's most pop-influenced tracks, "Imitation of Life" has been described lyrically as "see[ing] through the puffed-up performance of a hopeful entertainer",[1] as well as the enjoyment of love.

At the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002, the song was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, losing to U2's "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of".

Filmed in Calabasas, California, in February 2001, the video uses a series of cameras and pan and scan techniques to create a 20-second clip of a pool party scene in which various incidents occur in both forward and reverse time.

The notes also say that after the release of the song, the band realized that it follows roughly the same chord progression as "Driver 8" from their third studio album, Fables of the Reconstruction (1985).

[2][3] The song was almost excluded from Reveal because it was too much like the rest of the album, but during the mixing process, the band decided to set it apart by turning it into an up-tempo track.

chose to release "Imitation of Life" as the first single from Reveal because it was the "poppiest" track on the album and possessed their "classic" sound.

[9] Seven days later, another CD single was distributed across continental Europe—this one containing only "2JN" as an additional track—and a maxi-CD with the same track listing as the Australian format was also released.

[13][14][15] A DVD single was also issued in the UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan, featuring the "Imitation of Life" video plus audio of "2JN" and "The Lifting".

[2][4][22] Critics have compared the song to "Shiny Happy People" from the band's seventh studio album, Out of Time (1991), noting Peter Buck's "jangly" guitar-playing.

[4][11][25] On the song, Buck, Mike Mills, Scott McCaughey, and Ken Stringfellow play acoustic guitars, while a drum machine is used for the percussion, as ex-drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997.

"[28] The main chorus lyrics—"That sugarcane that tasted good / That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood / Come on, come on, no one can see you try"—are changed several times throughout the song, with Stipe repeating one variation until the track ends.

[28] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song one of the better tracks on Reveal, referring to it as a "windswept and sun-bleached beaut[y]".

Conversely, Michael Jørgensen, head of music at Danish station Radio Silkeborg, predicted that the song would be a spring hit, saying that R.E.M.

[11] In 2002, at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, where it lost to "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" by U2.

[32] In a retrospective review of Reveal 20 years after its release, Stereogum writer Ryan Leas praised "Imitation of Life" for its relatable lyrics and "deeply catchy" composition that is neither too cheerful nor too depressing.

[38][39] "Imitation of Life" also appeared on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it reached number 22 and logged nine weeks on the listing.

[44] In Ireland, the track appeared at its peak of number 12 on the Irish Singles Chart dated May 3, 2001, and it spent six weeks in the top 30.

[45][46] Across continental Europe, "Imitation of Life" made top-10 debuts in Italy, Norway, Spain, entering directly at numbers three, four, and three, respectively.

[58] The song entered the 40 in Australia, debuted at its peak of number 32 on April 29, 2001, and totaling three nonconsecutive weeks within the ARIA Singles Chart top 50.

[59] The music video for "Imitation of Life", depicting a scene of an elaborate pool party, was shot in Calabasas, California, on February 28, 2001.

Via pan and scan, the video zooms in on various bits of action, including a man catching fire from a barbecue, a woman having a drink thrown in her face, Stipe dancing, Mills pouring wine, and Buck playing a ukulele with a monkey in his lap.