"Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock bandR.E.M. from their eighth studio album,Automatic for the People (1992), and released as a single in April 1993 byWarner Bros. Records. It peaked at number 29 on the USBillboard Hot 100, but fared much better on the USCash Box Top 100, where it peaked at number 18. The song also reached the top 10 on the charts of Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed byJake Scott and filmed inSan Antonio, Texas. In 2003,Q ranked "Everybody Hurts" at number 31 on their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever",[5] and in 2005,Blender ranked the song at number 238 on their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[6]
Much of the song was written by drummerBill Berry, although as R.E.M. share songwriting credits among its members, it is unknown how much he actually wrote.[7] Berry's drums are largely absent from the song—aUnivoxdrum machine took his place—but he was responsible for the sampling of the drum pattern on the track. The string arrangement was written by formerLed Zeppelin bassistJohn Paul Jones.
GuitaristPeter Buck commented on the making of the track, saying:
"Everybody Hurts" is similar to "Man on the Moon". Bill brought it in, and it was a one-minute longcountry-and-western song. It didn't have achorus or abridge. It had theverse... it kind of went around and around, and he was strumming it. We went through about four different ideas and how to approach it and eventually came to thatStax,Otis Redding, "Pain in My Heart" kind of vibe. I'm not sure if Michael would have copped that reference, but to a lot of our fans it was a Staxxy-type thing. It took us forever to figure out the arrangement and who was going to play what, and then Bill ended up not playing on the original track. It was me and Mike and a drum machine. And then we all overdubbed.[8]
In the liner notes of the albumIn Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003, Buck wrote that "the reason the lyrics are so atypically straightforward is because it was aimed at teenagers", and "I've never watchedBuffy the Vampire Slayer, but the idea that high school is a portal to hell seems pretty realistic to me."
In 2005, Buck told the BBC: "If you're consciously writing for someone who hasn't been to college, or is pretty young, it might be nice to be very direct. In that regard, it's tended to work for people of a lot of ages."[9] In 2022, Stipe toldRick Rubin that "Everybody Hurts" was inspired byNazareth's cover of "Love Hurts".[10]
Michael Stipe had originally intended forPatti Smith to be a second vocal on the track, but it did not work out.[11] Smith later included her own cover of the song as a bonus track on the 2007 albumTwelve.
"The record's biggest surprise, however, is its one surefirepop hit, "Everybody Hurts", an almost unbearably passionate argument against suicide. It sounds like a gigantic arena transfiguration of a '50srock ballad, with Stipe's voice pleading over triplets and massed strings, and surely will be played on radio for generations to come, right next to unforgettable anthems like "Bridge Over Troubled Water"."
The song received favorable reviews from most music critics.AllMusic editorStephen Thomas Erlewine found that it has "a comforting melancholy".[13] David Bauder fromThe Associated Press said that it keeps "the pace slow and the mood melancholy."[14]Larry Flick fromBillboard called it a "spare, honest, and emotional track", adding "when the strings kick in, there's no denying this song's power."[15] Bevan Hannah fromThe Canberra Times noted "the smoothly caressing guitar".[16] AnotherThe Canberra Times editor, Larry McShane, described it as "haunting".[17] Randy Clark fromCash Box named it the "strongest" cut of the album.[18] Another editor of the magazine, Troy J. Augusto, felt it "might be a hard sell at radio, given the somber mood and suicide related theme". He complimented the singer's "silky vocals and the song's lush string section [that] provide this track's main appeal."[19] Justin Wilson fromThe Cavalier Daily also named it "the best song on the album, one ofR.E.M.'s best songs ever". He declared it as "emotionally moving"[20] and "deeply affecting".[21]Greg Kot fromChicago Tribune stated that it is "aballad that would border on the maudlin ifStipe didn't sing it with such conviction".[22] Ron Fell from theGavin Report felt that Stipe's "powerful and emotional life-affirming message comes across very clear." He named it "a favorite track" from the album.[23] A reviewer fromThe Gazette commented thatAutomatic for the People ponders frustrations of life in the "Bee Geeish" 'Everybody Hurts'".[24]
In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote that it is "the most beautiful and moving track on the album" and "just a reflection of how the band can do no wrong at present."[25] Chris Roberts fromMelody Maker named it Single of the Week, adding that "this is clearly a "Let It Be"/"Candle in the Wind" of its (white rock) generation, [and] it avoids being fatally overblown by virtue of Stipes's meticulously understated vocal."[26] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media described it as an "ultra melancholic ballad", noting that with string arrangements by exLed Zeppelin bass playerJohn Paul Jones, it is "the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" for the '90s with Michael Stipe asSimon & Garfunkel rolled into one."[27] Alan Jones fromMusic Week named it Pick of the Week, declaring it as "a torchy ballad, with Stipe's fragile and waivering [sic.] vocal offset at times by discreet strings." He also complimented it as "radio-friendly".[28] Gina Morris fromNME called it "another larger than life, atmospheric pop song" along the lines of "Drive".[29] Parry Gettelman fromOrlando Sentinel viewed it as "boring" and "repetitive".[30]People Magazine's reviewer found that here, the vocalist "succeeds at talking a friend out of suicide".[31]Scripps Howard News Service wrote that the singer "has never sung better" and noted that "the unabashedly emotional" track "gives him plenty of range to display those pipes."[32]David Cavanagh fromSelect said that it is "virtually beyond words." He added, "It will have non-REM maniacs in hysterics with its delicateSpector structure and childlike message ("everybody hurts, everybody cries...when you think you've had too much of this life, hang on..."). It will make everyone else cry. It really is that straightforward."[33]Tim Southwell fromSmash Hits gave the song five out of five, viewing it as "a beautiful, touching and absorbing ballad", and "bloody beautiful."[34]
