Right from their first EP, Chronic Town, R.E.M. gained a reputation for lyrics that were impenetrable, either because they were hard to actually hear clearly or because the meanings were sometimes opaque. By the time they released their ninth album, Monster, in 1994, that had become less of a defining part of R.E.M.’s music. However, when they released “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” as the lead single from Monster, they had fans scratching their heads again.
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Even for those who are familiar with the song’s somewhat famous backstory, the overall meaning of “Kenneth” is hard to discern. Michael Stipe just may have made it that way by design, but luckily for those of us who have remained puzzled, he has shed some light on what the song is really about.
Dan Rather, Generation Gaps, and Inscrutability
The title and opening line of “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” originates from an incident involving former CBS news anchor Dan Rather in 1986. Rather was attacked by two men on Park Avenue near his Manhattan apartment, one of whom repeatedly asked him the nonsensical question, “Kenneth, what is the frequency?”
The song, however, is not about the assault on Rather or his attackers. In a 2017 interview with none other than Rather, Stipe explained that “Kenneth” is about the instructability that people of an older generation experience when they try to understand a younger generation. The R.E.M. lead singer wastes no time in addressing this theme, giving us an example of it in the song’s very first line. “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh huh contrasts a phrase that became a niche cultural reference in the late ‘80s with an amphetamine that became popular in the ‘40s and ‘50s. The first verse continues on from the perspective of the older participant in this cross-generational discussion, voicing confusion and feelings of disconnection.
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I pegged you an idiot’s dream
Tunnel vision from the outsider’s screen
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Stipe also mentioned in his interview with Rather that his lyrics for “Kenneth” were specifically about the inscrutability of early ‘90s slacker culture to those who came of age in earlier decades. When Stipe sings “you wore our expectations like an armored suit” in the chorus, he is probably referring to the disdain that people in their 20s had for older generations during the time of grunge. Stipe brings in a very specific reference from that period in the second verse.
I studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines
Richard said, “Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy”
The Richard whom Stipe refers to is Richard Linklater, who starred in, wrote, directed, and produced the movie Slacker. The movie provides just one more contemporary reference that Stipe’s protagonist struggles to make sense of.
When taken in the context of Stipe’s message about the misunderstandings that occur across generations, seemingly unrelated lines like Butterfly decal, rear-view mirror, dogging the scene and You wore a shirt of violent green actually make sense. Still, unless the listener is willing to put a lot of thought into understanding “Kenneth”’s lyrics, the song’s message can be as hard to comprehend as “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” was to the Benzedrine generation. Maybe that was all part of Stipe’s plan.
Impact
“What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart and No. 2 on their Mainstream Rock chart. It was also R.E.M.’s second-highest ranking track on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart (behind “Losing My Religion”), peaking at No. 14, and it topped out on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 21.
In 1995, Rather performed the song with R.E.M. during a soundcheck at Madison Square Garden, the results of which were aired before the band’s performance on The Late Show with David Letterman the following night.
Inscrutable or not, the melodicism and brashness of “Kenneth” made it one of R.E.M.’s most popular songs. In fact, other than its follow-up single, “Bang and Blame” (which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100), no subsequent R.E.M. single had as much chart success as “Kenneth” did.
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