Album: Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• "Cuyahoga" is the name of the river in Northern Ohio that the city of Cleveland was built around. There were many tribes of Indians which used to live in the region ("This is where they walked, swam, hunted, danced and sang"), and they simply called the river the Crooked River due to its zig-zag nature and many U-shaped turns. "Cuyahoga" is an Indian word meaning "crooked."
• The lines, "This land is the land of ours, this river runs red over it," "Underneath the river bed we burned the river down" and "Bury, burn the waste behind you" refer to how the once-pristine river became so polluted that it famously caught fire several times between 1929 and 1969. The last river fire in 1969 garnered much national attention, and helped expose the problems industrial waste was having on our environment. This helped spur the creation of the Clean Water Act as well as led to the formation of a new government agency, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  James - Cleveland, OH, for above 2
• R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe explained in the November 12, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone: "It's an Indian word I mispronounce in the song. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969 because of pollution dumped into it. The song addresses environmental devastation and our history with Native Americans, which isn't pleasant."

Comments: 6

• Bill Bee from OhioREM learned about the Cuyahoga River when they played an early gig in Cleveland Ohio. One of them smelled the polluted river, and someone told them about it: that's how they learned what it was. They are probably pronouncing it correctly in the song.
• Margaret Perrine-white from Niles OhioCuyahoga is named by the Iroquois who's territories extended to what's now the state of Ohio during the French and Indian war if I'm remembering correctly there's lots of places in Ohio that were named by the Iroquois and if I'm remembering correctly Michael Stipe is actually pronouncing Cuyahoga properly in the language of the Iroquois not mispronounced the way Ohioans do.
• Chris from Ashtabula, OhNever heard this song, came across it on a list of guitar tabs... Was excited that maybe someone famous had some history here in NE Ohio. Turned on the song, heard him sing COY-ah-HOE-ga and laughed, nope he just read about the river fires. We say KY-uh-HOGG-uh.
• Marty from Cleveland, OhIt's a nice song and all, but Jeez, how hard would it have been to call up someone who lives here and ask how you pronounce Cuyahoga? (It's not Cuy as in coy, it's Cuy as is buy.) Come on, man.
• Joaquin from San Francisco, Caamazing song and great message!!!!!!
• Kevin from Reading , PaA really good REM song. A song with a conscience that doesn't hit you over the head with it's message and wins you over with its power and conviction (especially the singing on the chorus and the guitar chords on the chorus.) The entire album, their fourth, holds up pretty well these days. If only REM could make records half this good today they'd be in good shape. A las, they don't.
  

More Songfacts:

DowntownPetula Clark

When Petula Clark reached #1 in the US with "Downtown" in 1965, she became the first female singer from England to hit #1 in the US during the Rock Era (after 1955).

We're Not Gonna Take ItTwisted Sister

Musically, the Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It" is based on the Christmas tune "O Come All Ye Faithful."

You Don't Know How It FeelsTom Petty

MTV reversed the word "joint" in Tom Petty's "You Don't Known How It Feels" so it was unintelligible, but gave the video a VMA anyway.

Just Give Me A ReasonPink

Pink wrote "Just Give Me A Reason" about how one partner can feel jilted over something trivial, like how her boyfriend passes her the butter.

E.T.Katy Perry

Katy Perry's song "E.T." came from a beat originally intended for the rap group Three Six Mafia. When her producer accidentally pulled up the beat, Perry asked to use it.

Cat's In The CradleHarry Chapin

Harry Chapin's wife Sandy wrote the lyrics to "Cat's In The Cradle," which were actually about her first husband.

Editor's Picks

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.