Learn How to Play the Best R.E.M. Songs on Guitar
If you're a fan of jangly alternative rock, melodic guitar riffs and distinctive acoustic arrangements, these R.E.M. guitar lessons offer plenty of variety to explore.
Formed in Athens, Georgia, R.E.M. helped define alternative rock throughout the 1980s and 1990s with Michael Stipe's distinctive vocals and Peter Buck's jangly, rhythm-driven guitar style.
From favorites like Losing My Religion, Man On The Moon and The One I Love to deeper cuts such as Talk About The Passion, these lessons cover everything from steady rhythm playing and bass runs to arpeggio picking, riffs and more involved acoustic arrangements.
Each lesson includes a video demonstration, chord and lyric sheet, and a detailed breakdown to help you learn the complete arrangement.
🎸 Watch the R.E.M. Guitar Lessons Overview
performance clips taken directly from the complete lesson videos.
Click Play, then drag the timeline to quickly preview any R.E.M. lesson featured on this page.
Note: Every arrangement has been personally created, recorded and taught by Kirby
using teaching methods refined through decades of acoustic guitar instruction.
What's Included With Every Lesson
📦 Your Lesson Package Includes
✓ 8–12 minute HD video lesson so you can learn each song step-by-step.
✓ Printable chords & lyrics PDF for easy practice away from the screen.
✓ Instant download—start playing in minutes.
✓ Learn at your own pace on any device.
New to R.E.M.?
If you're new to these R.E.M. guitar lessons, start with The One I Love or Man On The Moon to get comfortable with the chord changes and steady rhythm patterns. From there, try Losing My Religion and Orange Crush, where you'll begin adding bass movement, hammer-ons, riffs and changing rhythm patterns.
For a greater challenge, move into Pop Song 89, Shiny Happy People and Talk About The Passion, which combine riffs, rhythm and more demanding sing-and-play coordination. Save Nightswimming for last — its constant arpeggio picking, bass movement, riffs and picking breaks make it the most difficult acoustic arrangement on this page.
R.E.M. Guitar Lessons Included On This Page
Losing My Religion Guitar LessonMan On The Moon Guitar Lesson
Nightswimming Guitar Lesson
Orange Crush Guitar Lesson
Pop Song 89 Guitar Lesson
Shiny Happy People Guitar Lesson
Talk About The Passion Guitar Lesson
The One I Love Guitar Lesson
🎁 Free Lesson Preview
Scroll down to check out a completely free demo on R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”Losing My Religion - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Losing My Religion became R.E.M.'s biggest U.S. hit after appearing on their 1991 album Out of Time. The song grew from the distinctive mandolin part created by guitarist Peter Buck, who had recently bought the instrument and was teaching himself to play it while experimenting and recording ideas.
Despite its unusual folk-influenced sound and lack of a conventional rock chorus, the single climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, taking R.E.M. to a much larger mainstream audience. The title comes from a Southern expression meaning to lose one's patience or composure rather than literally abandoning religious faith.
Losing My Religion also earned two Grammy Awards in 1992 and remains one of R.E.M.'s signature recordings.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Losing My Religion is played in standard tuning using the chords Am, F, G, Em and Dm. My acoustic arrangement begins with a short riff before moving into a down, down-up, down-up, down-up rhythm pattern that helps maintain the steady folk-rock groove of the song. You'll also learn to use hammer-ons within the chords to add some movement and emotional tension. In the middle of the song, the rhythm changes to all downstrokes for a short mandolin translation break, adapting that recognizable part for acoustic guitar. A few moving bass lines are also used to connect the chords in places, but there is no difficult lead guitar break.
I'd rate this arrangement beginner to intermediate. Start by learning the chords and getting the main rhythm comfortable enough to keep the groove steady throughout. From there, work on the downstroke mandolin break and then add the moving bass lines where required. Once those pieces come together, you'll have a fuller acoustic arrangement that captures some of that distinctive Peter Buck and R.E.M. feel without making the song overly difficult to play.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Man On The Moon - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Man On The Moon appeared on R.E.M.'s 1992 album Automatic for the People and became one of the band's most recognizable songs. The lyrics pay tribute to unconventional comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman, mixing references to his career with deliberately strange imagery that plays with the idea of what is real and what isn't.
