Synopsis

R.E.M. sit in a seemingly endless traffic jam on a multilane highway, surrounded by strangers trapped in the same state of frustration and isolation. The camera moves from car to car, revealing the passengers' private thoughts through subtitles as they stare ahead, argue, daydream, or quietly struggle. A man on an overpass drops pages from a book onto the vehicles below, adding biblical imagery to the song's message. Eventually, the drivers abandon their cars and walk away together, transforming individual despair into a shared release.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in February 1993 on the double-deck sections of Interstate 10 near the Interstate 35 interchange in downtown San Antonio, Texas.

• The subtitles give the audience access to the thoughts of people who otherwise appear anonymous and emotionally disconnected. This device turns an ordinary traffic jam into a portrait of hidden personal crises.

• Pages dropped from the overpass include passages associated with Psalms 61 and 126, reinforcing the song's themes of endurance, consolation, and hope.

• The video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in 1994.

• It won Best Clip of the Year in the Pop/AC category at the 1994 Billboard Music Video Awards.

• In 1995, the British listening-support organization Samaritans used the song's lyrics in a press campaign aimed at young men, printing them alongside the charity's crisis hotline number.

• The song came from R.E.M.'s 1992 album "Automatic for the People," and the video helped establish "Everybody Hurts" as one of the band's most recognizable and enduring songs.