Modern Rock No. 1s: R.E.M. and "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"
R.E.M. becomes the first artist to debut at #1 on the Modern Rock chart with "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?," a song that reshaped the band's sound after a softer, introspective run in the early '90s
R.E.M. - “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock chart: 5 weeks (September 24 to October 22, 1994)
Previous Modern Rock #1 hit: Green Day and “Basket Case”
Next Modern Rock #1 hit: The Cranberries and “Zombie”
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Boyz II Men - “I’ll Make Love To You” (8/27/94 to 10/22/94, 10 total weeks)
I’m going to go with a short, short introduction here, as R.E.M. is a band that’s well known in these parts and, if you’ve been following my newsletter for any length of time, you’re well aware of my feelings on both the band and their album Monster.
The lead single from Monster, in particular, is extra special, and not just because your author loves this album so very much. When R.E.M. released Monster in the fall of 1994, the first single, “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” not only spent five weeks at #1, but it became the first single in the history of the MRT charts to debut at #1.
This isn’t the first time I’ve touched on R.E.M. or Monster, as I dedicated a rather lengthy review of the album on the occasion of its 30th anniversary late last year. Indeed, “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” is pretty much my introduction to R.E.M., a band I knew peripherally through middle-school friends who were more attuned to modern music in the early ‘90s than I was, but never on the level I did after hearing Monster for the first time.
“What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” is an interesting choice for a lead single from R.E.M., who had changed their tone noticeably during their run on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The four other R.E.M. songs that topped the MRT chart to this point — “Orange Crush,” “Stand,” “Losing My Religion,” and “Drive” — followed a progression that went from ‘80s-era college rock and jangle pop to instrumentally diverse to full-on quiet introspection. One could argue that “Orange Crush” was one of the last popular rock songs in R.E.M.’s arsenal, the kind of song that featured driving guitars, booming vocals and hardline percussive beats. But for most of R.E.M.’s run in the post-IRS, Modern Rock Tracks chart era, the band trended away from a hard-rock edge.
That changed with Monster, and lead singer Michael Stipe acknowledged that a lot of the work that went into the album and songs like “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” were borne out of the push toward harder rock and grunge. In a 2019 interview with the BBC, Stipe discusses the shift:
“I was taking a lot from U2 and Nirvana, to tell you the truth. They were looking at rock music and the idea of rock music. Rather than being in the middle of it, they were taking a step back and looking at it from a different place. We all felt like that was a good place for R.E.M. to go.”
In the same interview, bassist Mike Mills noted that the band was planning their first tour in several years, and thus wanted an album that would elevate their fans’ concert-going experience:
“The primary impetus was the tour. We knew we were going to tour for the first time in five years and we wanted to make a record that would be fun and relatively easy to play live. We just wanted to make a lot of noise.”
Whatever the reasons for the sonic shift, R.E.M. came out swinging with “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” This created a bit of a divide among music fans, critics, and R.E.M. purists. For many, the tonal shift away from the early ‘90s R.E.M. albums like Out Of Time and Automatic For The People was a welcome shift, reintroducing audiences to a hard-rock edge that had been missing since the mid to late ‘80s. In Rolling Stone’s review of the album, they praised the instrumentation and return to form of the band from a rock perspective:
“‘Monster’ could be guitarist Peter Buck’s finest hour; he’s all over this album, proving he can be just as effective without all those overdubs and acoustic fills, playing more from the gut. Mike Mills’ melodic bass lines are integral to many of these songs, his piano and organ add a range of textures to the soulful ‘Tongue,’ and he locks in with Bill Berry’s crisp, incisive drumming to make a suitably ‘monster’ rhythm section. If you’ve been a fan of R.E.M. live and missed the raw power of their gigs on earlier albums, this one’s for you.”
