Which song was the lead single from R.E.M.’s “Automatic for the People”? The lead single was “Drive.”
“Drive” opens R.E.M.’s eighth studio album, Automatic for the People, released in 1992. The song was issued as the album’s first single in September 1992 and established the record’s darker, more reflective mood.
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, “Drive” combines Buck’s guitar with a stark arrangement and orchestral color. Producer Scott Litt helped shape the restrained sound, while John Paul Jones arranged strings for several album tracks.
Listeners sometimes confuse the lead single with later releases such as “Man on the Moon,” “Everybody Hurts,” or “Nightswimming.” “Drive” was the first single, though “Everybody Hurts” became one of the album’s most widely recognized international hits.