Sitting Still

Album: Murmur (1983)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • R.E.M. cut an early version of this song for their first EP, which featured a rough version of "Radio Free Europe," their first song to gain national attention. They re-cut both songs for their debut album Murmur, with considerably better production values.
  • "Sitting Still" is perhaps the most famous example of Michael Stipe's indecipherable lyrics and pronunciation. In an interview with Rolling Stone in the early '90s, he said this is a song in which "syllabizes" the sounds as opposed to actually saying words. When asked if the song contains the line "City traffic, the big hill, wasting time, sitting still," Stipe said "no, there's no hill in it." True to form, he didn't clarify what he was actually singing. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    kevin - Reading, PA

Comments: 1

  • EdSit on top of the big hill, wasting time, sitting still.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.