For others who’d come to appreciate R.E.M.’s shift away from hard rock to a softer, mellower tone, Monster effectively created a wedge for some listeners that turned them against the band. AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought Monster and songs like “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” offered something new to add to their rock-edged sound, but argued that it was not up the level of the bands offerings from the early ‘90s:
“‘Monster’ is indeed R.E.M.'s long-promised ‘rock’ album; it just doesn’t rock in the way one might expect. Instead of R.E.M.’s trademark anthemic bashers, ‘Monster’ offers a set of murky sludge, powered by the heavily distorted and delayed guitar of Peter Buck. Michael Stipe’s vocals have been pushed to the back of the mix, along with Bill Berry’s drums, which accentuates the muscular pulse of Buck’s chords. … (M)ost of the album sounds dense, dirty, and grimy, which makes the punchy guitars of ‘What's the Frequency, Kenneth?’ and the warped soul of ‘Tongue’ all the more distinctive. ‘Monster’ doesn't have the conceptual unity or consistently brilliant songwriting of ‘Automatic for the People,’ but it does offer a wide range of sonic textures that have never been heard on an R.E.M. album before.”
Whatever your feelings about Monster or its lead single, the song was an instant hit on alternative radio. The title itself, derived from an unusual encounter with then CBS news anchor Dan Rather and a then-unidentified assailant, created a lot of discussion and investigation in the pre-internet era. Rather became so intertwined in the history of the song that, at one point, he actually joined R.E.M. to sing the song on stage, which was … interesting to see.
Lyrically, the song is an indictment of sorts of ‘90s slacker culture, derived from the perspective of older individuals trying to make sense of what ‘90s kids were thinking. Stipe discusses it in an interview with Rather himself in 2017, reviewed and summarized in an American Songwriter article from 2023:
“The song, however, is not about the assault on Rather or his attackers. Stipe explained that ‘Kenneth’ is about the instructability that people of an older generation experience when they try to understand a younger generation. …
Stipe also mentioned in his interview with Rather that his lyrics for ‘Kenneth’ were specifically about the inscrutability of early ‘90s slacker culture to those who came of age in earlier decades. When Stipe sings ‘you wore our expectations like an armored suit’ in the chorus, he is probably referring to the disdain that people in their 20s had for older generations during the time of grunge.”
Regardless of the lyrical intricacies and social commentary, what really makes the song stand out is its music. Befitting of the post-grunge moment in which it was created, “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” features a grungy electric guitar, fuzzed-out bass, steady drumming, and distinctive vocals by Stipe, mixed lower to create a dense, textured sound. The song’s punchy, muscular guitars and loping rhythm make it catchy and powerful, and when you play it on full blast on your car radio or music system, it pulses and pounds you into submission in a way “Losing My Religion” or “Orange Crush” never could. I love it, from the driving opening guitar riff to Stipe’s casually spiteful “I never understood, don’t fuck with me, uh huh” to close it out.
The song was not only an alternative radio juggernaut, topping the charts for five weeks, but it also reached #21 on the Hot 100 in the fall of 1994. It was a top-20 hit in 10 other countries, hitting #1 in Iceland and #2 in Canada, and the song became a jumping-off point for several singles released between the end of 1994 well into 1995.
I still can’t say for sure if I rank “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” so high because it was my big, explosive introduction to R.E.M., or because it’s an amazing track on its own merits, deserving of a 10/10 rating. Views on this song and the album are mixed not only among music critics, but even friends and acquaintances of mine who appreciate different parts of R.E.M.’s vast catalog. If you’re a fan of Murmur or Reckoning or Fables of the Reconstruction, you may find Monster to be inferior, even if you appreciate the band’s pivot back to rock and roll. If you have a bigger affinity for albums like Green or Out Of Time or Automatic For The People, I could see how you might find Monster a bit out of touch with your appreciation of the band’s softer, introspective hits.
For me, Monster and “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” was the perfect point to join R.E.M., as I grew to appreciate what they did here first, and then found myself loving all aspects of their catalog both before this release and after.
It won’t be much longer before we talk about R.E.M. for the sixth time, as the band’s follow-up single to “Kenneth” will find that sweet spot between hard rock and mellow introspection, a potent mix that will top the charts for several weeks.
