Suicide: The word itself brings to mind a rush of images, large cults on green lawns with cups strewn about, famous musicians lying alone with only their thoughts, and great architectural and natural formations.

Although the suicide rate has diminished since the 1950s, suicide remains the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.
Music, television shows and movies about suicide remain popular. Songs such as Blink 182’s “Adam’s Song,” Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” and P.O.D.’s “Youth of the Nation” all contain strong suicidal undertones.

When you type suicide into the Internet Movie Database, more than 3,000 titles appear that contain suicide in the plot summary including many popular movies and television shows such as “Little Miss Sunshine, ” “MASH,” “The Number 23” and “Fight Club” (IMDB.COM).

Although mentioning suicide in social situations is a faux pas, its use in media is still widely acceptable. Sadly, many of these songs, TV shows and movies draw those who are close to the edge of suicide over or are the stories of past suicides. Popular music continues to influence the modern day suicide.

The Signs: Songs Containing Warning Signs of Suicide
Music has influenced suicides throughout the past century. Not only have famous musicians such as Kurt Cobain killed themselves, but suicide has been a primary theme in many popular songs.

“Adam’s Song,” recorded in 1999 by Blink 182, is a suicide note in itself. The song begins with the line, “I never thought I’d die alone” (Blink 182). The introduction to the lyrics sets the tone for the rest of the song. Later, just before the first refrain they sing, “I’m too depressed to go on. “You’ll be sorry when I’m gone” (Blink 182).

The song delves into the dark, suicidal thoughts of a troubled teen who can no longer cope with living. The song continues, “Another six months I’ll be unknown. Give all my things to all my friends” (Blink 182). This line displays the usual pattern of someone before suicide. As documented by Suicide.org, behavior such as “giving away prized possessions” is a common sign that a person will commit suicide. Blink 182 then sings, “Please tell Mom this is not her fault (Blink 182). This desperate plea asks that the ones the suicidal teen loves not to blame themselves for his actions.

The song shows the behavior and actions that a suicidal teen might take when feeling depressed. In 2000, a high school basketball star hanged himself in his garage while listening to this song on repeat (DenverPost.com). Although the song never was connected directly to the cause of his suicide, the song obviously played a significant role in the death of the teen. The band says the song is anti-suicide, but it is often confused as a pro-suicide piece of music, and incidences such as the one mentioned only add to the confusion.

In Papa Roach’s hit, “Last Resort” (1999) the fictional character of the song is contemplating suicide. The song begins with the lyrics, “Cut my life into pieces. This is my last resort. Suffocation, no breathing. Don’t give a f*** if I cut my arm, bleeding” (Papa Roach).  The song continues, “Would it be wrong? Would it be right, if I took my life tonight?” (Papa Roach).

The song questions the morality of committing suicide while the tone of the singer indicates the character has already made up his mind to kill himself despite the moral questions involved. The artist later says, “*I never realized I was spread too thin, ’til it was too late, and I was empty within” (Papa Roach). This set of lyrics demonstrates the suicidal warning sign of “feeling hopeless” or “helpless.” The song later continues with the same warning signs as the artist yells: “Nothing’s alright! Nothing is fine” (Papa Roach).

The lyrics continue to display this downward spiral that suicidal people find themselves caught inside. The lead singer then screams, “I can’t go on living this way (Papa Roach). The entire song blatantly refers to suicide and the constant struggle one who commits suicide struggles with while living. The band name, Papa Roach, is even a tribute to the lead singer’s step-grandfather, Howard William Roach, who committed suicide in 1996 (PapaRoach.com). The song and the band have influenced and been influenced by suicide.

In “Youth of the Nation” (2001), POD dedicates a verse to the fictional Johnny, a suicidal teen who never really fit in with the rest of the world. They sing, “He was never really one of the guys, no matter how hard he tried, often thought of suicide” (POD). This verse ending lyric displays the warning sign of “feeling trapped as i fthere is no way out of a situation.” Once again, the media has brought suicide to the forefront of the social discussion. Although the song is seemingly anti-suicide, the lyrics display a common feeling of helplessness when faced with suicide.

