1,450,291 plays (308,762 listeners)
“Everybody Hurts” is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band’s 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Charts and #3 on the French Singles Chart.
Much of the song was written by drummer Bill Berry, although as R.E.M. shares songwriting credits among its members, it is unknown how much he actually wrote. Berry did not drum on the song — a Univox drum machine took his place — but he was responsible for the sampling of the drum pattern on the track. The string arrangement was written by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
In the liner notes of the album In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, Peter Buck writes that “the reason the lyrics are so atypically straightforward is because it was aimed at teenagers”, and “I’ve never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the idea that high school is a portal to hell seems pretty realistic to me.” Incidentally, the song was used in the 1992 film of the same name that preceded the show.
In the video for the song, directed by Jake Scott and filmed along I-10 in San Antonio, Texas, the band is stuck in a traffic jam. It shows the people in other cars and subtitles of their thoughts appear on screen. At the end, all the people leave their cars and walk instead; they then vanish.
In 1995, British emotional support listening service The Samaritans, in response to the high suicide rate but low crisis service take-up amongst young men, launched a UK press advertising campaign consisting solely of the lyrics to “Everybody Hurts” and the charity’s hotline number.
Much of the song was written by drummer Bill Berry, although as R.E.M. shares songwriting credits among its members, it is unknown how much he actually wrote. Berry did not drum on the song — a Univox drum machine took his place — but he was responsible for the sampling of the drum pattern on the track. The string arrangement was written by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
In the liner notes of the album In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, Peter Buck writes that “the reason the lyrics are so atypically straightforward is because it was aimed at teenagers”, and “I’ve never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the idea that high school is a portal to hell seems pretty realistic to me.” Incidentally, the song was used in the 1992 film of the same name that preceded the show.
In the video for the song, directed by Jake Scott and filmed along I-10 in San Antonio, Texas, the band is stuck in a traffic jam. It shows the people in other cars and subtitles of their thoughts appear on screen. At the end, all the people leave their cars and walk instead; they then vanish.
In 1995, British emotional support listening service The Samaritans, in response to the high suicide rate but low crisis service take-up amongst young men, launched a UK press advertising campaign consisting solely of the lyrics to “Everybody Hurts” and the charity’s hotline number.
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Albums featuring this track
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Automatic for the People
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In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
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Star Profile
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MTV History 2000
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Shouts
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rayden1974 wrote:
this band is fuckin ace gig up from rayden
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HOWLIN_WOLF_ wrote:
this is nor the time or the place for this song...........i wont last the day if i carry on listening. ohhh gaaaad
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fmaratz wrote:
I bought my first R.E.M. album in 1989 I think, and I do like them a lot (especially up to "Out of Time"), but I must say that I really can't stand this song. It's just too much. Too sappy, too long, I don't even like the mix. Sorry, but I think they recorded TONS of better slow songs :)
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RigglysFriend wrote:
This song is BEAUTIFUL
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DirtyGod wrote:
They should give a razor blade away with every copy of this song .
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XtremeDethBear wrote:
wait...what...Muse's Soldier Poem. I like both songs though :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOLJwDlCbg
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LFireproof wrote:
I love this song so very much. One of those that you play over and over until it wears. The comments above are some of the funniest, I have read. Hahaha!
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johnthedog wrote:
I don't hate this song. Just kinda wish REM hadn't written it, because it's obscured what a friggin' great rock band they were (sometimes still are). I like Michael better when you can't understand what the hell he's talking about.
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rialle wrote:
beautiful, but still unbelievably depressing.
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clokc wrote:
this is a song to swill jin and sing like a wine-o
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IonTichy88 wrote:
i cry...
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HOWLIN_WOLF_ wrote:
not good to listen to at work like now............. ill be found swinging gently from a noose in the mens by 1pm
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thebearfamily wrote:
Beautiful, classic and still makes me think of things when i hear it.
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zaphod_bb wrote:
aw man, this is not helping me feel any less bummed out, R.E.M. :(
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gladsad89 wrote:
This shall be a source of comfort and nostalgia until the end of time. <3 :)
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Luard wrote:
No, no, no, you are not alone.
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sirenonthe101 wrote:
a classic
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tomhawk13 wrote:
Life is like that sometimes...Everybody hurts...
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sionborg wrote:
I'm sorry girls who are my friends but i think this song is depressing myself, i mean we know everybody hurts you don't have to make a song about it and make it sound soooo depressing.... :-((
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davidbowiegirl wrote:
Great song! <3
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