R.E.M. have shared a new remix of their 1981 debut single, ‘Radio Free Europe’, courtesy of producer and longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee. It appears on a new benefit EP, Radio Free Europe 2025, which is out now digitally, with a vinyl edition arriving on September 12 via Craft. Proceeds from the physical release will go to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the editorially independent nonprofit that the song is named after. Check it out below.
The Radio Free Europe 2025 EP includes producer Mitch Easter’s original ‘Radio Free Europe’ remix, along with the B-side ‘Sitting Still’ and the previously cassette-only instrumental ‘Wh. Tornado’. The release coincides with the 75th anniversary of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “Whether it’s music or a free press—censorship anywhere is a threat to the truth everywhere,” bandleader Michael Stipe said. “On World Press Freedom Day, I’m sending a shout-out to the brave journalists at Radio Free Europe.”
Bassist Mike Mills added: “Radio Free Europe’s journalists have been pissing off dictators for 75 years. You know you’re doing your job when you make the right enemies. Happy World Press Freedom Day to the ‘OG’ Radio Free Europe.”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s president and chief executive, Stephen Capus, commented: “To me, R.E.M.’s music has always embodied a celebration of freedom: freedom of expression, lyrics that make us think, and melodies that inspire action. Those are the very aims of our journalists at Radio Free Europe—to inform, inspire, and uphold freedoms often elusive to our audiences. We hold dictators accountable. They go to great lengths to silence us—blocking our websites, jamming our signals, and even imprisoning our colleagues.”
