Sunday, 18 October 2026
RIFFOLOGY
Out of Time by R.E.M., album cover
Album · 35 years old this year

Out of Time

by R.E.M.
Released12 March 1991
LabelWarner Bros. Records
Popularity91.9
Also cited8 March 1991
alternative rockrockpop rockjangle popalternative country
Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Apple Music ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

Out of Time is the seventh studio album by R.E.M., released on 12 March 1991 on Warner Bros. Records. It follows Green from 1988 and comes before Automatic for the People, and it sits at the point where the band stopped being a cult concern and became a major international act. Its mix of jangle pop, country rock and wider pop-rock colour made it their most open-armed record to date.

The commercial story is striking. It reached number one on the album charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, returning to the top in America for a second spell, and it has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide. It also won three Grammy Awards in 1992, including Best Alternative Music Album, with two more coming for the first single, "Losing My Religion". If you want to hear the moment R.E.M. went global, start here.

Out of Time on Riffology

riffology.co →
Podcast · Episode 81 · 1 h 11 min
REM – Out of TIme
0:00 / 1:11:23
R.E.M. “Out of Time”: The Album That Turned a Cult Band…
Album deep dive
R.E.M. “Out of Time”: The Album That Turned a Cult Band…
15 March 2026

Out of Time: tracklist, credits and charts

11 tracks · 43:40

Tracklist

  1. 1Radio SongBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:12
  2. 2Losing My ReligionBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:26
  3. 3LowBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:55
  4. 4Near Wild HeavenBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:17
  5. 5EndgameBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:48
  6. 6Shiny Happy PeopleBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:44
  7. 7BelongBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:03
  8. 8Half A World AwayBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:26
  9. 9TexarkanaBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe3:36
  10. 10Country FeedbackBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:07
  11. 11Me In HoneyBerry, Buck, Mills, Stipe4:06
Produced by
Scott Litt, R.E.M.
Recorded at
Bearsville (Woodstock), John Keane (Athens, Georgia), Soundscape (Atlanta)
Recorded
Mid-1990
Engineered by
Scott Litt
Labels
Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros.
Length
43:40

Line-up

  • Bill Berry · drums (drum set), percussion, congas, piano, vocals, bass
  • Peter Buck · guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar
  • Peter Holsapple · bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar · guest
  • Kidd Jordan · alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet · guest
  • Scott Litt · electronic instruments · guest
  • Mike Mills · bass, organ, keyboard, vocals, piano, harpsichord, percussion
  • KRS‐One · vocals · guest
  • Michael Stipe · vocals, melodica
  • Cecil Welch · flugelhorn · guest
  • Kate Pierson · vocals · guest
  • John Keane · steel guitar · guest

Singles

  • “Losing My Religion” · 19 February 1991
  • “Shiny Happy People” · 7 May 1991
  • “Near Wild Heaven” · 5 August 1991
  • “Radio Song” · 4 November 1991

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 1991–20201
US Billboard 200 · 1991–20201
Austrian Albums · 1991–20201
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991–20201
Dutch Albums · 1991–20201
European Albums (Music & Media) · 1991–20201
French Albums (SNEP) · 1991–20201
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece) · 1991–20201
Irish Albums (IRMA) · 1991–20201
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1991–20201
All 22 charts
Portuguese Albums (AFP) · 1991–20201
German Albums · 1991–20202
New Zealand Albums · 1991–20203
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1991–20203
Swiss Albums · 1991–20203
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991–20204
Norwegian Albums · 1991–20204
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1991–20205
Belgian Albums (SABAM/IFPI) · 1991–20206
Swedish Albums · 1991–20207
Danish Albums (IFPI) · 1991–20208
Hungarian Albums · 1991–202013

Certifications

RegionCertification
Argentina · 1993Gold
Australia · 19952× Platinum
AustriaPlatinum
Brazil · 1991Gold
Canada · 20037× Platinum
Denmark · 20253× Platinum
Finland · 1992Gold
France · 19952× Platinum
Germany · 20065× Gold
Italy · 2021Gold
Netherlands2× Platinum
New ZealandGold
Spain · 20015× Platinum
Sweden · 1991Gold
Switzerland2× Platinum
United Kingdom · 19955× Platinum
United States4× Platinum

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

91.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
16k
ListenBrainz listeners
175k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
75k
Deezer fans (all editions)
← Green (1988)The Best of R.E.M. (1991) →

Also released on 12 March

Every year →
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More from R.E.M.

