REM – Day Sleeper

Long before any of us had heard of circadian misalignment, Michael Stipe was singing about it. Released in 1998 on REM's album Up, Day Sleeper is a gentle, melancholic ode to the night-shift worker, drifting through daylight while the rest of the world goes about its business, curtains drawn, socially invisible, vaguely resentful of birds. It's not a protest song. It's more of a sigh set to music.

Stipe has said the song was inspired by people he knew who worked nights and quietly inhabited a parallel version of daily life. Sound like anyone in aviation you might know?

It won't solve your crew scheduling challenges. It won't fix your SPIs. But if you've ever had to explain to a family member why you're going to bed at 9am, this song gets it.

Crank it at an appropriate volume for the time of day - which, depending on your roster, could be literally any hour.

🎵 Listen on Spotify