Listen to this when
Everybody Hurts
Everybody hurts. Not just you. 🫂 You're not the only one carrying it.
Who it's for
The song's core move is normalization: telling someone in pain that everyone struggles, which directly counters the isolating belief that you're uniquely broken.
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Everybody Hurts" is a ballad by R.E.M. from their 1992 album Automatic for the People, released as a single in April 1993. It is credited to all four band members, grew from a rough idea brought in by drummer Bill Berry, and was produced by Scott Litt and R.E.M. Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones wrote the string arrangement.
Where to find it
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music (widely available). Official music video (dir. Jake Scott, set in a traffic jam) on R.E.M.'s YouTube channel.
Before you start
Heads up: Implicit references to suicidal feelings.
Age: Ages 12+
I felt a funeral in my brain, And mourners, to and fro, Kept treading, treading, till it seemed That sense was breaking through.Emily Dickinson, Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series
