View source for The Great Beyond

{{Short description|1999 single by R.E.M.}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = The Great Beyond
| cover      = R.E.M. - The Great Beyond.gif
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[R.E.M.]]
| album      = [[Man on the Moon (soundtrack)|Man on the Moon (Music from the Motion Picture)]]
| B-side     = {{unbulleted list|"[[Man on the Moon (R.E.M. song)|Man on the Moon]]" (live)|"[[The One I Love (R.E.M. song)|The One I Love]]" (live)|"[[Everybody Hurts]]" (live)}}
| released   = {{start date|1999|11|8}}
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Alternative rock]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/best-pop-songs-written-movies/42-great-beyond-rem/|title = The 50 best pop songs written for movies|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 18 December 2017}}</ref>
| length     = {{ubl|{{Duration|m=5|s=06}} (album version)|{{Duration|m=4|s=14}} (radio edit)}}
| label      = {{hlist|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]|[[Jersey Records|Jersey]]}}
| writer     = {{hlist|[[Peter Buck]]|[[Mike Mills]]|[[Michael Stipe]]}}
| producer   = [[Patrick McCarthy (record producer)|Pat McCarthy]]
| prev_title = [[Suspicion (R.E.M. song)|Suspicion]]
| prev_year  = 1999
| next_title = [[Imitation of Life (song)|Imitation of Life]]
| next_year  = 2001
| misc= {{External music video|{{YouTube|k_JnCWT-_O8|"The Great Beyond"}}}}
}}

"'''The Great Beyond'''" is a song by American rock band [[R.E.M.]], written for the 1999 film ''[[Man on the Moon (film)|Man on the Moon]]''. It was released as a single the same year for support of [[Man on the Moon (soundtrack)|the film's soundtrack album]]. On the soundtrack, there is some dialogue from the movie at the end of the track; meanwhile, the single version is a radio edit, with the bridge omitted.

"The Great Beyond" reached number three on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in January 2000, the band's highest-ever chart position in that country, and it was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media]]. It additionally became a top-20 hit in Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway. The unedited version is included in two R.E.M. compilations: ''[[In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003]]'' and ''[[Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011]]''.

==Background and content==
According to the book ''Perfect Circle: The Story of R.E.M.'', the band employed their then-usual live musicians when recording the song: "To record the single, the group convened at [[John Keane (record producer)|John Keane]]'s. [[Joey Waronker]] was brought in on drums; [[Scott McCaughey]] and [[Ken Stringfellow]] were each invited to take part; [[Pat McCarthy (record producer)|Pat McCarthy]] returned to the producer's chair."

In the unedited version, at 4:09 and at 4:26, the listener can hear [[Michael Stipe]] singing the following lines in the background: "Here's a little [[Agit prop|agit]] for the never-believer, here's a little ghost for the offering". Both lines were taken from the band's 1992 song "[[Man on the Moon (R.E.M. song)|Man on the Moon]]", also about [[Andy Kaufman]], from which the film took its title.

==Music video==
The song's video was directed by [[Liz Friedlander]]. It originally featured footage of [[Jim Carrey]] as Andy Kaufman from the 1999 film. Yet, in the compilation [[DVD]] ''[[In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003]]'' (which accompanied ''In Time'' and collected R.E.M.'s major videos from 1988 to 2003), the video was remixed to feature archived footage of Kaufman himself (similar to the video for "Man on the Moon"). The original version can be seen on the ''Man on the Moon'' DVD. Carrey revealed in the 2017 documentary ''[[Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond]]'' that he had been invited to appear in the video in person, but refused, as he wished to psychologically distance himself from the Kaufman character; he stated that he now regretted the decision.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/jim-andy-the-great-beyond-review-jim-carrey-andy-kaufman-1202547073/https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/jim-andy-the-great-beyond-review-jim-carrey-andy-kaufman-1202547073/|title = Venice Film Review: 'Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — featuring a very special, contractually obligated mention of Tony Clifton'|date = 6 September 2017}}</ref>

==Track listings==
All songs were written by [[Bill Berry]], [[Peter Buck]], [[Mike Mills]], and [[Michael Stipe]], except for "The Great Beyond", written by Buck, Mills, and Stipe. All live track were recorded on June 25, 1999, at the [[Glastonbury Festival]].

