Electrolite

Micahel Stipe said on the Austin City Limits program (first aired 5/24/2008) prior to singing Electrolite: "This next song is our little valentine to the 20th century and I'm so personally thrilled to be in the 21st century right now, cos the 20th century offered some really great stuff but it offered some really not great stuff."

When R.E.M. performed this at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, on May 29, 2008, Stipe said: "There's a funny story about this song. I thought it was not good enough to go on a record, and Peter and Mike convinced me otherwise. They were right, and now it's one of my favorite songs. The song for me embodies the time I was living in Santa Monica for a couple of years. Every now and then I would go on one of those late night drives when there's no traffic. We'd climb up into the hills, go up Mulholland and think about the people that have come to this beautiful city."
Stipe was referring to Mulholland Drive, which goes through Santa Monica and Hollywood. Tom Petty sang about the road in his song "Free Fallin'."

Mike Mills wrote the music for this song on a piano at his then-girlfriend's apartment in Chicago, he recalled in the liner notes for Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage.