"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by R.E.M.. It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain. The band used "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as the B-side to this song.
The song was released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was later released as a single in 1993, reaching 17 in the UK singles chart.
The phrase "Call me when you try to wake her up" is employed 32 times in the song.
The song was included on R.E.M.'s Warner Brothers "best of" album In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 in 2003, although Peter Buck's personal sleevenotes on the song were not complimentary. It was one of four songs from Automatic for the People to make the compilation, more than from any other album.
The song's complete title is not featured in the lyrics, but there is a line that goes "the sidewinder sleeps in a coil" as well as the later line "the sidewinder sleeps on its back"
