R.E.M. 'It’s the End of the World As We Know It' EXPLAINED

What the Video Illuminates

The song originated in 1987 for R.E.M.’s album Document and stands out for its blisteringly fast, stream-of-consciousness lyrics filled with pop-culture names, disasters, and political allusions.
Stipe composed lyrics in an intense, almost guerrilla-inspired moment: he sang them as they came to him in the studio, aiming for a vocal delivery that would overwhelm—in his words, something that would “drip off your shoulders … stick in your hair like bubblegum.”

The lyrics move with the chaotic logic of a dream or fast channel-surfing session, mixing natural disasters ("earthquake, birds and snakes") with cultural touchpoints and surreal portraits.
The now-iconic quartet of "LB" figures—Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs—originated from a dream Stipe had about being the odd one out at Lester Bangs’s birthday party.
Far from apocalyptic, the chorus—"...and I feel fine"—reads more like a resigned acceptance, or even a thrill in the face of overwhelming change.

Directed by Jim Herbert, the music video features a young skateboarder rummaging through a dilapidated farmhouse full of junk, R.E.M. posters, a dog, and random band artifacts. The visuals evoke nostalgia, personal history, and communal memory.

Despite its frantic pace, the song became a cultural touchstone—featured in Independence Day, looping on radio stations at format changes, and resurfacing during moments of perceived societal upheaval.
After events like 9/11, it appeared on playlists flagged for sensitive content. Yet the song’s spirit—recognizing upheaval but responding with wit and energy—keeps it relevant in crises.

The video grounds the song’s whirlwind lyricism with meaningful backstory on writing, symbolic references, and emotional tone.
It balances intellectual clarity with preserving the song’s wild wonder—so you’ll watch with fresh eyes but still feel the original exhilaration.
You’ll walk away with a deeper appreciation for Stipe’s lyrical misdirection skills—what sounds like apocalypse is often coded as change, mischief, or metamorphosis.