I remember once in the mid-90s listening to R.E.M.’s album Automatic for the People with a friend, and I scoffed at the song “Everybody Hurts.” I expected my friend to join in the ridicule, but he said calmly, “Well, it’s true.” In that moment he was a bridge over troubled water. This song has been called a secular hymn, with Art Garfunkel’s cathedral-like tenor and its message of hope and self-sacrifice. We struggle so much with the God thing, getting past the ridiculous human ideas we’ve attached to It. What if God is just people reminding people to be compassionate?

Simon and Garfunkel, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," 1970. Written by Paul Simon.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to early June, 2025.

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