"Bang and Blame"
Single byR.E.M.
from the albumMonster
B-side	"Bang and Blame" (instrumental version)
Released	October 31, 1994 (1994-10-31)[1]
Genre	Hard rock
Length	5:30 (album with short interlude) 4:51 (single edit)
Label	Warner Bros. Records
Songwriter(s)	Bill Berry Peter Buck Mike Mills Michael Stipe[2]
Producer(s)	Scott Litt R.E.M.
R.E.M. singles chronology
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (1994) "Bang and Blame" (1994) "Crush with Eyeliner" (1995)
Music video
"Bang and Blame" onYouTube

"Bang and Blame" is a song by Americanalternative rock groupR.E.M. It was released as the second single from their ninth studio album,Monster (1994), on October 31, 1994 byWarner Bros. Records. The song was R.E.M.'s last to reach the top 40 on the USBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 19, and was also their last number-one single on theBillboardModern Rock Tracks chart. The single reached number one in Canada—R.E.M.'s only single to do so—and peaked inside the top 40 on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

"Bang and Blame" was not included onIn Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 andPart Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

Steve Baltin fromCash Box named 'Bang and Blame' Pick of the Week and "one of the strongest tracks on the entire album." He wrote, "Ahard-edged guitar tune, vocalistMichael Stipe gets one of his best moments ofMonster when he sings, “You kiss on me/don't kiss on me/you tug on me don't tug on me.” The propulsive rhythm of this track should also prove enticing even to non-fans of the group."^[3] Fell and Rufer from theGavin Report felt that "Stipe's angst bites the hand that used to feed it. 'Bang and Blame' seems to be the result of some bad kiss 'n' tell. His genius as an oblique lyricist is most of his charm. The arrangement adds to the drama and makes it almost irresistible. HotA/C will eat this one for lunch."^[4]

Terry Staunton fromMelody Maker named it "one of the least effective songs on theMonster album, and therefore a particularly odd choice for a single."^[5] Keith Cameron fromNME said it "hinges on an archetypically pretty melody and Stipe's ambiguous voice, caught betwixt disdain and sympathy for the song's distressed subject".^[6]Neil Spencer fromThe Observer wrote that on tracks such as 'Bang and Blame', "there are bursts of the musical invention and humanist outlook that characterises their best work."^[7]Roy Wilkinson fromSelect described it as "'Losing My Religion' at two-thirds pace, withreggae-lite rhythms".^[8] Jordan Paramor fromSmash Hits gave it three out of five, adding that "this is yet more weird warblings about life and stuff. However, I'm certain that like most of their singles, it'll be a grower. But come on, R.E.M., do cheer up a bit."^[9]

All songs were written byBill Berry,Peter Buck,Mike Mills, andMichael Stipe. All live tracks were recorded at the40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia, on November 19, 1992. The performance, a benefit forGreenpeace, was recorded on a solar-powered mobile studio.

• US 7-inch, cassette, and CD single^[10][11][12]

1. "Bang and Blame" – 4:48
2. "Bang and Blame" (instrumental version) – 4:48

• UK 7-inch and cassette single^[13][14]

1. "Bang and Blame" (album version) – 4:48
2. "Bang and Blame" (K version) – 4:58

• UK, European, Australian, and Japanese CD single^[15][16][17]

1. "Bang and Blame" (album version) – 4:48
2. "Losing My Religion" (live) – 4:33
3. "Country Feedback" (live) – 4:12
4. "Begin the Begin" (live) – 3:26

"Bang and Blame" was featured in theCold Case episode "Blackout" as well as in the Danish mini-series "Charlot og Charlotte" by Ole Bornedal (director of "Nattevagten"/"The Night Watch"), theMy Mad Fat Diary episode "Not I" and theMelrose Place episode "No Strings Attached". The song was also used in"Weird Al" Yankovic's polka medley "The Alternative Polka" from his 1996 albumBad Hair Day. The song also leant its title to Episode 7 ofLaw & Order: Trial By Jury in 2005.

• 1994 singles
• 1994 songs
• Black-and-white music videos
• R.E.M. songs
• RPM Top Singles number-one singles
• Song recordings produced by Bill Berry
• Song recordings produced by Michael Stipe
• Song recordings produced by Mike Mills
• Song recordings produced by Peter Buck
• Song recordings produced by Scott Litt
• Songs written by Bill Berry
• Songs written by Michael Stipe
• Songs written by Mike Mills
• Songs written by Peter Buck
• Warner Records singles
• American hard rock songs

• CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes)
• CS1 Finnish-language sources (fi)
• CS1 Icelandic-language sources (is)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hAudio microformats
• Single chart usages for Australia
• Single chart usages for Flanders
• Single chart usages for Canadatopsingles
• Single chart called without artist
• Single chart called without song
• Single chart usages for France
• Single chart usages for Germany
• Single chart usages for Ireland2
• Single chart usages for Dutch40
• Single chart usages for Dutch100
• Single chart usages for New Zealand
• Single chart usages for Scotland
• Single chart usages for UK
• Single chart usages for UKrock
• Single chart usages for Billboardhot100
• Single chart usages for Billboardalternativesongs
• Single chart usages for Billboardmainstreamrock
• Single chart usages for Billboardpopsongs