Song by R.E.M.
"Orange Crush " is a song by the Americanalternative rock bandR.E.M. It was released as the first single from the band's sixth studio album,Green Mainstream andModern Rock Tracks (where, at the time, it had the record for longest stay at number one with eight weeks, beatingU2 ). It peaked at number 28 on theUK Singles Chart , making it the band's then-highest chart hit in Britain, where they promoted the song by making their debut appearance onTop of the Pops [ 3]
The video for the song, directed byMatt Mahurin , won the band its firstVMA , forBest Post-Modern Video . "Orange Crush" was also the first song to win in the category. The video, shot exclusively in black and white, does not feature the band at all.
The song was placed on R.E.M.'sWarner Bros. Records compilation In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 R.E.M. Live
The song's title refers to the chemical defoliantAgent Orange manufactured byMonsanto Corporation andDow Chemical for the U.S. Defense Department and used in theVietnam War .[ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Stipe opened the song during the Green World Tour by singing the U.S. Army recruiting slogan, "Be all you can be... in the Army ."[ 8] [ 9]
"Orange Crush" (Bill Berry ,Peter Buck ,Mike Mills ,Michael Stipe ) - 3:50 "Ghost Rider " (Suicide cover, written byMartin Reverby ,Alan Vega ) - 3:45 "Dark Globe " (Syd Barrett ) - 1:52 Year-end chart performance for "Orange Crush" Chart (1989) Position US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard )[ 17] 17 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard )[ 17] 13
Certifications for "Orange Crush" Region Certification Certified units /salesNew Zealand (RMNZ )[ 18] Gold 15,000‡ ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^ "R.E.M. Release Live Version of "Orange Crush" From 'R.E.M. at the BBC' . September 20, 2018.^ Hughes, Rob (June 18, 2018)."Orange Crush: How REM wrote the song that kickstarted their career" .loudersound . ^ Gittins, Ian (2007).Top of the Pops: Mishaps, Miming, and Music - True Adventures of TV's No. 1 Pop Show Random House . p. 126.ISBN 9781846073274 . RetrievedApril 9, 2014 . ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (April 20, 1989)."R.E.M.'s Brave New World" .Rolling Stone ^ "We pick R.E.M.'s top five political songs" .EW.com .^ "...the barbed-wire edge of "Orange Crush." This song, about the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam,...""R.E.M. FINALLY EMERGES AS HARD-EDGED, FEROCIOUS" Boston Globe, April 10, 1989 Archived October 19, 2012, at theWayback Machine ^ "Guitarist Peter Buck has said that "Orange Crush," the first single from "Green" (Warner Bros., all formats), is about Agent Orange...""Records;Uninspired Folk-Rock Routine Releases From R.E.M. and the Bangles" Washington Post, Nov 9, 1988 Archived October 21, 2012, at theWayback Machine ^ Gray, Marcus (March 21, 1997),It Crawled from the South: An R.E.M. Companion (Paperback) (2nd ed.),Da Capo Press , p. 57,ISBN 0-306-80751-3 ^ Bergeron, Ryan (June 24, 2015)."5 songs you didn't know were about the Vietnam War" .CNN Entertainment . Cable News Network, Turner Broadcasting System. RetrievedJune 28, 2017 . ^ "R.E.M. – Orange Crush" .ARIA Top 50 Singles . Retrieved September 10, 2022. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".Music & Media ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – R.E.M." .Irish Singles Chart . Retrieved September 10, 2022. ^ "R.E.M. – Orange Crush" .Top 40 Singles . Retrieved September 10, 2022. ^ "R.E.M.: Artist Chart History" .Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 28, 2025.^ "R.E.M. Chart History (Alternative Airplay)" .Billboard ^ "R.E.M. Chart History (Mainstream Rock)" .Billboard ^a b "1989 The Year in Music".Billboard . Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-58. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – REM – Orange Crush" . Radioscope. RetrievedDecember 30, 2024 .Type Orange Crush in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
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