Radio Free Europe

Armed with the confidence that is bred in youth, the band set out down south to meet not just John's friend April, but artists and musicians that spoke their creative language.

At the same time, this band from Athens, Georgia comes out, R.E.M., and we hear Radio Free Europe.

And April's down there in Atlanta, which is near Athens, and she said, "I know the guy John Hibbert, who put out that first record, that, that Radio Free Europe.

I know him." And we said, "Well, we could...

This is kind of our ballpark.

Running away.

Radio Free Europe is the one I'm picking.

Ooh.

Yeah.

I kicked off my list with a band from Australia, The Church, Reptile.

Then I went to the UK, The Smiths, This Charming Man.

Head over to Athens, Georgia, with R.E.M., Radio Free Europe.

Then I went to Buffalo, New York, with the Goo Goo Dolls, We Are the Normal.

Not only just a single, but this other band's very first single just the week before this album came out.

Really? Radio Free Europe by R.E.M.

Which sounds really, really similar to Can't Stop the World.

Now, REM are from Athens, Georgia.

And that's why I mentioned, you know, perhaps this was just that synchronicity of thought.

Yeah.

because they came out, it's not like, oh yeah, we toured with R.E.M. for a year the previous summer, so they were playing that song every single night, or vice versa, where R.E.M. is like, oh yeah, the Go-Go's were playing Can't Stop the World, so we just cribbed that for Radio Free Europe.

It's this song, they came out a week apart.