Released as a single, the song reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 18 in the UK, while surprisingly reaching No. 1 in Iceland. Its connection with Kaufman became even stronger when the title was used for the 1999 biographical film Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey as Kaufman. R.E.M. also contributed music to the film's soundtrack.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Man On The Moon is played in standard tuning using the chords C, D, Am, G, G6 and Em. There are a few different rhythm ideas used throughout my acoustic arrangement. At the beginning, I'll show you a few arpeggio notes blended with the rhythm to get the song off the ground. The main rhythm is a down-up, down-up-up, down-up pattern that provides a steady, driving folk-rock feel. There is no lead work in this arrangement.
If you want to add more movement to the rhythm, I'll also show you an optional down-up, down, down-up, down, down-up pattern where selected bass notes replace some of the full strums. I'd recommend working this into the arrangement because it helps capture more of the pulse and groove of the song. A third section uses a steady down-up, down-up rhythm, and there are a few additional arpeggio notes played around the Em chord in one section.
I'd rate this arrangement beginner to intermediate. Start by learning the chords and getting comfortable with the two basic rhythm patterns. Once those are flowing smoothly, go back and work the bass notes into the second pattern. The chords themselves aren't particularly difficult; the key is maintaining that steady, driving folk-rock strum and keeping the groove consistent from one section to the next.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Nightswimming - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Nightswimming brought a quiet, nostalgic mood to R.E.M.'s 1992 album Automatic for the People. Built around Mike Mills' memorable piano part, the song features Michael Stipe reflecting on youthful nights spent swimming after dark and the feeling of looking back on experiences that can never quite be recaptured.
Mills has described the song as being about actual nighttime skinny-dipping adventures from the band's younger days around Athens, Georgia. The recording is unusual for R.E.M. because guitar plays virtually no role, with Mills' piano providing the musical foundation beneath Stipe's vocal.
Adding to its distinctive sound, the orchestral string arrangement was created by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, who contributed arrangements to several songs on the album.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Nightswimming is played in standard tuning using the chords G, G6, C, D and Am. This is probably one of the most complicated pieces I have on this entire website. The main instrument in the original recording is piano, so in my acoustic version there is constant arpeggio picking combined with riffs and downstroke rhythm, with a few upstrokes blended in along the way. There are also moving bass lines and two separate picking breaks. And of course, you have to sing the song while keeping all of that movement going at the same time.
I'd rate this arrangement difficult. There are a lot of moving pieces to learn and bring together, so it's best to purchase the lesson if you want to learn this version and work through all of the details.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Orange Crush - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Orange Crush appeared on R.E.M.'s 1988 album Green and was released as a single during the band's transition to a much larger international audience. Michael Stipe's lyrics address the Vietnam War and the use of Agent Orange, the powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military during the conflict.
The subject had a personal connection for Stipe because his father served in Vietnam. Rather than telling a straightforward story, the song uses military imagery, commands and repeated phrases to create the perspective and tension of someone being sent overseas.
Driven by Bill Berry's forceful drumming and Peter Buck's guitar work, Orange Crush became a concert favorite and one of R.E.M.'s best-known politically charged songs.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Orange Crush is played in standard tuning using the chords E, G, D, Em, B and Gbm. I use three different rhythm patterns in this arrangement. The first is a down, down-up, down, down-up pattern that creates a galloping feel over the opening E chord. When you move to the G and D, the rhythm changes to a down-up, down-up-up, down-up pattern, with a few arpeggio notes blended into the D chord. Once the vocals begin, we return to the first galloping pattern throughout the verse. When you reach the "ohh-ohh" section, the third pattern uses all downstrokes with one quick upstroke before changing chords.
There is no dedicated lead work in this arrangement, just those few arpeggio notes. During the long spoken section, my version stays on the E chord while we work through a series of hammer-ons to keep some movement in the arrangement. From there, we return to the intro and repeat the song from the beginning, following the structure of R.E.M.'s arrangement.
I'd rate this one beginner to intermediate. Start by learning the chords and then work through each of the three rhythm patterns separately. Once they're comfortable, concentrate on making the transitions between the patterns smooth while maintaining that driving pulse throughout the song. Add the arpeggio notes and E-chord hammer-ons last, and then bring everything together.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Pop Song 89 - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Pop song 89 opened R.E.M.'s 1988 album Green and was released as a single in 1989, reaching No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its deliberately generic title suited Michael Stipe's playful lyrics, which poke at the familiar language and conventions found in pop songs while Peter Buck's guitar gives the track its driving rock sound.
