Michael Stipe of R.E.M.; Mick Hutson/Redferns(NEW YORK) — It seems that many people agree that it is indeed time they had some time alone.
According to Billboard, downloads and streams of R.E.M.‘s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” have surged amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The publication reports that the 1987 single has jumped 184 percent in downloads sold for the tracking week ending March 12. It also saw a 48-percent boost in on-demand U.S. streams.
“World” isn’t the only R.E.M. song to see a surge in sales. “Everybody Hurts” received a 33 percent increase in downloads, while “Losing My Religion” went up 11 percent.
But R.E.M. isn’t the only band soundtracking the pandemic. Billboard reports that songs such as Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness,” Joy Division’s “Isolation” and, of course, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” have all seen upticks in downloads and streams. Even The Knack’s “My Sharona” — “Sharona” rhymes with “corona” — and its “Weird Al” Yankovic parody, “My Bologna,” got a boost.
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