Rating: 10/10
Chart Check
Other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
The Modern Rock Tracks chart expanded to 40 songs from the 30 it listed from its beginning in 1988, and for the first time in my chronological review, I’ll be featuring a song that peaked below #30 on the expanded chart. Most of the songs that peaked behind R.E.M. finished in the top 10, and they’re all bangers, including another #2 finish for STP, top-five hits from Dinosaur Jr. and Offspring, and the last top-10 alternative hit from Toad The Wet Sprocket.
“Interstate Love Song” by Stone Temple Pilots (#2):
Future Modern Rock Tracks #1 artist Stone Temple Pilots (but not for any of the songs you’re thinking of) recorded their second-consecutive #2 hit on the MRT chart with “Interstate Love Song,” the last commercial single released from their multiplatinum album Purple. The song was a crossover pop hit as well, scoring a #18 peak on the Hot 100 Airplay chart (it was ineligible for the flagship Hot 100). It’s a song I remember most vividly from its unusual music video, featuring a character with a really big nose and a top hat running through the desert. The ‘90s were weird that way.
“Self Esteem” by Offspring (#4):
Former and future Modern Rock Tracks #1 artists Offspring follow up their first chart topper with “Self Esteem,” a song that effectively put the band on the map in terms of both alternative and pop audiences. When I listened to Smash for the first time, even though I loved “Come Out And Play,” I instantly attached myself to the infectious riffs of “Self Esteem,” and even to this day, it’s probably my go-to Offspring track. It peaked at #4 behind R.E.M. and managed a solid #45 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
“Feel The Pain” by Dinosaur Jr. (#4):
Dinosaur Jr. returns to the top 5 of the Modern Rock Tracks chart with “Feel The Pain,” a song that ranked lower than their previous entry “Start Choppin’” (which peaked at #3 in 1993), but is the one I most closely associate with the band. This song was in frequent recurrent rotation at my college radio station during my disc jockey days in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, and is a perfect balance between hard-rock and quiet introspection. The song peaked at #4 behind “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” and was the band’s only Hot 100 hit (it peaked at #62 on that chart). Though the band is still together, their last album release was in 2021 and they never charted in the U.S. again after this track. That said, this song is still solid and remains in rotation on most ‘90s adjacent rock radio stations and channels.
“Something’s Always Wrong” by Toad The Wet Sprocket (#9):
Former Modern Rock Tracks #1 artist Toad The Wet Sprocket returns to the top 10 of the chart with “Something’s Always Wrong,” a track that inexplicably seems to fall through the cracks when it comes to recurrent radio airplay. In my recollection, this one seems to get lost among their other pop and alternative hits, like “Walk On The Ocean” or “Fall Down” or “Good Intentions,” but it’s a pretty great song.
If I’m being honest, I’d argue TTWS is, pound for pound, one of the best bands of the ‘90s in terms of lasting, terrific alt-pop songs. They always seem to find the sweet spot between alternative and pop and seamlessly find a home with both audiences. “Something’s Always Wrong” peaked at #9 behind R.E.M. and just missed the top 40 on the Hot 100, peaking at #41, but it’s a really terrific song.
“Allison Road” by Gin Blossoms (#39):
Former Modern Rock Tracks #1 artists Gin Blossoms close out the promotional cycle on their breakout album New Miserable Experience with “Allison Road,” a song that was initially released on the band’s 1991 debut EP Up and Crumbling, but found its way into a re-release in 1994. “Allison Road” only made it to #39 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, but became a crossover hit, peaking at #24 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The band will be back in this spot in the near future, though their run at the top of the charts in the ‘90s is going to come to a close in the next couple of years.
Dinosaur Jr's last album came out in 2021, not 2016. It's called Sweep It Into Space, and it's really good.
My entry point to REM was several years earlier with Green and while I enjoyed that and the next few albums, I also appreciated the stylistic change with Monster. I’ve never gone back to their early work, it’s probably something I should do at some point.
Just have to say, I love this series so much Matt, particularly the era of music that you’re covering now. While I still stay up to date on new music, there’s something really special about the music of the 90s. That was a really important time in my life for many reasons and the music you’re covering brings back so many memories.