What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
Song

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by the rock group R.E.M. from their 1994 album Monster. It was the first single from the album, released three weeks later. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. 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 and is notable for being the first in history to debut at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song is also included on R.E.M. Live.

Story

The title refers to the question asked by one of two assailants (one later identified as William Tager) of former CBS anchorman Dan Rather while assaulting him on Park Avenue in Manhattan in October 1986.

The phrase Rather reported actually hearing was "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" There is also a reference to the phrase "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" in the comic book Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron by Daniel Clowes which predates the song's usage of the phrase.

According to lead singer Stipe, the song is an attack on the media, who over analyze things they don't understand. Stipe said of the incident: "It remains the premier unsolved American surrealist act of the 20th century. It's a misunderstanding that was scarily random, media hyped and just plain bizarre."

On June 22 1995, at Madison Square Garden, Rather accompanied the band during soundcheck to perform the song. The clip was shown prior to R.E.M.'s performance of "Crush with Eyeliner" on the Late Show with David Letterman the following night.

Lyrics referencing other media

• "is your Benzedrine" - Benzedrine is an amphetamine, a derivative of ephedrine, used as an inhalant to relieve nasal congestion and as a stimulant of the central nervous system.

• "Richard said, 'Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy,'" refers to a quote from the film Slacker, directed by Richard Linklater, which was itself quoting Brian Eno's collection of Oblique Strategies.

• "tooth for a tooth" - This is from a Leviticus Biblical saying that wrongs must be retaliated with like reaction ("an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, a life for a life").

Trivia

• In the music video, Peter Buck uses Kurt Cobain's Jag-Stang that he received as a gift from Courtney Love after Cobain died.
• The song slows down at the end because of bassist Mike Mills. They noticed he was in pain, but everyone followed him and finished the track. After they were done, Mills was taken to the hospital and it was discovered he had appendicitis. They never got back to redoing the song.

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe.

12" and CD maxi-single

1. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (radio version) – 4:00
2. "Monty Got a Raw Deal" (live)^* – 4:22
3. "Everybody Hurts" (live)^* – 5:41
4. "Man on the Moon" (live)^* – 5:22

7", CD single, and cassette

1. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (album version) – 4:00
2. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (instrumental version) – 4:00

^*Recorded at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia on November 19 1992. The performance, a benefit for Greenpeace, was recorded in a solar-powered mobile studio.

Sample

• Download sample of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" from Monster.

External links

• Video sample at R.E.M.hq