R.E.M. released the 1992 alternative rock album Automatic for the People.
Automatic for the People was R.E.M.'s eighth studio album and followed Out of Time. The record has a reflective, often somber tone, with songs addressing mortality, grief, memory, and social responsibility. Producer Scott Litt and additional string arrangements by John Paul Jones helped shape its spacious sound.
The album includes “Everybody Hurts,” “Man on the Moon,” “Nightswimming,” and “Drive.” “Man on the Moon” references comedian and performer Andy Kaufman, while “Everybody Hurts” became one of the band's most recognized songs.
The title comes from a slogan used by a grocery store in Athens, Georgia, where R.E.M. formed. Automatic for the People is sometimes confused with Out of Time because both were released at the height of R.E.M.'s popularity, but Out of Time came in 1991.