Hope

Album: Up (1998)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The song is about somebody having to undergo surgery and is now struggling whether to trust science or religion, only to realize that both don't have all the answers.
  • Leonard Cohen got additional songwriting credits for this, but not because he was actively involved, rather the band felt the song had strong similarities to Cohen's "Suzanne."
  • At the release of the album there was a rumor that this song was written for Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. Stipe denied this in a 1999 interview with Q magazine.
  • When R.E.M. played the song live before the album's release, the title was "Boomerang." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Martin - Rostock, Germany, for all above

Comments: 1

  • Mark from New York, NyThis is among the most beautiful songs ever written.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.