‘80s Hitmakers Join Forces for New Version of R.E.M. Classic: ‘Had to Be Cool to Revisit Those Chords’
- - ‘80s Hitmakers Join Forces for New Version of R.E.M. Classic: ‘Had to Be Cool to Revisit Those Chords’
Craig RosenJanuary 4, 2026 at 1:10 AM
0
(Photo by Paras Griffin/WireImage)
A new collaborative version of the R.E.M. classic song “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” has been released byIan McNabb, the frontman of the Icicle Works, and former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
News of the collaboration was shared on R.E.M. social media channels on Jan. 3 with a message from Buck, who doesn’t have his own social media accounts, but occasionally shares news via the R.E.M.’s.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
“In the year just passed, I recorded some guitars on a version of “So. Central Rain” by my friend @ianmcnabb. You might remember him from the Icicle Works. It’s a cool version. Hope this helps start the new year off well!” Buck wrote.
The British alternative rock trio Icicle Works is best known for the 1984 hit “Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream),” which reached No. 18 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and No. 13 on the trade publication’s dance chart.
The new version of “So. Central Rain,” shared on YouTube, is getting raves from R.E.M.’s associates and fans.
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
“Absolutely gorgeous rendition right here— had to be cool for Peter to revisit those chords all these years later…,” wrote R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs.
Over in the comments on YouTube, fans are weighing in.
“First REM song I ever heard in 1985 and still one of my favourites,” wrote one fan.
“One of my faves..always,” added another.
“Thats really nice , slowed down and atmospheric !!” a third fan posted.
“So. Central Rain” holds a special place in the R.E.M. catalog. It was the first single released from the band’s second album, 1984’s Reckoning, but even before that, it became a fan favorite.
R.E.M. performed the song during their first American network TV appearance on Late Night With David Lettermanon Oct. 6, 1983, after playing their then-current hit single, “Radio Free Europe.” David Letterman asked bassist Mike Mills the title of the new, unreleased song and he explained it didn’t yet have a title. “It’s too new to be named,” Letterman quipped, before the band launched into what would later become known as “So. Central Rain.”
Singer Michael Stipe, who was still notoriously shy at that point in the band’s career, sat on the drum riser while Mills and Buck fielded Letterman’s questions. Only after the brief interview was over, did he return to his feet to perform the song.
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
In the official video for “So. Central Rain,” released in June 1984, Stipe insisted on performing his vocals live, while the rest of the band mimed to the recorded track with their instruments.
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
Although R.E.M. officially disbanded in 2011, Buck and Mills remain active with various projects.
Buck recently wrapped a European tour with his new combo Drink the Sea, which features former Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, Alain Johannes of Eleven and What Is This, and others.
Mills recently played dates with Howl Owl Howl, his new group with country star Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish and former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman. The group released “My Cologne,” its Ariana Grande-inspired first single, back in October.
Stipe has released a few solo singles over the years, and his debut solo album remains a work in progress.
Bill Berry, R.E.M.’s original drummer, left the band in 1997 two years after suffering a brain aneurysm while the band was touring in Australia. He returned to music in 2023 with the Bad Ends with fellow Athens, Ga. local Mike Mantione of the band Five Eight.
Last February, all four members of R.E.M. appeared onstage with actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy--who tour playing the band’s songs-- to perform “Pretty Persuasion” at the 40 Watt Club in Athens.
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so.
View this post on Instagram
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
