Orange Crush (song)
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| "Orange Crush" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by R.E.M. | ||
| from the album Green | ||
| Released | December 1988 (US) | |
| Format | 7" Single | |
| Recorded | 1988 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3:51 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Producer(s) | Scott Litt & R.E.M. | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| R.E.M. singles chronology | ||
| "Stand" (1988) |
"Orange Crush" (1989) |
"Pop Song 89" (1989) |
"Orange Crush" was the second single from R.E.M.'s sixth studio album, Green, in 1989. It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 despite reaching #1 on both the Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks. It peaked at #28 on the UK Singles Charts, easily making it the band's then-highest chart in Britain.
Though Michael Stipe's lyrics are generally oblique, it is thought that the title of this song refers to Agent Orange, the defoliant/herbicide used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. It is not however, a reference to napalm, as napalm burns a blue transparent colour.
As a guest on the late-night show Last Call with Carson Daly, Michael explained that the song was about a young football player leaving the comforts of home for the war in Vietnam.
The song was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. Records compilation In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003.
[edit] Cover versions
- British indie rock band Editors recorded it as the B-side for the re-issue of the "Blood" single. The remake of the song was also featured in "The Metamorphosis," a fourth-season episode of The OC.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.
- "Orange Crush" – 3:50
- "Ghostrider" (Suicide) – 3:47
