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R.E.M. scores its first appearance on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. as “Losing My Religion” debuts at No. 186 decades after it became the band’s biggest hit. Portrait of the band REM, left to right, Bill Berry, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois, July 7, 1984. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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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 \u2014 an achievement that might once have seemed unheard of for an act with its jangle-pop-rock sound.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s biggest hit, and perhaps its signature tune, remains \u201cLosing My Religion,\u201d which can also be called one of the defining tracks of the early 1990s. Featured on R.E.M.\u2019s 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 \u2013 one that seems like it was a long time coming \u2013 \u201cLosing My Religion\u201d becomes a worldwide hit again and earns the Grammy-winning act its first placement on one ranking.<\/p>\n
R.E.M. Charts Its First Hit on a Global Ranking<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing My Religion\u201d<\/a> debuts on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S.<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n R.E.M Is One Of Several Older Musical Acts That Are Lagging on the Global Charts<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 even some that rank among the bestselling or top-performing musicians of entire years or decades \u2014 are still playing catch-up on the two worldwide rosters, and many have yet to earn even one win.<\/p>\n Sometimes a sync in a movie or television show, a viral trend on TikTok or another social platform \u2013 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.<\/p>\n R.E.M. Claims One of Only Three Debuts<\/p>\n American rock band REM (American drummer Bill Berry, and American bass player Mike Mills, American singer and songwriter Michael Stipe (wearing baseball cap reading ‘White House – Stop AIDS’), and American guitarist Peter Buck) in the press room of the 34th Grammy Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, 25th February 1992. The band won the ‘Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals’ and ‘Best Music Video (Short Form)’ awards for ‘Losing My Religion’ at the ceremony. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n 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\u2019s \u201cY Qu\u00e9 Fue?\u201d launches.<\/p>\n \u201cLosing My Religion\u201d 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\u2019s \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d is the only other new entry. That classic barely manages to crack the tally, opening at No. 198.<\/p>\n 14 Songs Return to the Global Ranking<\/p>\n There are nearly five times as many returning hits on this week\u2019s Billboard Global Excl. U.S. as debuts. While only three tracks land for the first time, 14 reappear on the roster.<\/p>\n