The Wrong Child (track)
by R.E.M.
The Wrong Child appears on the following album(s) by R.E.M.:
- Green (track #6) (this album) (1988)
- Complete Studio Albums 1988-1996 (track #6) (compilation) (2014)
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The Wrong Child ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 138 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 41 hours ago | stareaterogni0n | 5,785 | 70/100 |
| ! | 05/12/2026 13:15 | 39,969 | 76/100 | |
| ! | 04/17/2026 15:44 | Pavloss | 2,378 | 60/100 |
| ! | 03/18/2026 03:22 | Exist-en-ciel | 166,497 | 71/100 |
| ! | 11/12/2025 09:08 | 14,734 | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 19% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 77.5/100, a mean average of 77.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.6/100. The standard deviation for this track is 11.9.
The Wrong Child favourites
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The Wrong Child comments
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The only lyrics printed on the sleeve of Green are World Leader Pretend, which suggests it’s regarded by the band as their strongest work on the album lyrically speaking. I think they’re right.
The criticism I would have is that the music is secondary to the brilliant lyrics. Feels like a track Stipe insisted on rather than a team effort to me.
