I am hopeless at picking 'favourite' songs by bands with such vast back catalogues, but the R.E.M moment that has the biggest impact on me is the astonishing piano ballad 'At My Most Beautiful'. An album and career highlight, a big, Brian Wilson-influenced piece that was released as a single in 1999, reaching number 10 in the UK singles chart. Of the line, 'I found a way to make you smile', Michael Stipe later recalled, "I just thought, that's the most beautiful thing in the world." It took him a year to write the song's verse after putting his full thought into what could make a loved one smile. Known for writing ironic love songs, Stipe wanted a change, and delivered "the most romantic song I'd ever written".
Read an article revisiting the album HERE.
