Everybody Hurts - R.E.M. - MP3 instrumental karaoke

R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts,” written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe and produced with Scott Litt, came out in April 1993 as a single from Automatic for the People (released October 1992). Built on a programmed drum machine by Berry with orchestral scoring from John Paul Jones, the song is musically restrained, giving space for Michael Stipe’s vulnerable vocal. Lyrically, “Everybody Hurts” is an unambiguous message against despair, urging listeners to hold on when life feels unbearable. It was especially intended to reach young people struggling with isolation, cutting through R.E.M.’s usual poetic style with direct, plainspoken lines. The single hit number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed into the global Top 10, reaching number 3 in France and number 7 in the UK. Combined with Jake Scott’s poignant video, the track remains a rare moment where alternative rock delivered a universal message of empathy.