R.E.M. Reunites and Gives Rare Performance of 'Losing My Religion' at Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction

• R.E.M. reunited Thursday night at the Songwriter Hall of Fame
• It was their first performance together in 17 years
• The group officially disbanded in 2011

R.E.M. were among the stars inducted into the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 13, and marked the occasion by performing for the first time together in 17 years.

The Grammy-winning band — made up of lead vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry — reunited for the 53rd annual Induction and Awards Dinner, which took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

PEOPLE was on hand for the ceremony. The band were recognized this year alongside Hillary Lindsey, Dean Pitchford and Timothy Mosley (a.k.a. Timbaland), as well as Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan.

The evening also saw Diane Warren received the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, and SZA accept the Hal David Starlight Award.

Formed as a college band in 1980 at the University of Georgia in Athens, R.E.M. helped take indie rock to the mainstream over the course of 15 studio albums with hits like "Losing My Religion," "Shiny Happy People," "Man on the Moon," "It's The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," and "Everybody Hurts."

Berry left the band in 1997, two years after suffering a double brain aneurysm on stage in Switzerland. The group eventually disbanded in 2011.

Hours before the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, during a conversation that aired on CBS Mornings, Mills, 65, insisted it would take "a comet" to get R.E.M. to perform together again. "It would never be as good," Buck, 67, said.

But without any reported disturbances in the sky, there R.E.M. were on stage again, coming back together to play an acoustic version of "Losing My Religion."

That song, released in 1991, became a breakout hit for the group, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard charts (their highest-charting hit in the United States) and winning two Grammy Awards.

"I loved the song, but we never thought it was gonna be a hit," Stipe, 64, said on CBS Mornings.

"It should not – it’s like a bumblebee. They, they shouldn't be able to fly. That song shouldn't have been a hit," Mills noted, Mason adding, "But, boy, did it fly."

R.E.M. had not performed since 2007, when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

At the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, another R.E.M. hit was featured: 1987's “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," which was performed by Grammy winner Jason Isbell.

"I’ve never said that many words that quickly in my whole life," he joked afterwards, as he introduced the band for their honor.

Ahead of the ceremony, Isbell told PEOPLE his fandom goes "All the way back."

"I mean, as early as I was probably 6 or 7 years old and moreso in the early '90s when they had a lot of radio success for the first time. It was a really huge thing for me because a lot of what was on the radio — especially southern music then — didn't really hit me in the way that R.E.M. did," he explained.

"So when I heard that, I was like, 'Oh, here's somebody who reminds me of me.' And it was huge. Then when I got to be a professional musician, I spent a lot of time in Athens, Georgia and got to be friends with Mike Mills and spent some time around their crew and some of the people that worked for the band. It's been a very rewarding relationship and now it's a really big honor."

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Speaking about the induction, Stipe put special emphasis on the lasting relationship he and his bandmates have managed to have over the course of four decades.

“Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of that is out there for the whole world for the rest of time is hands down the most important aspect of what we did as a band,” Stipe said. “Second to that is that we managed to do so for all these decades and remain friends — and not just friends but dear friends, friends for life.” 

"What a ride it has been," he added. "It truly means the world to us that you recognize us tonight. And for that, we thank you for this incredible honor."