"R.E.M. At the BBC" - R.E.M.
Box Set
U2 Related Tracks (Audio):
- "Walk Unafraid" (Live from Glastonbury, Jun. 25, 1999) - R.E.M. (04:17)
- "Walk Unafraid" (Live from St. James's Church, London, Sep. 15, 2004) - R.E.M. (05:10)
- "Walk Unafraid" (Live, John Peel Public Session, London, Oct. 25, 1998) - R.E.M. (04:52)
- "Walk Unafraid" (Live, John Peel Studio Session, London, Oct. 25, 1998) - R.E.M. (04:06)
U2 Related Tracks (Video):
This is an eight-CD set, and included a bonus DVD of performances.
Background Information
In 2018 R.E.M. released a career retrospective box of recordings done for the BBC over the years. The box set, came with eight audio CDs and a DVD of performances. On the audio CDs, four versions of “Walk Unafraid” are included. There is also a fifth version, recorded on the Jools Holland show included on the DVD in the set. Also released at the same time was a two disc set of highlights from this set, but there are no versions of “Walk Unafraid” on that 2-disc release, only on the box set.
The song “Walk Unafraid” has a U2 tie, originally from the 1998 album <em></em>Up.
The song itself is credited as having been written by Michael Stipe and R.E.M. inside the lyrics booklet and on all other releases of the album, but Stipe himself revealed he had some writing assistance on the song. Bono assisted Stipe with the lyrics, and helped him come to a major breakthrough on the writing of the song. In a 1998 interview Stipe was asked who else could be considered as helping out with the album and answered, “Bono should be added to that list, too. He was definitely there. He helped me write the second verse of ‘Walk Unafraid’ which is my favorite song on the record. I told him what I wanted it to be, and I’m like, ‘I think I’m making these proclamations & I don’t want that.’ And he was like, ‘turn it into a question’ and it was like a light bulb went off. I would’ve never thought of that in the three more months of tearing whatever hair I have left, trying to get the lyrics finished.” Since there is direct confirmation that he helped to write the second verse from the band, we’ve included the song here in the discography.