of albums, the band R.E.M. is breaking up. Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck made the announcement themselves, on their official webpage, saying the time had simply come for them to call it a day. It was one of the most influential and long-lasting acts in the music industry and, as such, had a fanbase to match.
Throughout the years, R.E.M. proved that we can still have acts that stay in the game for the love of music, and not for fame and money, while still remaining humble and dedicated to their one goal: that of delivering good songs to fans.
Which is precisely why they have decided to call it quits after 31 years: it’s always important to know when to take your leave, as Stipe writes in a message to fans.
“A wise man once said – ‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave.’ We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it,” he writes.
However, that’s not to say that the decision to put an end to the band was an easy one, the singer continues. On the contrary, it was the hardest they ever made.
“But all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way. We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It’s been amazing,” Stipe explains.
The joint statement from the band, taking up no more than a couple of lines, echoes the sentiment: it’s no wonder they’ve made it this far when they’d been blessed with such amazing fans, it says.
“We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening,” the three bandmembers write.
To see what Mike and Peter also have to say about the decision to pull the plug on R.E.M., please refer
here.
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