respect the classics

Everybody Loves Al Green’s R.E.M. Cover

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images (Scott Dudelson, Bennett Raglin)

Confirmed: Al Green, very much alive, prefers Automatic for the People over Monster. (And Green! A betrayal to his own ancestors.) The consummate soul man has released a cover of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” in the gospel style, flipping the song from a feeding-pigeons-alone-on-a-park-bench ballad into a warm-and-fuzzy hug for us all. It’s like he knew we needed it or something. “I could really feel the heaviness of the song and I wanted to inject a little touch of hope and light into it,” Green said in a statement. “There’s always a presence of light that can break through those times of darkness.” Michael Stipe added, on behalf of R.E.M., that “this is an epic moment for us.” See, it’s true, you can always take comfort in your friends.

Everybody Loves Al Green’s R.E.M. Cover