I bought this single a few days ago and its made a very nice addition to my collection. I have all the REM albums besides Dead Letter Office and just recently I've been getting into the singles, they're cheap, usually around 3 or 4 tracks, about 18 minutes long (perfect for short car rides)and they contain b-sides and live tracks and demos. Its nice to hear Star Me Kitten as a demo and compare it to the version that appeared on Automatic. Currently, I have two live recordings of Losing My Religion (one off of this single and the other off of the Bang and Blame single) both are very different and interesting. Now to the subject at hand. When I first heard Everybody Hurts, I didn't like it, seeing it as a very morbid song that served to do nothing but depress me. The song remained largely unlistened to, stuck inside the yellow CD of Automatic. Then just recently, I broke up with my girlfriend and I figured, what the heck, why not give it a listen, I can't get more depressed. I listened to it and the words actually uplifted me instead of making me horribly depressed. I totally think that this is one of the most uplifting songs I have ever heard. When I saw the single, I had to buy it. And I did. and I love it. And I think its worth buying. Not only for the shear value of Everybody Hurts, but for the demo of Star Me Kitten, which is an interesting (although hard to understand) early recording of the song. There's also a track not released anywhere else called Organ Song, which is weird to say the least. They also opted to put a Losing My Religion (live) track on this, I see it as more of a minimalist effort than anything else. Its REM so its still good. Buy this, its worth ten times the pittance it costs.

R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" single ranks among the band's more esoteric releases. Except for the the title track, taken directly from the album AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, the single's songs are a bit more experimental than on most R.E.M. singles.

"Everybody Hurts" is a beautiful track, but should be taken in moderation lest its compassionate lyrics start to seem too sugary. In writing this song, it's almost as if they have created a balm for any depressing moment in life.

"Star Me Kitten (demo)" is a rather rough but still interesting version of one the most unusual songs on AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE. For those who enjoyed the album version, this demo gives a perfect view of the song's genesis.

"Losing My Religion (live)" is a minimalistic rendition of the song recorded on an NPR performance. In this arrangement, Michael Stipe's voice carries most of the song while the instruments (here including keyboards) are unobstrusively in the background. As a result, it's a very intimate performance, though perhaps the original studio version is richer.

Finally there's "Organ Song." There's not much to say about it, as it's the usual R.E.M instrumental b-side. Like "Emphysema" on the "Daysleeper" and "2JN" on "Imitation of Life," it's essentially filler material, but an odd one.

Although the four tracks on the "Everybody Hurts" single are solid, this is not one of R.E.M.'s essential singles.