What instrument drives the main riff of 'Losing My Religion'?

The mandolin drives the main riff of “Losing My Religion.” R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck developed the song’s defining riff while teaching himself to play a recently purchased mandolin, recording ideas as he practiced. That unusual instrument became the track’s most recognizable musical voice.

The song began as a July 1990 demo titled “Sugar Cane,” which included banjo and Hammond organ. For the final recording, Buck played mandolin, while Peter Holsapple added acoustic guitar to fill out the middle range between the mandolin and Mike Mills’s bass. Strings arranged by Mark Bingham added further sweep.

A common mix-up is to identify the banjo as the lead instrument because of the song’s folk-rock character and the early demo. The released recording is centered on the mandolin, however. “Losing My Religion” appeared on Out of Time in 1991 and became R.E.M.’s highest-charting U.S. single, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.