Album · R.E.M.
Automatic for the People by R.E.M.
Automatic for the People is an album by R.E.M., released in 1992. 10 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 289 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Everybody Hurts”, on 75 lists and voted number one once.
Automatic for the People, R.E.M.'s eighth album, came out on Warner Bros. in October 1992, and it's the sound of the band turning inward just as the whole world was paying attention. They started work on it while Out of Time was still climbing the charts, producing with Scott Litt, and instead of chasing that success they made something hushed, autumnal, darker and sadder, with strings arranged by John Paul Jones and conducted by George Hanson sweeping through several of the songs.
"Drive" rolls in on a low, menacing murmur, "Try Not to Breathe" sways gently, "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a goofy, lovable breather, and "Everybody Hurts" is a slow, open-armed ballad of plain-spoken comfort. "Man on the Moon" skips along with its tongue in its cheek, "Ignoreland" is the one angry rocker, and "Nightswimming" may be the loveliest thing they ever recorded. "Sweetness Follows", "Monty Got a Raw Deal" and "Find the River" keep the twilight glow going.
It yielded six singles, reached number two on the Billboard 200, drew a wave of rave reviews and has gone on to move upward of 18 million copies around the globe. In 2020 it placed at number 96 on one of the major all-time album rankings.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Automatic for the People on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everybody Hurts#465 of all time | 75 | #1 | 1 | 1992–2026 | |
| 2 | Man on the Moon | 73 | #24 | – | 1992–2026 | |
| 3 | Nightswimming | 38 | #17 | – | 1999–2026 | |
| 4 | Drive | 50 | #3 | – | 1992–2024 | |
| 5 | Sweetness Follows | 9 | #60 | – | 1999–2026 | |
| 6 | The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite | 18 | #88 | – | 1993–2021 | |
| 7 | Ignoreland | 10 | #550 | – | 1999–2021 | |
| 8 | Find the River | 5 | #334 | – | 2001–2026 | |
| 9 | Try Not to Breathe | 3 | #28 | – | 1992–2003 | |
| 10 | Monty Got A Raw Deal | 7 | #1820 | – | 1999–2005 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.