| Everybody Hurts |
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| 1993 singles | |
| r.e.m. songs | |
| songs about suicide | |
| 1992 songs | |
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M. that 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 . It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the UK Singles Charts . It is one of the few songs for which R.E.M. allowed lyrics to be published ("World Leader Pretend" had its lyrics published in '' Green ''). Lead singer Michael Stipe is quoted as saying that, "People should make up their own minds about what songs mean," but the band agreed that the potential for "Everybody Hurts" to help potential suicide victims was important enough to allow publication of lyrics. 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 bassist John Paul Jones . 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. It was however discovered that at the time of his death he was listening to ''Automatic for the People'', and many speculate that this was the song he was listening to at the moment of his death. In the Video for the song, directed by Jake Scott , the band is 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. In 1995 , suicide prevention charity 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 Covered in 2005 by Paul Anka on the album '' Rock Swings '', in 1999 by ' The Corrs ' on the album '' The Corrs Unplugged '' and in 2003 by Alex Parks on her debut album Introduction . The song was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Brothers "best of" album '' In Time - The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003 '' in 2003 . It was one of four songs from ''Automatic for the People'' to make the compilation, more than from any other album. In the liner notes, 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. It's hard for everyone." In a 2006 poll for a Channel 4 program "Britain's Favourite Break-up Songs", Everybody Hurts was voted 4th. SINGLE COVERS |
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