| Daysleeper | |
| Cover: | R.E.M. - Daysleeper.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | R.E.M. |
| Album: | Up |
| B-Side: | Emphysema |
| Genre: | Alternative rock |
| Length: | 3:37 |
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Producer: |
|
| Prev Title: | How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us |
| Prev Year: | 1997 |
| Next Title: | Lotus |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
"Daysleeper" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was released as the first single from their eleventh studio album Up on October 12, 1998. Sung from the point of view of a night shift worker corresponding with colleagues, "Daysleeper" focuses on the disorientation of time and circadian rhythm in such a lifestyle, leading to despair and loss of identity. Lead singer Michael Stipe developed the song's concept after noticing a sign reading "daysleeper" on a New York City apartment door.
During R.E.M.'s performance for VH1 Storytellers, Stipe explained the background to the song:
The song "The Lifting" from R.E.M.'s 2001 album Reveal is a prequel to "Daysleeper" and features the same character.[1]
The video, shot at Broadway Studios in the Astoria district of New York City in September 1998,[2] was filmed in stop-frame photography to get what Stipe called a "really druggy, really great look."[2] It features Stipe as the office worker who goes to work at night. All three band members then wear pajamas and bed socks, while failing to get to sleep during the day. The video was directed by the Icelandic Snorri brothers. "I think it's about the sort of alien nature of a night shift," explained Mike Mills. "The weird lighting, the fluorescent lights that you find and the isolation of working the graveyard shift—how it screws up your sleep patterns and that sort of thing, and I think that's the main image we're trying to get across."[2]
All songs were written by Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe.
UK cassette single[6]
European CD single[7]
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 57 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] | 27 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[15] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[16] | 15 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | September 1998 | Radio | Warner Bros. | [18] |
| United Kingdom | October 12, 1998 | [19] | ||
| United States | October 13, 1998 | Contemporary hit radio | [20] | |
| Japan | October 26, 1998 | CD | [21] |