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Elk City - "Everybody Hurts"


Elk City On "Everybody Hurts"
"Everybody Hurts" took courage. In 1992, when all the world had gone grunge and lo-fi, R.E.M. made one of their quietest and most-produced records. It seemed brave to me at the time and still does today. It takes maturity as an artist to risk being cliché, and the track is simply breathtaking. So straightforward, and so true. It was a challenge to re-interpret "Everybody Hurts". I hope we've done it justice.
- Ray Ketchem

From a recovered R.E.M. purist, who, for a long time considered Green to be the Last Great R.E.M. album, Automatic For The People is a triumph: "Everybody Hurts" AND "Nightswimming" AND "Man on the Moon" AND "Try Not To Breathe" AND "Drive" AND "Find The River" AND "Sweetness Follows" AND "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" on one album? They utterly outdid themselves at a time in their career when they had nothing to prove. Ollie, Ollie, Ollie, this is more than genius. This is work of committed genius.
- Renée LoBue

Elk City

Mike Mills On "Everybody Hurts"
"A fairly simple song musically, with a nice electric piano signature on it that's really good, and of course Jonesy did fantastic strings. If anyone is kinda 'uhhh' about it, they've probably heard it too much, that's what happens when you have songs that become big hits. When you have a song like that or 'Losing My Religion' they tend to pass on from belonging to us to belonging to the world at large."


"Everybody Hurts" lyrics
When the day is long and the
night, the night is yours alone,
when you're sure you've had
enough of this life, well hang on.
Don't let yourself go,
'cause everybody cries
and everybody hurts
sometimes.

Sometimes everything is wrong.
Now it's time to sing along--
When your day is night alone,
if you feel like letting go,
when you think you've had too
much of this life, well hang on.

Everybody hurts. Take comfort
in your friends.
Everybody hurts.

Don't throw your hand. Oh, no.
Don't throw your hand.
If you feel like you're alone,
no, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life,
the days and nights are long,
when you think you've had too
much of this life to hang on.

Well, everybody hurts--
sometimes--
everybody cries.
everybody hurts----- sometimes.
everybody hurts, sometimes.

So, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on.

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7 Comments

This is the version of this song I've always wanted to hear. It really is transporting- in terms of mood and meaning the only immediate analogue I can conjure is Dusty Springfield covering Carole King's "There Is No Easy Way Down". Definitive interpretations of near perfect songs.

Posted by: Timothy Bracy at 10/15/07 11:10 AM | Reply
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Beautiful job on this cover. I like the mood of this version, somehow a bit darker than the original but equally as uplifting.

Posted by: louise at 10/15/07 4:08 PM | Reply
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Great arrangement and amazing production, absolutely the best of the bunch.

Posted by: Federico at 10/19/07 8:10 PM | Reply
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ooh, i like i like! the original is hard to live up to but this makes for a great cover.

Posted by: mkw at 10/22/07 2:55 PM | Reply
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This is amazing. I love ELK CITY!!

Posted by: Lazy Brow at 10/22/07 3:58 PM | Reply
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Absolutely gorgeous.

Posted by: kc at 10/25/07 8:10 PM | Reply
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I absolutely love this version...maybe even more than the original. Very well done Elk City!!

Posted by: Melanie at 02/28/08 7:50 PM | Reply
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