In the accompanying music video for "Everybody Hurts", directed by British film directorJake Scott and filmed along the double deck portions ofI-10 near the I-35 Interchange in downtownSan Antonio, Texas, in February 1993, the band is stuck in a traffic jam. It shows the people in other cars and subtitles of their thoughts appear on screen. A man standing on an overpass drops pages from a book he is reading onto the cars below, while the subtitles read "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" and "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy", quotes from the biblical Book of Psalms 61 and 126 respectively. At the end, all the people leave their cars and walk instead; then they vanish, followed by scenes of a newscast reporting on the unusual event. Although Michael Stipe is featured prominently in the video, he remains silent until the final "Hold On, Hold On" part of the song. The video was heavily inspired by the traffic jam in the opening dream sequence ofFellini's8½. "Everybody Hurts" was later made available in HD on the band's officialYouTube channel in 2009, and had generated more than 153 million views as of early 2024 on the platform.[35]
In 1995, British emotional support listening serviceThe 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.[36]
The song was placed on R.E.M.'sWarner Bros. "best of" albumIn Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003. It was one of four songs fromAutomatic for the People to make the compilation, more than from any other album. The song is included onR.E.M. Live.
U.S. PresidentDonald Trump used the song in aTwitter video showing several Democratic politicians with sad-looking reactions towards his2019 State of the Union Address. The former members of the band responded to this on their Twitter page, saying: "World Leader PRETEND!!! Congress, Media--ghost this faker!!! Love, R.E.M." Eventually, Twitter removed the video following a copyright complaint fromConcord Music, the band's record label. Trump later re-uploaded the video, usingLee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." instead. Both versions of the video were created by a self-proclaimed Trump supporter named @CarpeDonktum.[37][38]
In an attempt to raise money for victims of the2010 Haiti earthquake, British Prime MinisterGordon Brown askedSimon Cowell to arrange acharity single.[85] Cowell chose "Everybody Hurts". Brown agreed to waiveVAT on the single, and R.E.M. agreed to waive all royalties.[86] The release would be under the name Helping Haiti.
Reportedly, the single's sales in the UK were approximately 205,000 copies in its first two days[88] and 453,000 in its first week, making it the fastest-selling charity record of the 21st century in Britain.[89]
This cover is also noteworthy for featuringRobbie Williams' first collaboration withTake That since Williams parted ways with the group in 1995, although neither act was present for each other's recording session.
Following its February 7, 2010, release in the UK and Ireland, Helping Haiti's song entered theIrish Singles Chart on February 12 at No. 1. It entered theUK Singles Chart on February 14 at No. 1, spending two weeks at the top spot before dropping to No. 9. The single debuted on theAustralian Singles Chart on February 23 at No. 28.
A five-minute promotional short documentary was broadcast onITV at 20.30 on February 7, 2010. The documentary includes "behind the scenes" footage of the featured performers (except for Carey, Cyrus, Bon Jovi, and Minogue) recording their vocals intercut with real-world images and footage from the earthquake aftermath,[91] opening with a statement of what happened on January 12, 2010, and continuing with footage showing the devastation in the country and the suffering of the Haitians.[92] The official music video, directed byJoseph Kahn, premiered on March 6, 2010. Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Bublé are the only featured artists not to appear in this video.
^Everybody Hurts (US CD single disc notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 2-18638.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40989-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US maxi-CD single disc notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40989-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US cassette single sleeve). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40989-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40992-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US maxi-CD single disc notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40992-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (US cassette single sleeve). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9 40992-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (UK 7-inch single sleeve). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. W0169, 5439-18513-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (UK cassette single sleeve). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. W0169C, 5439-18513-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (UK CD1 disc notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. W0169CD1, 9362-40860-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (UK CD2 disc notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. W0169CD2, 9362-40862-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Everybody Hurts (European & Australasian CD single liner notes). R.E.M. Warner Bros. Records. 1993. 9362-40867-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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