NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Michael Stipe attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Last week, in one of those moments that reminds me direct access to celebrities through social media can still feel fun and special, Michael Stipe logged onto Bluesky and decided to clear up some rapid-fire lyrics from R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” that have often been transcribed inaccurately online. This was a marginally big deal because Stipe famously refused to publish his lyrics in R.E.M.’s liner notes, and many relied-upon sources like Genius had the words wrong.
