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Music

Listen to R.E.M.’s Long-Unheard “Losing My Religion” Demo

There’s some new lyrics to remind you that, yes, you love R.E.M. and, yes, that’s just fine.

R.E.M.'s 25th anniversary edition of 1991's Out of Time comes out on November 18, a fact that probably means a great deal more to people who collect physical reissues than it does to layabouts who just want to hear cool outtakes. Good news for the layabouts, though, as the band have released a demo version of "Losing My Religion" in advance of the reissue.

Some lyrics are changed up slightly, Michael Stipe's voice is a little less polished, a little more on edge, wavering. That mandolin riff barely changes a bit, of course; the song stays true enough. The beauty is in hearing the track before it became a shiny studio cut, particularly given R.E.M.'s desire to alter their sound and style around Out of Time's writing and recording process.

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Listen to it below.

​Lead photo via Michael Stipe's extremely chill Instagram​ page.​

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