Synopsis

R.E.M. perform "E-Bow the Letter" in a dim practice-room setting, surrounded by points of light and shifting shadows. The performance footage is intercut with restless images of Los Angeles, New York, and Prague, creating a fragmented travelogue of streets, buildings, faces, and nighttime spaces. Patti Smith appears in the Prague material, while Michael Stipe and the band remain part of the video's intimate, unsettled atmosphere. The result is less a conventional narrative than a visual reflection on distance, memory, grief, and communication.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was shot in Los Angeles, New York, and Prague. The footage deliberately blurs the distinctions between those cities rather than treating them as separate locations.

• The production combines 16mm film and video. Its loose, observational texture reflects the filmmakers' aim to make the piece feel less like a standard commercial promo.

• The band were encouraged to keep their instruments plugged in and to play, read, and spend time together as though they were in an ordinary practice room. The performance is therefore staged, but retains an intentionally informal quality.

• Peter Buck is shown using an EBow, the electromagnetic device that produces the sustained, violin-like guitar tone heard on the recording. The instrument also provides the first half of the song's title.

• Patti Smith appears in the Prague footage and contributes vocals to the song. Her presence connects the video to one of R.E.M.'s most important artistic influences.

• The song was dedicated to the memory of River Phoenix, Michael Stipe's friend, who died in 1993. That background gives the video's images of movement, separation, and nocturnal isolation an added sense of mourning.

• The video was later associated with R.E.M.'s broader video catalog and home-video presentation as part of the band's visual work from the 1990s.