* '''US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=[[R.E.M.]]|year=2000|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=[[Warner Bros. Records]], [[Jersey Records]]|id=9 16888-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=1999|type=US 7-inch single vinyl disc|publisher=Warner Bros. Records, Jersey Records|id=7-16888}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=1999|type=US cassette single sleeve|publisher=Warner Bros. Records, Jersey Records|id=9 16888-4}}</ref>
: '''UK cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=2000|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Warner Bros. Records, Jersey Records|id=W516C}}</ref>
# "The Great Beyond" (edit)
# "[[Man on the Moon (R.E.M. song)|Man on the Moon]]" (live at Glastonbury)

* '''US maxi-CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=1999|type=US maxi-CD single liner notes|publisher=Warner Bros. Records, Jersey Records|id=9 44816-2}}</ref>
: '''Japanese CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=2000|type=Japanese CD single liner notes|publisher=Warner Bros. Records|id=WPCR-10638}}</ref>
# "The Great Beyond" (edit)
# "[[The One I Love (R.E.M. song)|The One I Love]]" (live at Glastonbury)
# "[[Everybody Hurts]]" (live at Glastonbury)
# "Man on the Moon" (live at Glastonbury)

* '''UK and European CD single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=The Great Beyond|others=R.E.M.|year=2000|type=UK & European CD single liner notes|publisher=Warner Bros. Records, Jersey Records|id=W516CD}}</ref>
# "The Great Beyond" (radio edit) – 4:13
# "Everybody Hurts" (live from Glastonbury) – 6:21
# "The One I Love" (live from Glastonbury) – 3:10

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1999–2000)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
{{single chart|Australia|25|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|16|chartid=9723|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=March 18, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|46|chartid=9751|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=March 18, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadarock|4|chartid=10022|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=March 18, 2018}}
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2000/MM-2000-02-12.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=17|issue=7|page=11|date=February 12, 2000|access-date=June 19, 2020}}</ref>
|11
|-
{{single chart|Germany|56|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|songid=4195|rowheader=true|access-date=October 23, 2018}}
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2995895#page/n9/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (4.2– 10.2 2000)|newspaper=[[DV (newspaper)|Dagblaðið Vísir]]|language=is|page=10|date=February 4, 2000|access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>
|4
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|6|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=March 18, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Italy|3|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|91|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|8|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Scotland|1|date=20000205|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Sweden|52|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Switzerland|72|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|UK|3|date=20000205|artist=R.E.M.|song=The Great Beyond|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|57|artist=R.E.M.|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardadultalternativesongs|1|artist=R.E.M.|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|13|artist=R.E.M.|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardalternativesongs|11|artist=R.E.M.|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|33|artist=R.E.M.|rowheader=true|access-date=January 13, 2018}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2000)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/3010431?iabr=on#page/n9/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 100|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=10|date=January 5, 2001|access-date=February 8, 2020}}</ref>
|39
|-
!scope="row"|Ireland (IRMA)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/2fm/charts/top100_2000.html|title=Top 100 of 2000|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040602112628/http://www.rte.ie/2fm/charts/top100_2000.html|archive-date=June 2, 2004|access-date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
|59
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Best Sellers of 2000: Singles Top 100|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=25|date=January 20, 2001}}</ref>
|94
|-
!scope="row"|US Adult Top 40 (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2000|magazine=[[Airplay Monitor]]|volume=8|issue=51|page=48|date=December 22, 2000}}</ref>
|43
|-
!scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000|magazine=Airplay Monitor|volume=8|issue=51|page=38|date=December 22, 2000}}</ref>
|50
|-
!scope="row"|US Triple-A (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Best of 2000: Most Played Triple-A Songs|magazine=Airplay Monitor|volume=8|issue=51|page=44|date=December 22, 2000}}</ref>
|9
|}
{{col-end}}

