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Talk About The Passion




  Cover nocovergif
  Artist REM
  From Album Murmur
  Released Nov 1983
  Format 12"
  Recorded 1983
  Genre College Rock
  Length 3:23
  Label IRS
  Producer Don Dixon and Mitch Easter
  Chart Position Did not Chart
  Last Single <small>" Radio Free Europe "<br /> 1983 </small>
  This Single <small>"'''Talk About The Passion'''"<br /> 1985 </small>
  Next Single <small>" So Central Rain (I'm Sorry) "<br /> 1984 </small>


"Talk About The Passion" was the second and final single released by R.E.M. from the band's debut album '' Murmur '' in 1983 . It was released in Europe only, on 12" vinyl. This song failed to follow up on the success of " Radio Free Europe " released earlier in the year, as it did not chart.

Like Losing My Religion , because of it's title the song has been taken literally as being about faith. The phrase "empty prayers" may also seem to suggest such an interpretation. However, Michael Stipe has referred to the song as a "hunger song", although the only direct reference in the song is to "empty mouths". The video, made in 1988 and featured on the Pop Screen compilation, made this meaning of the song more explicit by showing images of Homeless People and images of a warship, ending with the caption, "in 1987 the cost of one Destroyer-class Warship was 910 million dollars."

The song was the first R.E.M. song to contain a foreign phrase, with the line "Combien de temps?" When translated from French , this means "How long?" The song also includes the line "Combien reaction?", which means, "How much reaction?"

The song was placed on R.E.M.'s first I.R.S. Records greatest hits album '' Eponymous '' (and released as the only single from that album) in 1988.


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