Shiny Happy People, by REM

I always thought this was a sad song. Sarcastic about how happy everybody tries to appear.



Today I learned Michael Stipe hates the song and the band hates it so much they excluded it from one of their greatest hits albums and never played it in concert.  

And I also learned Michael Stipe did not intend the song to be ironic. Here's some comments from the video's director:

I remarked to R.E.M.'s lead singer, Michael Stipe, ''Well, when you make a video for that one, it better have some irony in it.'' To which he replied, with Southern politesse, ''No, that's the point. It's not meant to be ironic at all.'' 
...
The gulf war was in full swing at the time, and it's no accident that the little boy dancing in a red suit with a peace button on his lapel is Syrian. It seemed important to put forth a positive image of a Middle Eastern child at a time when hatred for that part of the world was so pervasive. Ideally, the video provides a lighthearted way of encouraging people to accept the idea of a diverse, tolerant community — which is, I think, what Stipe meant when he said he didn't mean this pop song to be ironic at all.

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