The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by the American alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...

 band R.E.M.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe , Peter Buck , Mike Mills , and Bill Berry . R.E.M. was one of the first popular alternative rock bands, and gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's unclear vocals. R.E.M...

 It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an acclaimed song sung by The Tokens and written as Mbube by Solomon Linda.-History:"Mbube" was first recorded by its writer, Solomon Linda, and his group, The Evening Birds, in 1939. Gallo Record Company paid Linda a single fee for the recording and no royalties...

", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain. The band used "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as the B-side to this song.

The song was released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People

Automatic for the People

Automatic for the People is the eighth album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in 1992 on Warner Bros. Records. While R.E.M...

and was later released as a single in 1993, reaching #17 in the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...

.

The song was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Brothers "best of" album In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003, although Peter Buck's personal sleevenotes on the song were not complimentary. It was one of four songs from Automatic for the People to make the compilation, more than from any other album.

The song's complete title is not featured in the lyrics, but there is the line, "the sidewinder sleeps in a coil" as well as the later line "the sidewinder sleeps on its back".

Track listing

All songs written by Bill Berry

Bill Berry

William "Bill" Thomas Berry is an American former musician and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer in alternative rock band R.E.M. for 17 years, before retiring from the group and becoming a farmer...

, Peter Buck

Peter Buck

Peter Lawrence Buck is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe, of the alternative rock band R.E.M....

, Mike Mills

Mike Mills

Michael Edward Mills is the bass player of the band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bassist, piano player and background singer, his musical repertoire includes many other keyboard, guitar, string, wind and percussion instruments...

 and Michael Stipe

Michael Stipe

John Michael Stipe is an American singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surreal lyrics, as well as his social and political activism...

 except as noted.

US CD Single

1. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
2. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
   The Lion Sleeps Tonight
   "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an acclaimed song sung by The Tokens and written as Mbube by Solomon Linda.-History:"Mbube" was first recorded by its writer, Solomon Linda, and his group, The Evening Birds, in 1939. Gallo Record Company paid Linda a single fee for the recording and no royalties...
   
   " (Solomon Linda
   Solomon Linda
   Solomon Popoli Linda was a South African Zulu musician, singer and composer who wrote the song "Mbube" which later became the pop hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and gave its name to a style of isicathamiya a cappella popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.- Early years :Solomon Popoli Linda was...
   
   , Luigi Creatore
   Luigi Creatore
   Luigi Creatore is a retired American songwriter and record producer.From a musical family, Creatore began his career as a writer...
   
   , Hugo Peretti
   Hugo Peretti
   Hugo Peretti was an American songwriter and record producer.Born in New York City, Hugo Peretti began his career as a teenager, playing the trumpet in the Borscht Belt in upstate New York...
   
   , George David Weiss
   George David Weiss
   George David Weiss is an American songwriter and President of the Songwriters Guild of America.-Career:...
   
   ) – 2:41

UK "Collector's Edition" CD Single 1

1. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
2. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (Linda, Creatore, Peretti, Weiss) – 2:41
3. "Fretless"¹ – 4:51

UK "Collector's Edition" CD Single 2

1. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
2. "Organ Song" – 3:25
3. "Star Me Kitten" (demo) – 3:05

DE CD Maxi-Single

1. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
2. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (Linda, Creatore, Peretti, Weiss) – 2:41
3. "Fretless"² – 4:51
4. "Organ Song" – 3:25

UK and DE 7" and Cassette Single

1. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" – 4:06
2. "Get Up
   Get Up (R.E.M. song)
   "Get Up" was the fourth and final single to be released by R.E.M. from the band's sixth studio album Green. It was included in the limited edition Singleactiongreen box set released in November 1989. The song was released as a single only in the U.S. but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot...
   
   " – -:--

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart premiered in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...	60
Irish Singles Chart	13
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...	17
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...	28
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock stations are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981 issue...	24