“Bill brought it in and it was a one-minute-long country and western song. It took us forever to figure out the arrangement and who was going to play what”: How REM turned a simple idea into a classic song of life-affirming power

REM.

On 5 October 1992, a decade after unveiling their beguiling EP Chronic Town, REM released their eighth studio album, Automatic For The People. It was a game-changer release.

With its themes of mortality, loneliness, grief and disillusionment, Automatic For The People demonstrated that a band could make a darker, slower and more introspective album that was still a massive commercial success.