"Radio Free Europe" is the debut single by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1981 on the short-lived independent record label Hib-Tone.

The song originated from an improvisation by Mike Mills on an unplugged electric guitar at Chapter 3 Records store, on East Broad Street in Athens.

[7] The other members of the band were reportedly awestruck when they heard the lyrics and melodies singer Michael Stipe had written for the song.

The group traveled to Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to record some songs with producer Mitch Easter.

[8][10] The band recorded "Radio Free Europe", "Sitting Still", and the instrumental song "White Tornado", which were placed on a promotional cassette tape.

[12] He offered to release "Radio Free Europe" and "Sitting Still" as a one-off 7" vinyl single with the understanding that he would own the publishing rights for both songs.

"[11] Easter said he found the presence of Hibbert "distracting" and added, "He came into my studio and it was like, now the big city guy is going to do it right.

Guitarist Peter Buck, who described the recording years later as "muddy and hi-end", expressed his displeasure by breaking a copy of the finished single and nailing it to his wall.

Easter triggered the effect to open and shut an electronic noise gate in time with bassist Mike Mills' playing.

The producer then manually adjusted the equalizer of the effect on the studio mixing console, and spliced the seven-bar figure into the start of the recording.

[16] Drummer Bill Berry begins the song with a four-to-the-floor beat, and then the rest of the band enters.

During the verses, Mills plays a fast eighth note bassline pulse, characteristic of punk rock and new wave.

[17] Guitarist Peter Buck plays the palm-muted lower strings of his guitar, marking the end of a four-bar repetition with an upstroke strummed chord.

During the prechorus refrain, Buck switches to playing arpeggios, ending each four bar phrase with a full chord downstroke.

[19] After two verses and two prechoruses, the band enters the song's chorus, where Stipe sings the phrase "Calling out in transit/Calling out in transit/Radio Free Europe".

[17] When first developing the original song, Stipe intentionally did not want the lyrics to be understood, as he "...hadn't written any of the words yet."

[15] Despite the song being named after the United States government broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mike Mills claimed in the liner notes to the two-CD edition of And I Feel Fine...

"[23] The San Francisco-based band Game Theory, whose albums were also produced by Mitch Easter, began in 1985 to cover the song in their shows, with lyrics sung clearly by Scott Miller.

"[24][25] Miller's first live performance of the song, in September 1985, appears as a bonus track on the 2014 CD reissue of Game Theory's Dead Center.

president Jay Boberg had the album's co-producer Don Dixon add some 1980s-style snare sound to the track.

Even now, when I listen to "Radio Free Europe" off Murmur, I still hear that gated snare that drives me crazy.

[31] Cash Box reviewed the single and commented on "its toughened-up Byrds jangly guitar and vocal style.

"[32] Record World said it has "a touch of anarchy and enough unrestrained energy to charge a dance hall for an entire evening" and that "What [R.E.M.]

[33] A live performance at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, from July 9, 1983, was released on the 2008 Deluxe Edition reissue of Murmur.