Try Not To Breathe

Album: Automatic For The People (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lyrics are the words of a dying person. He/she is telling family members not to cry, because he/she has lived a full life and is ready to pass on. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Andy - Arlington, VA

Comments: 6

  • Rick from IndianaThere is a really good episode of the podcast Song Exploder where they discuss how this song was written and recorded. Michael Stipe said in the episode that it was written about his grandmother who was dying.
  • Mike from Berkeley, CaAn interesting story in diffuser.fm mentions the inception of the song. Peter Buck was recording in the studio, and the engineer said the he could hear his breath on the mic. "I'll try not to breathe," he said--which Michael Stipe heard and thought would be a good name for a song.

    Later, Stipe admitted that he was thinking about what might be going through his grandmother's head as she lay dying.

    Mike Mills felt that it was one of his favorite backing vocals, and that he felt like John Lennon when he came up with it.
  • Ambrose from AustraliaHey Dennis from Seattle, I just heard Michael Stipe confirm your theory. He says exactly that on Song Exploder: http://songexploder.net/rem
  • Phil from YeppoonHas been covered by Australian band Dappled Cities.
  • Dennis from Seattle, WaInterestingly, this song was released in 1992, the 10th anniversary of the movie Blade Runner. When I hear it I always remember the climatic scene when Roy (Rutger Hauer), the lead replicant, is at the end of his predetermined lifespan and is fighting with Deckard (Harrison Ford). Before he finally dies he is crouched, shivering in the cold rain, telling Deckard the amazing things the replicants have seen and done and says "I have seen things that you will never see." I can't help but wonder if Michael Stipe was influenced by this powerful movie when he penned the words to this song.
  • John from Port Washington, WiStipe has said on more than one occasion that this is a song about assisted suicide.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Judas Priest

Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton talk twin guitar harmonies and explain how they create songs in Judas Priest.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.