Man on the Moon (song)

"Man on the Moon"
Single by R.E.M.
from the album Automatic for the People
B-side	"New Orleans Instrumental No. 2"
Released	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)
Format	CD single, 7" single, 12" single, Cassette
Recorded	1992
Genre	Country rock
Length	5:15 (Album Version) 4:39 (Edit)
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe
Producer(s)	Scott Litt & R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"Drive" (1992) "Man on the Moon" (1992) "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" (1993)

"Man on the Moon" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from their 1992 album Automatic for the People. The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck, and credited to the whole band as usual. The song was well received by critics and peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

Lyrically, the song is a tribute to the comedian and performer Andy Kaufman with numerous references to his career including his Elvis impersonation, wrestling, and the film My Breakfast with Blassie. The song's title and chorus refer to the moon landing conspiracy theories as an oblique allusion to rumors that Kaufman's death in 1984 was faked. The song gave its name to Miloš Forman's film based on Kaufman's life, and was featured prominently in the film's official soundtrack.

"Man on the Moon" is a mid-tempo country-rock song following a verse-chorus structure with an added pre-chorus and an instrumental bridge following the second and third choruses. The song is somewhat unusual in that the verses are unequal in length, with six lines in the first verse but only four in the second and third verses.

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