==Release history==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref(s).|Reference(s)}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="3"|United States
|November 8, 1999
|{{hlist|[[Adult contemporary music|Adult contemporary]]|[[modern adult contemporary]] radio}}
|rowspan="5"|{{hlist|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]|[[Jersey Records|Jersey]]}}
|align="center"|<ref name="r&r">{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-11-05.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=[[Radio & Records]]|issue=1324|pages=92, 107, 111, 119|date=November 5, 1999|access-date=July 28, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gavin AC/Hot AC: Impact Dates|magazine=[[Gavin Report]]|issue=2279|page=20|date=November 8, 1999}}</ref>
|-
|November 9, 1999
|{{hlist|[[Mainstream rock]]|[[active rock]]|[[alternative radio]]}}
|align="center"|<ref name="r&r"/>
|-
|December 7, 1999
|[[Contemporary hit radio]]
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gavin Top 40/Rhythm Crossover: Impact Dates|magazine=Gavin Report|issue=2283|page=8|date=December 3, 1999}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Canada
|December 21, 1999
|CD
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicReleases1999/dec99.html|title=Album Releases: December 1999|publisher=[[Jam!]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000829104256/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicReleases1999/dec99.html|archive-date=August 29, 2000|access-date=January 6, 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|January 24, 2000
|{{hlist|CD|cassette}}
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2000/Music-Week-2000-01-22.pdf|title=New Releases – For Week Starting 24 January, 2000: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=25|date=January 22, 2000|access-date=July 28, 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|January 26, 2000
|CD
|Warner Bros.
|align="center"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/19967/products/306305/1/|title=ザ・グレイト・ビヨンド {{!}} R.E.M.|trans-title=The Great Beyond {{!}} R.E.M.|publisher=[[Oricon]]|language=ja|access-date=August 29, 2023}}</ref>
|}

==Other versions==
In June 2003, Michael Stipe sang an ''[[a cappella]]'' excerpt from the song for a [[BBC Radio 2]] advertisement.<ref>[http://www.campaignlive.com/news/search/174074/ "Radio 2 TV ads reflect its unique positioning"] – www.campaignlive.com</ref> He performed it on a stage in an empty theater. Welsh [[progressive breakbeat]] producers [[Hybrid (Welsh band)|Hybrid]] later would use this a cappella to create a [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] [[remix]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breakbeatpolice.com/353/rem-the-great-beyond-hybrid-mix/|title=REM - the Great Beyond (Hybrid Mix) - Hybrid Discography - Track Info MP3 WAV CD and Vinyl Links|access-date=August 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106205551/http://www.breakbeatpolice.com/353/rem-the-great-beyond-hybrid-mix|archive-date=January 6, 2011}}</ref> A live version of this song is included on ''[[R.E.M. Live]]''. The song was covered by [[The Fray]] in 2007 for the compilation album ''[[Radio 1: Established 1967]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080603050615/http://remhq.com/lyrics.php?id=304 Song lyrics at R.E.M.hq]

{{R.E.M.}}
{{Andy Kaufman}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Beyond, The}}
[[Category:1999 singles]]
[[Category:1999 songs]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Liz Friedlander]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Scotland]]
[[Category:R.E.M. songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Pat McCarthy (record producer)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Peter Buck]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Mills]]
[[Category:Songs based on actual events]]
[[Category:Songs written by Michael Stipe]]
[[Category:Songs written by Mike Mills]]
[[Category:Songs written by Peter Buck]]
[[Category:Songs written for films]]
[[Category:Warner Records singles]]