Everybody Hurts

"Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album "Automatic for the People" and also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at number29 on the US "Billboard" Hot100 and reached the top10 on the charts of Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 2003, "Q" magazine ranked "Everybody Hurts" at number 31 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". And in 2005, "Blender" ranked the song at number 238 in their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".
History.
Much of the song was written by drummer Bill Berry, although as R.E.M. share songwriting credits among its members, it is unknown how much he actually wrote. Berry's drums are largely absent from 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.
Guitarist Peter Buck commented on the making of the track, saying:
In the liner notes of the album "", 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 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."
Michael Stipe had originally intended for Patti Smith to be a second vocal on the track, but it did not work out.
Critical reception.
The song received favorable reviews from most music critics. AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that it has "a comforting melancholy". David Bauder from "The Associated Press" said that it keeps "the pace slow and the mood melancholy." Larry Flick from "Billboard" called it a "spare, honest, and emotional track", adding "when the strings kick in, there's no denying this song's power." Bevan Hannah from "The Canberra Times" noted "the smoothly caressing guitar". Another editor, Larry McShane described it as "haunting". Randy Clark from "Cashbox" said it is the "strongest" cut of the album. Another editor, Troy J. Augusto felt that 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." Also Justin Wilson from "The Cavalier Daily" said it is "the best song on the album, one of R.E.M.'s best songs ever". He noted it as "emotionally moving" and "deeply affecting". Greg Kot from "Chicago Tribune" stated that it is "a ballad that would border on the maudlin if Stipe didn't sing it with such conviction". Greg Sandow from "Entertainment Weekly" wrote, 
Ron Fell from "Gavin Report" said that Stipe's "powerful and emotional life-affirming message comes across very clear." He added it as "a favorite track" from the album. "The Gazette" commented that "Automatic for the People" ponders frustrations of life in the "Bee Geeish" "Everybody Hurts"". "Music & Media" described it as a "ultra melancholic ballad", noting that with string arrangements by ex Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones, it is "the Bridge Over Troubled Water for the '90s with Michael Stipe as Simon & Garfunkel rolled into one." Alan Jones from "Music Week" deemed it "a torchy ballad, with Stipe's fragile and waivering vocal offset at times by discreet strings." He also added it as "radio-friendly". "People Magazine" stated that here, the vocalist "succeeds at talking a friend out of suicide". "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." David Cavanagh from "Select" said that it is "virtually beyond words." He added, "It will have non-REM maniacs in hysterics with its delicate Spector 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."
Music video.
In the video for the song, directed by Jake Scott and filmed along the double deck portions of I-10 near the I-35 Interchange in downtown San 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 of Fellini's "8½".
Usage in media.
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.
The song was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. "best of" album "" in 2003. It was one of four songs from "Automatic for the People" to make the compilation, more than from any other album. The song is included on "R.E.M. Live".
U.S. President Donald Trump used the song in a Twitter video showing several Democratic politicians with sad-looking reactions towards his 2019 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 from Concord Music, the band's record label. Trump later re-uploaded the video, using Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." instead. Both versions of the video were created by a self-proclaimed Trump supporter named @CarpeDonktum.
The song closes the fifth and final episode of the Channel 4 series "It's a Sin".
Track listing.
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe unless otherwise indicated.
US 7" and CD single
"Collectors' Edition" CD 1 (UK)
"Collectors' Edition" CD 2 (UK)
German CD single
US 12" and CD maxi-single 1
US 12" and CD maxi-single 2
UK cassette single
UK and DE 7" single
Helping Haiti charity single.
In an attempt to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked Simon Cowell to arrange a charity single. Cowell chose "Everybody Hurts", Brown agreed to waive VAT on the single and R.E.M. agreed to waive all royalties. The release was under the name Helping Haiti.
Proceeds from the single were split between "The Sun" Helping Haiti fund and the Disasters Emergency Committee. The single was released both physically and digitally on February 7, 2010.
It has been reported as having sold approximately 205,000 copies in its first two days in the United Kingdom, and 453,000 in its first week, making it the fastest-selling charity record of the 21st century in Britain.
This cover is also noteworthy for featuring Robbie Williams's first collaboration with Take That since Williams parted ways with the group in 1995, although neither act was present for each other's recording session.
This also marks Jon Bon Jovi's first number-one appearance on the UK Singles Chart.
Artists.
The song is performed by the following artists (in order of appearance):
Chart performance for Helping Haiti version.
Following its release in the UK and Ireland on February 7, 2010, Helping Haiti's song entered the Irish Singles Chart on 12 February at number one. On 14 February it entered the UK Singles Chart at number one and spent two weeks at the top spot before dropping to number nine. On February 23, 2010, the single debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number 28.
Music video for Helping Haiti version.
A five-minute promotional short documentary was broadcast on ITV at 20.30 on February 7. The documentary includes footage of the performers recording their vocals (except for Carey, Cyrus, Bon Jovi and Minogue) and images and footage from the aftermath of the earthquake. It opens with a statement of what had happened on January 12 and moves on with footage showing the devastation in the country and the suffering of the Haitians. The official music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and premiered on March 6, 2010. Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Bublé are the only artists not to appear in this video.