Originally Posted by phoenixflames

According to what I found on an R.E.M. fan message board:

"The dictionary definition of R.E.M. is 'rapid eye movement', a characteristic of dream sleep, but the band all insist it is not intended to mean that. 'We just wanted something that was kinda short and concise and wouldn't typecast us as any particular type of group' Peter said in 1984. Michaels explanation was more succinct, 'I wish we'd picked something we didn't have to explain all the time. We just like the dots".

So while the medical definition of R.E.M. is Rapid Eye Movement, I don't think thats what the band uses that acronym for...