Stipe also directed the memorable music video, appearing shirtless alongside three topless women as they danced against a simple white background. When MTV requested that the women's breasts be covered before it would air the clip,
Stipe responded by adding large black bars across the chests of all four performers—including himself. The result turned the censorship request into part of the video's visual joke.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Pop Song 89 is played in standard tuning using the chords A, D, B7, Am, E and G, and this is another R.E.M. song where you'll be working with several different rhythm ideas. To capture the opening riff, which is normally played higher on the guitar, I've moved those notes into a lower position and wrapped the riff around an Am chord shape. That's why you'll see the Am used in this arrangement.
The main rhythm is a down, down-up, down-up, down-up pattern, with several sections changing to downstrokes. There are also accented chord sections where I use an up-up, down, down-up pattern to create a different rhythmic feel. Along with those rhythm changes, you'll find several quick riffs embedded throughout the song that help keep the acoustic arrangement moving.
I'd rate this arrangement intermediate. Learn the chords first and then concentrate on getting the changing rhythm patterns comfortable in the appropriate sections. Once the rhythm is solid, go back and learn the opening riff and then work that same riff movement into the other places where it appears in the song. Bring those pieces together and you'll have a full acoustic arrangement that captures both the groove and some of the recognizable guitar character of the original.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Shiny Happy People - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Shiny Happy People became one of R.E.M.'s most recognizable pop hits after appearing on the band's 1991 album Out of Time. Featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52's on vocals, the brightly arranged song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also became a major international success.
Its colorful sound and deliberately upbeat presentation stood apart from much of R.E.M.'s more introspective material, something that later made the song somewhat controversial even within the band itself. Pierson also appeared alongside R.E.M. in the playful music video, adding to the recording's connection with the Athens, Georgia music scene shared by both groups.
Despite the band's complicated feelings about it, Shiny Happy People remains one of R.E.M.'s best-known songs.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Shiny Happy People is played in standard tuning using the chords G, Em, Bm, C, E and A. I begin by teaching the slower opening section, which uses an orchestration-style riff blended with rhythm. From there, the song moves into another unique section built around the signature riff combined with rhythm. That part is much easier to demonstrate in the lesson than explain because the riff has to be wrapped into the rhythm as you play it. Once the main vocals begin, the rhythm settles into a down, down-up, down-up, down-up pattern with a quick shuffle before changing chords.
I'd rate this arrangement intermediate. Start with the chords and then spend some time learning the opening orchestration and signature riff sections, since both appear again later in the song. From there, get comfortable with the main rhythm used under the vocals. Near the end, the real challenge is singing the "shiny happy people holding/laughing" lines while playing that riff sequence at the same time. If you're performing this one solo, that's where you'll really be walking and chewing gum at the same time.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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Talk About The Passion - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
Talk About The Passion appeared on R.E.M.'s 1983 debut album Murmur, one of the records that helped establish the band's early alternative and college-rock sound. Written by the members of R.E.M., the song features Peter Buck's distinctive jangly guitar style alongside Michael Stipe's characteristically elusive lyrics.
Although the lyrics leave plenty of room for interpretation, the song is generally associated with themes of hunger, poverty and the contrast between talking about problems and actually doing something about them. The repeated French phrase "combien de temps," meaning "how long," adds to that sense of frustration and questioning.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
Talk About The Passion is played in standard tuning using the chords D, C, A, G6, Em13, Em7 and Dsus2/F. The song begins with an intro riff that combines arpeggio picking with some blended downstroke rhythm. That same riff pattern continues when the vocals begin, so you'll be singing over the riff for the first few bars. Once you reach the chorus, we'll integrate some bass notes with a steady down-up, down-up rhythm.
When you reach the short French section, the rhythm changes to a down, down, down-up, down-up-up – up, down-up, down-up pattern that repeats through that section. There is also a short picking break built around another riff that's blended directly into the rhythm.
I'd rate this arrangement intermediate because you'll be singing and playing the riff at the same time, combining bass with rhythm, and moving between several different playing approaches. Learn the chords first, and even though a few of the chord names may look intimidating, the shapes themselves aren't difficult. Next, concentrate on the opening riff and get comfortable carrying that through while you sing. Then work on the bass-and-rhythm section followed by the riff-based picking break. Finally, watch for that rhythm change when you reach the short French section of the song.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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The One I Love - Learn To Play On Acoustic Guitar
The One I Love gave R.E.M. their first major Top 10 breakthrough when it was released from the band's 1987 album Document. The single reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 in Canada, helping move R.E.M. from college-rock success toward a much larger mainstream audience.
