Nightswimming (track)
by R.E.M.
Year: 1992
From the album Automatic For The People (track #11)
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Nightswimming appears on the following album(s) by R.E.M.:
- Automatic For The People (track #11) (this album) (1992)
- In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (track #18) (compilation) (2003)
- Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982–2011 (track #24) (compilation) (2011)
- The Best Of R.E.M. At The BBC (track #13) (compilation) (2018)
- Complete Studio Albums 1988-1996 (track #33) (compilation) (2014)
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Nightswimming 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 594 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/03/2026 15:27 | dukeboxkool | 7,542 | 75/100 | |
| 02/27/2026 13:25 | AdamRP | 4 | 20/100 | |
| 01/16/2026 16:32 | philschmil | 427 | 88/100 | |
| 12/11/2025 23:05 | billyboy66 | 7 | 87/100 | |
| 12/09/2025 23:45 | AbsurdCheesecake | 1,614 | 90/100 |
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 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 89.6/100, a mean average of 88.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.9/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.1.
Nightswimming favourites
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Nightswimming comments
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slatsheit 11/08/2024 01:58 | #305930
The problem with this track, which is fairly good if not great in a vacuum, is that they already tried this melody - "...deserves a quiet night..." "...around our ears... I turned up the radio..." Come on.
It cannot be underestimated how much the strings and oboe lift this song. As good as the circular piano melody and almost monotone vocals are just imagine listening to the full 4 mins without the embellishment. But really all the different elements of this song come together so well that it truly is a case that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Mike Mills does not get enough credit generally for the success of REM. He's a true musical genius. Yes, the other three members of the band brought unique talents that synergized into a great group. But Mills' piano melodies were the foundation of many of their greatest songs. If you love Nightswimming, you need to listen again to Electrolite, Beat a Drum and At My Most Beautiful. The ethereal and delicate piano-based melodies are all Mills. And without his creative baselines and wonderfully harmonic backing vocals, most of their tunes wouldn't be nearly as good as they are. His talents are very similar to Paul McCartney's if you think about it. But he didn't let his ego get away from him like McCartney did. He let Michael Stipe be the front man, saying why would he want to compete with one of the best front men in rock history. If the band did not run with a song idea that MIlls had, he would let it die, he didn't try to do a half-baked attempt on his own. If Mills had the same ego as McCartney would REM have lasted over 30 years and split amicably? And conversely...
Kamens 05/07/2019 01:03 | #235935
The best song of the 1990s and one of the best songs ever recorded.
This song is magic. Mike Mills' piano, Michael Stipe's lyrics. It's absolutely beautiful and perhaps the best song ever from REM.
My god, what an incredible track.
Brad1770 12/19/2017 10:51 | #203552
My favorite REM track from my all time favorite band says it all . Masterpiece . Mike Mill' circular piano makes this song
M42K0 03/18/2016 05:48 | #162129
Imo, this and Everybody Hurts are by far two best songs from this album.
rogue 11/12/2015 15:04 | #152841
One of the greatest songs in existence.
One of the strongest song. Beautiful songs.
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