Perfect Circle (song)
"Perfect Circle" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. and is the sixth track from their 1983 debut album Murmur.
Music
Like many songs from Murmur, "Perfect Circle" has a sound typified by unusual instruments and recording techniques. The song opens with Honky tonk piano, a style more associated with ragtime and early country music than the college rock scene of which R.E.M. was a member. Two pianos were recorded, one played by Mike Mills and the other played by Bill Berry. The slightly out-of-sync sound and reverb created a detached otherworldly effect. The song also features Peter Buck's 12 string guitar.After R.E.M.'s drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997 for personal reasons, the band began reintroducing "Perfect Circle" into their live performances and radio appearances to promote their then forthcoming album Up. During this time period, members of the band stated that the song was primarily written by Berry and dedicated their performance of it to him.