R.E.M. helped change the sound of rock music in the 1980s and 1990s, pushing the genre toward a more alternative, college-oriented style, at least for a time. For years, the band was a favorite among younger listeners and many in underground rock circles, but it eventually became a breakout success and scored several top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — an achievement that might once have seemed unheard of for an act with its jangle-pop-rock sound.
The group’s biggest hit, and perhaps its signature tune, remains “Losing My Religion,” which can also be called one of the defining tracks of the early 1990s. Featured on R.E.M.’s seventh album, Out of Time, the single helped the rockers reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the first time and set the troupe up for years of hugely successful albums and more hits. In a somewhat shocking turn – one that seems like it was a long time coming – “Losing My Religion” becomes a worldwide hit again and earns the Grammy-winning act its first placement on one ranking.
R.E.M. Charts Its First Hit on a Global Ranking
“Losing My Religion” debuts on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. this week, entering the tally at No. 186. The roster ranks the most-consumed songs around the world outside the United States using sales and streams.
The debut earns R.E.M. its first appearance on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. The band has never before reached the ranking, despite its decades of commercial success and a catalog filled with internationally beloved hit songs.
R.E.M Is One Of Several Older Musical Acts That Are Lagging on the Global Charts
It should be noted that both the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and the Billboard Global 200 were introduced only in 2020. Many older acts — even some that rank among the bestselling or top-performing musicians of entire years or decades — are still playing catch-up on the two worldwide rosters, and many have yet to earn even one win.
Sometimes a sync in a movie or television show, a viral trend on TikTok or another social platform – or perhaps simply a modest but meaningful uptick in streams or sales can help a veteran act appear on one or both rankings for the first time.
R.E.M. Claims One of Only Three Debuts
It is an unusually quiet week when it comes to debuts on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. The highest-ranking new arrival does not appear until No. 87, where Don Miguelo’s “Y Qué Fue?” launches.
“Losing My Religion” is one of only three songs that launch on the 200-position roster this frame, and it claims the second-highest start of the bunch. ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” is the only other new entry. That classic barely manages to crack the tally, opening at No. 198.
14 Songs Return to the Global Ranking
There are nearly five times as many returning hits on this week’s Billboard Global Excl. U.S. as debuts. While only three tracks land for the first time, 14 reappear on the roster.
That roundup includes “Dynamite” by BTS, which was recently performed during the first halftime show at the final game of the World Cup. The smash breaks back onto the worldwide ranking years after it first became one of the K-pop group’s defining smashes.
Superstars including Shakira, Justin Bieber and Coldplay also return to Billboard Global Excl. U.S. this frame. In some instances, those musicians reappear with multiple smashes at once, and almost all are tied to the World Cup halftime show.
Here are all of the comebacks on this week’s Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
- No. 140 – BTS – “Dynamite”
- No. 146 – Shakira – “Zoo”
- No. 167 – Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
- No. 175 – Lenin Ramírez – “Todo Lo Fue”
- No. 178 – Eagles – “Hotel California”
- No. 179 – Lana Del Rey – “Young and Beautiful”
- No. 183 – Coldplay – “A Sky Full of Stars”
- No. 189 – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee – “Despacito” with Justin Bieber
- No. 190 – Dua Lipa – “Training Season”
- No. 191 – Rihanna – “Umbrella” with Jay-Z
- No. 193 – The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
- No. 194 – Justin Bieber – “Confident” with Chance the Rapper
- No. 195 – Kendrick Lamar and SZA – “All the Stars”
- No. 196 – Arctic Monkeys – “505”