R.E.M. Records A Number Of Protest Songs

04/04/2003 12:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Gary Graff

(4/4/03, 12 p.m. ET) -- R.E.M. has, not surprisingly, come out against the war in Iraq with the new song, titled "The Final Straw." The track, which can be downloaded from the band's website (remhq.com), is critical of the Bush administration's foreign policies and particularly of the military actions in Iraq.

Bassist Mike Mills said, "The Final Straw" is far from the only thing the group will have to say about the war. "You know, there's a lot of protest in our music these days. Several of the songs are directly or indirectly protesting the actions and reactions of the Bush administration. It makes us so angry that it's impossible not to say something about it."

Mills said R.E.M. hasn't decided if any of the other songs will be posted online, or if any of them--including "The Final Straw"--will be among the new songs on The Best Of R.E.M. , an 18-track retrospective coming out September 30.

R.E.M. kicks off a European tour on July 27 at the Glastonbury Festival in England. A six-week North American trek starts September 1 at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle.

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

For more news at LAUNCH, click here.