Suicide is Painless is a mellow tune, with a stringed instrument arrangement and percussion sounds. Meanwhile, the words address visions and realizations. However, this song does give the theme of suicide a poetic twist, as the lyrics are structured in four-lined verses with a couplet to end, and it also features rhyme and repetition. It can be safely assumed that the lyrics are open to interpretation. His son, Michael (Mike) Altman, was invited to write the lyrics, and so together, Mike Altman and Mandel created the song Suicide is Painless. Given the tone of the scene, Altman felt that the lyrics of the accompanying song based needed a lighter touch and a different approach in this instance. However awful his intention was, his suicide attempt is ultimately deemed to be over something trivial, silly or almost even laughable. The film is categorized as a dark comedy, and in one scene a key character, Captain Waldowski, experiences a failed suicide. Directed by Robert Altman (1925-2006) with music composition by Johnny Mandel (1925 – 2020). The film ‘M*A*S*H’ was released in 1970 and is based on a fictional novel about three army doctors serving in the US military during the mid-century Korean conflict. #8 Johnny Mandel (Composer) & Mike Altman (Lyrics) – Suicide is Painless They say they didn’t want to end their lives – they just wanted to stop the pain’. Trivia Fact: On the website for the charity Befrienders Worldwide it states: ‘Most people who once thought about killing themselves are now glad to be alive. Suicidal Thoughts offers serious, impactful commentary about the state of mind of an individual who sees no good in anything and has nothing to live for. But the caller falls silent, a gunshot follows, and a heartbeat is all that is heard as it slows to stop. Then, using the energy and rhythm of the rapper’s beat, the suicidal thoughts he’s been experiencing and the many ways he’s considered doing the fateful deed spill out.Īt the end of this short track, the receiver is shouting down the phone as he has become fearful for the caller and what he might do. Then a tirade of negativity starts up from the caller, he curses about his hellish life, about his no-good activities and about feeling unloved. The caller is silent at first, but as the receiver’s mind clears, he is suddenly concerned for the caller and is nervous about the caller’s state of mind. The receiver of the call appears a little disoriented, a little annoyed even, at being woken up. The song opens with a caller dialing a number and when the line connects the phone starts ringing until a person picks up and it becomes immediately clear that it is the middle of the night. A track from his debut studio album Ready to Die (1994). The late American songwriter and rap artist Christopher Wallace, also known as ‘The Notorious B.I.G.’ or ‘Biggie Smalls’, takes the subject of suicide to another poetic plane in his song Suicidal Thoughts. The definition of suicide, ‘the action or an act of taking one’s own life,’ is one to be mindful of as we consider the lyrics and familiarise ourselves with each of these songs. The writers and composers featured in this list are also the original recording artist of their song, whether in a solo capacity or as a band member. Therefore, this Top 10 puts the spotlight on the songwriter or composer of each song about suicide, and how the subject is approached artistically. Sometimes, it works the other way, the music comes first, and the song lyrics are written after. If we are to take the definition of a poet as anyone who writes verse, that would extend to a songwriter or lyricist who writes verse and subsequently constructs a musical composition around that poetic form to create a song. Nevertheless, when we contemplate what circumstances might drive an individual to end their own life in such a dramatic way, it can lead us to question what it is that motivates poets to explore the topic. Suicide is a heavy theme to write songs about. The subject of our Top 10 is a sensitive one.
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