Despite its title and memorable refrain, Michael Stipe has explained that the song isn't really a conventional love song. The lyrics describe a much colder relationship, including the striking line referring to another person as “a simple prop to occupy my time.”
Peter Buck's distinctive guitar riff and the band's restrained arrangement add to that darker mood. Its success marked an important turning point in R.E.M.'s rise to international prominence.
What You'll Learn From This Lesson
The One I Love is played in standard tuning using the chords Em, D, G, C and D#. The main rhythm is a root, down-up, root-up, down-up pattern that repeats throughout the song. There are also several bass riffs blended directly into the rhythm, along with a melody-line picking break made up of a series of riffs that are wrapped into the rhythm rather than played as a separate lead break.
I'd rate this arrangement beginner to intermediate. Start by learning the chords and getting comfortable with the one main rhythm pattern. Once that's steady, work on blending the bass riffs into the rhythm without interrupting the groove. Finally, learn the riff-based melody picking section and work that into the arrangement. With those pieces in place, you'll have the complete acoustic version I'm teaching here.
Guitar Lesson Details - (chords & lyrics sheet incl with lesson)
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R.E.M. Guitar Lessons FAQ
Are these R.E.M. guitar lessons suitable for beginners?
Several of the arrangements are suitable for advancing beginners, while others move into intermediate and more difficult territory. The One I Love and Man On The Moon are good places to begin, followed by songs such as Losing My Religion and Orange Crush. More involved arrangements such as Talk About The Passion and especially Nightswimming require stronger picking, rhythm and coordination skills.
What tuning is used for these R.E.M. guitar lessons?
All of the R.E.M. arrangements on this page are played in standard tuning. That makes it easy to move from one lesson to another without having to retune the guitar or use an alternate tuning.
Do I need a capo to play these R.E.M. songs?
No capo is required for the arrangements taught on this page. The songs are arranged in standard tuning using practical chord positions that work well on acoustic guitar.
How do you capture Peter Buck's R.E.M. guitar style on one acoustic guitar?
Rather than simply strumming the basic chords, these arrangements incorporate techniques such as arpeggio picking, bass movement, hammer-ons, chord accents, embedded riffs and changing rhythm patterns. The goal is to bring recognizable elements of the original R.E.M. arrangements into a version that can be played by one acoustic guitarist.
Do these R.E.M. guitar lessons include riffs and picking?
Yes. Several lessons incorporate recognizable riffs directly into the rhythm. Pop Song 89, Shiny Happy People and Talk About The Passion are good examples, while The One I Love includes bass riffs and a melody-line picking section. Nightswimming is the most picking-intensive arrangement on the page, with constant arpeggio movement, riffs, bass lines and two picking breaks.
Which R.E.M. song is the most difficult to play on acoustic guitar?
Of the arrangements taught here, Nightswimming is easily the most difficult. The original is piano-driven, so my acoustic version combines constant arpeggio picking with riffs, rhythm, moving bass lines and two picking breaks. You'll also need to sing while keeping all of that guitar movement going, making it a challenging arrangement for more experienced players.
Whether you're a longtime R.E.M. fan or just discovering their music, these songs offer a great opportunity to explore the band's distinctive guitar style on acoustic. From driving rhythm patterns and melodic riffs to arpeggio picking and more challenging arrangements, there's plenty here to help develop your rhythm, picking and sing-and-play skills.
Work through the songs that match your current ability and then challenge yourself with some of the more involved arrangements as your playing improves. Bookmark this page and check back, as more R.E.M. guitar lessons may be added in the future.
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Kirby Swinemar is an acoustic guitar instructor, performer and song arranger who has taught online for 21 years and created more than 4,000 original acoustic guitar lessons. He specialises in song-based acoustic guitar instruction, rhythm guitar techniques, and creating full-sounding solo arrangements that help beginner and intermediate players move beyond basic strumming.
Explore his work at Kirby's Guitar Lessons and on social media on his social media YouTube Channel and his Facebook Page. Learn more about Kirby on his About Me page.
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