The song also reached the top 10 on the charts of Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

1988–2003, Buck wrote that "the reason the lyrics are so atypically straightforward is because it was aimed at teenagers", and "I've never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the idea that high school is a portal to hell seems pretty realistic to me."

"The record's biggest surprise, however, is its one surefire pop hit, "Everybody Hurts", an almost unbearably passionate argument against suicide.

It sounds like a gigantic arena transfiguration of a '50s rock ballad, with Stipe's voice pleading over triplets and massed strings, and surely will be played on radio for generations to come, right next to unforgettable anthems like "Bridge Over Troubled Water"."

"[14] Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "spare, honest, and emotional track", adding "when the strings kick in, there's no denying this song's power.

[18] Another editor of the magazine, Troy J. Augusto, felt it "might be a hard sell at radio, given the somber mood and suicide related theme".

He complimented the singer's "silky vocals and the song's lush string section [that] provide this track's main appeal.

[21] Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune stated that it is "a ballad that would border on the maudlin if Stipe didn't sing it with such conviction".

[23] A reviewer from The Gazette commented that Automatic for the People ponders frustrations of life in the "Bee Geeish" 'Everybody Hurts'".

[24] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote that it is "the most beautiful and moving track on the album" and "just a reflection of how the band can do no wrong at present.

"[25] Chris Roberts from Melody Maker named it Single of the Week, adding that "this is clearly a "Let It Be"/"Candle in the Wind" of its (white rock) generation, [and] it avoids being fatally overblown by virtue of Stipes's meticulously understated vocal.

"[26] Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as an "ultra melancholic ballad", noting that with string arrangements by ex Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones, it is "the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" for the '90s with Michael Stipe as Simon & Garfunkel rolled into one.

[28] Gina Morris from NME called it "another larger than life, atmospheric pop song" along the lines of "Drive".

[31] Scripps Howard News Service wrote that the singer "has never sung better" and noted that "the unabashedly emotional" track "gives him plenty of range to display those pipes.

He added, "It will have non-REM maniacs in hysterics with its delicate Spector structure and childlike message ("everybody hurts, everybody cries...when you think you've had too much of this life, hang on...").

"Everybody Hurts" was later made available in HD on the band's official YouTube channel in 2009, and had generated more than 153 million views as of early 2024 on the platform.

[35] In 1995, British emotional support listening service The Samaritans, in response to the high suicide rate but low crisis service take-up amongst young men, launched a UK press advertising campaign consisting solely of the lyrics to "Everybody Hurts" and the charity's hotline number.

U.S. President Donald Trump used the song in a Twitter video showing several Democratic politicians with sad-looking reactions towards his 2019 State of the Union Address.

"Belong" and "Losing My Religion" were recorded live at the Capital Plaza Theater in Charleston, West Virginia, on April 28, 1992.

In an attempt to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked Simon Cowell to arrange a charity single.

[citation needed] Reportedly, the single's sales in the UK were approximately 205,000 copies in its first two days[88] and 453,000 in its first week, making it the fastest-selling charity record of the 21st century in Britain.