Bad Day (R.E.M. song)
"Bad Day" is a song recorded by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It is one of two previously unreleased songs from their 2003 compilation album, "", and was released as the album's lead single on September 15, 2003. An outtake version of the song originally recorded for "Lifes Rich Pageant" finally appeared on EMI's 2006 compilation "And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982–1987". A demo version from the same sessions appeared on the 25th Anniversary Edition of "Lifes Rich Pageant" in 2011. The arrangement of the song is slightly different in  each version. Background and composition. "Bad Day" is anti-media rant which was inspired by a day when Michael Stipe opened his front door and found a camcorder lens in his face. The lyrics also reference the policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, as the song was originally written in the 1980s during his administration. Stipe sang a few words of it during a concert in Albany, New York in 1985, as part of the Reconstruction Tour. Around the time of "Lifes Rich Pageant", the song emerged in a more polished version with the title "PSA"—an abbreviation for "public service  announcement". The song was never released but did serve as a sort of forerunner to "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)", a song with a similar cadence and delivery. In 2003, Stipe saw that the song still had contemporary resonance due to the policies of George W. Bush, and the band finally recorded it for "In Time", with only slightly updated lyrics and under the new title "Bad Day". In the liner notes for "In Time", Peter Buck wrote: "We started writing this song in 1986 [sic]. We finished writing it  in 2003. The sad thing is, between those years nothing much has changed." Music video. The official music video was directed by Tim Hope and shot in Vancouver in May 2003. It is a parody of cable news and was produced by Passion Pictures. It appears on "In View", the DVD companion of "In Time", and is also found on the main CD of "In Time". In the video, Stipe appears as the Morning Team's news anchor Cliff Harris; Mike Mills doubles as roving reporter Ed Colbert and meteorologist Rick Jennings; and Buck as climate expert Geoff Sayers and  the reporter Eric Nelson. News stories shown include a monsoon contained within an apartment, a senator's office flooding, and a tornado inside a boy's bedroom. In other media. The song can be heard in a third-season episode of "Alias", in the "Scrubs" episode "My Advice To You", in the 76th episode of "Boston Public" and in the "Smallville" episode "Slumber". The song is included on "R.E.M. Live". Track listings. UK CD1 (UK) UK CD2 (UK) US CD single (US)