"Everybody Hurts"
Single by R.E.M.
From the album Automatic for the People
Single Released	1993
Single Format	CDs
Recorded	1992
Genre	Alternative Rock
Song Length	5:20
Record label	Warner Brothers
Producer	Scott Litt
Chart positions	7 (UK) 29 (US)
R.E.M. single chronology
"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite " 1993	"Everybody Hurts" 1993	"Nightswimming" 1993

"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M. about committing suicide. The song attempts to empathise with people who are thinking of committing suicide and to comfort them. It was originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993.

Most of the song is written by drummer Bill Berry (who later quit the band in 1997). Berry's part in this song did not go beyond writing it, as a Univox drum machine took care of the drumming. The string arrangement was written by Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page.

Contrary to popular belief, this song is not about the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, as he died in 1994, two years after the release of this song. He did not co-write it either.

In the video for the song, directed by Jake Scott , the band are stuck in a traffic jam. We see 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.

See also

• List of songs about suicide

External links

• Video clip at remhq.com