Full discography →
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Chronic Town
1982
Murmur by R.E.M., album cover
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1983
Reckoning by R.E.M., album cover
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1984
Fables of the Reconstruction by R.E.M., album cover
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1985
Lifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M., album cover
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1986
Dead Letter Office by R.E.M., album cover
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1987
Document by R.E.M., album cover
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1987
Eponymous by R.E.M., album cover
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1988
Green by R.E.M., album cover
Green
1988
The Best of R.E.M. by R.E.M., album cover
The Best of R.E.M.
1991
Automatic for the People by R.E.M., album cover
Automatic for the People
1992
The Automatic Box by R.E.M., album cover
The Automatic Box
1993
Singles Collected by R.E.M., album cover
Singles Collected
1994
Monster by R.E.M., album cover
Monster
1994
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi by R.E.M., album cover
New Adventures in Hi‐Fi
1996
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89) by R.E.M., album cover
Essential R.E.M.: R.E.M. in the Attic (Alternative Recordings 1985–89)
1997
Up by R.E.M., album cover
Up
1998
Reveal by R.E.M., album cover
Reveal
2001
Vancouver Rehearsal Tapes - May 10, 2003
2003
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 by R.E.M., album cover
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003
2003
Around the Sun by R.E.M., album cover
Around the Sun
2004
iTunes Originals: R.E.M. by R.E.M., album cover
iTunes Originals: R.E.M.
2004
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987 by R.E.M., album cover
And I Feel Fine… The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987
2006
Live by R.E.M., album cover
Live
2007
Accelerate by R.E.M., album cover
Accelerate
2008
Reckoning Spotify Sampler by R.E.M., album cover
Reckoning Spotify Sampler
2009
Live at the Olympia by R.E.M., album cover
Live at the Olympia
2009
Collapse Into Now Sampler by R.E.M., album cover
Collapse Into Now Sampler
2011
Collapse Into Now by R.E.M., album cover
Collapse Into Now
2011
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011 by R.E.M., album cover
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011
2011
Live in Greensboro by R.E.M., album cover
Live in Greensboro
2013
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions by R.E.M., album cover
Unplugged: The Complete 1991 and 2001 Sessions
2014
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011 by R.E.M., album cover
Complete Warner Bros. Rarities 1988–2011
2014
Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987 by R.E.M., album cover
Complete Rarities – I.R.S. 1982–1987
2014
R.E.M. at the BBC by R.E.M., album cover
R.E.M. at the BBC
2018
Live at the Borderline 1991 by R.E.M., album cover
Live at the Borderline 1991
2019
Radio Free Europe 2025 by R.E.M., album cover
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2025

The best of 1991

All of 1991 →
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Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, album cover
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More on Warner Bros. Records

The label →
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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1991-03-08 (musicbrainz)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz8 March 1991
Wikipedia infobox12 March 1991
Wikidata12 March 1991
US release12 March 1991earliest US date
UK / Europe release1991earliest UK or European date
32 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
1991USWarner Bros. Records075992649612other
1991USWarner Bros. Records075992649643other
1991XCPopron Musicother
1991USWarner Bros. Recordsother
1991ZAWarner Bros. Records6001491155624other
1991CAWarner Bros. Records075992649629other
1991XEWarner Bros. Records075992649612other
1991NZWarner Bros. Recordsother
1991USWarner Bros. Records0208314168242other
1991CAWarner Bros. Records77749740795602other
8 March 1991DEWarner Bros. Records075992649629original
8 March 1991DEWarner Bros. Records075992649629original
12 March 1991USWarner Bros. Records075992649629other
12 March 1991USWarner Bros. Records075992649629other
10 April 1991JPWarner Bros. Records4988014741958other
1999XEWarner Bros. Recordsother
2005USWarner Bros. Recordsother
28 February 2005XEWarner Bros. Records081227395124other
28 February 2005USWarner Bros. Records081227395124other
21 March 2007JPWarner Bros. Records4943674070619other
2016USConcord Bicycle Musicother
2016USConcord Records0088807201372other
18 November 2016XEConcord Bicycle Music888072004078deluxe
18 November 2016XWConcord Records888072013612deluxe
18 November 2016XWConcord Records0088807201362deluxe
18 November 2016USConcord Bicycle Music888072013711other
18 November 2016USConcord Bicycle Music888072010239deluxe
18 November 2016XWConcord Records888072013704other
18 November 2016XWCraft Recordings888072013698other
18 November 2016USConcord Bicycle Music888072013698deluxe
18 November 2016XEConcord Bicycle Music888072010253deluxe
29 October 2021JPCraft Recordings4988031455470other
Cover art sources

itunes · native: native 3000x3000

SourceSizeVerdict
itunes ✓3000×3000native: native 3000x3000
coverartarchive1200×1194upscaled
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled