Losing My Religion
R.E.M.
1991
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Reported release: 1991
Reported release: 1991Date needs verification
Reported in supplied material; independent release-date verification remains open.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
Owner-supplied release annotations
Reported dates in 1991.html, 1997.html. Not independently established; neighboring dates can reflect album/single or regional differences.
Former annual assignments retained as history
These appearances were removed from the main annual lists. They are not original release dates.
- 1997: older return
Inspiration and background
Documented songwriting inspiration
Peter Buck found the main musical idea while experimenting with a mandolin he was learning to play. A recording of that session preserved the riff. Michael Stipe's words explore longing and disillusionment rather than a literal account of abandoning a faith.
Evidence scope: Reviewed secondary account; scope is limited to this paragraph
Sources for this information
Losing My Religion - writing and composition
Background/composition section; paraphrased, not a quotation | Retrieved 2026-10-11
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Textual identity reconciliation, not audio-fingerprint or exact-pressing verification. Version labels are catalog safeguards.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Song-specific genre labels located in the cited catalog or secondary source; genre is not a universally fixed classification.
Billboard year-end 1991 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary chart transcription reviewed for title, artist and annual association. Not proof of release date, genre or inspiration.
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