Eminem sings “Stan” (2000), a song about a troubled fan who eventually kills himself after writing to Eminem, but not receiving any word back. The fictional character, Stan, writes to Eminem, “I read about your Uncle Ronnie, too. I’m sorry. I had a friend kill himself, too, over some b**** that didn’t want him” (Eminem).

The song begins with an immediate foreshadowing of the coming suicide and introduces us to suicide through a common issue that some commit suicide for. Stan later writes, “I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds” (Eminem). The letters that Stan writes share his increasing suicidal tendencies of “acting impulsively” and “acting recklessly.” Although Stan does not seem depressed, his actions clearly show his growing tendency to suicide. The fan finally commits suicide by driving his car off of a bridge. The song again shows the tendencies of a person burdened by suicidal thoughts to make irrational decisions based on misunderstandings. This song likely brings thought of suicide to those who listen to it.

Another song that emphasizes suicide is a cover of Mad World. Gary Jules sings a haunting version of “Mad World” (2000), originally recorded by Tears for Fears in 1982. “Mad World” has been used in the movie “Donny Darko” and in advertisements for the popular video game, “Gears of War.” The song begins, “All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out places, worn out faces, bright and early for their daily races. Going nowhere” (Jules).

The speaker in the song suffers from a “a loss of hope” as well as “feeling trapped.” He continues, “I want to drown my sorrow, no tomorrow” (Jules). This “intense emotional pain” the speaker is feeling is another warning sign of suicide. Coupled with the statement that he wants no more tomorrows is a very clear suicidal intent. He then says, “the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” (Jules).

This last statement demonstrates the warning sign of “talking or writing about death or suicide.” When Mad World Gary Jules Suicide is typed into Google, 126,000 results appear with many results asking about songs to accompany an act of suicide. Sadly, this song represents a strong cultural movement toward suicide.

Another song representing suicide is “Ohio Is for Lovers” (2004) by Hawthorne Heights. This song is about the break-up of a relationship in which the male spirals into a suicidal mood. He asks his former partner, “How are you when I’m gone? (Hawthorne Heights). Then he says, “I can’t make it on my own…so cut my wrists and black my eyes, so I can fall asleep tonight or die” (Hawthorne Heights).

The speaker must be “experiencing a change in sleeping habits,” “feeling trapped” and “acting impulsively.” He is also experiencing one of the no. 1 causes of suicide, which is a “divorce, separation or breakup of a relationship.” This song documents a man’s suicidal feelings after breaking up with his girlfriend. Sadly, the feelings are often common in many modern suicides today.

The Aftershock: A Song Explaining the Fallout After a Suicide
Hollywood Undead recently recorded the song “The Loss” (2008), which documents a person who watches his friend fall into the downward spiral of depression and then suicide. J-Dog, a main vocalist, asks, “Have you ever met a living legend, just a real friend, who planned his end?” (Hollywood Undead). He later says angrily, “You said it was pretend, but when that bullet went through it took more than just you. It was you; it was me” (Hollywood Undead).

The song references the strong feeling of abandonment one feels when faced with a suicide. The two friends were torn apart by one” actions on just “talking or writing about death or suicide.” He then goes on to yell, “How can someone say they’re helpless, but then they act so selfish?” You put me through hell with this” (Hollywood Undead). Again, the extreme sense of abandonment prevails.  Later, Deuce, the main vocalist, sings, “I don’t want you to try. You’ve done enough to keep me going” (Hollywood Undead).

These lyrics demonstrate the loss of someone close which pushes the singer over the edge, as well. The extreme sense of loss expressed in this song represents the “feeling of guilt or shame” that one feels when faced with suicide. As a popular band among the younger generation, Hollywood Undead will influence the thoughts of suicidal teens in the future. Although the subject matter is dark, the band is an advocate for friends to help their suicidal loved ones.

The Inspirational: Songs to Prevent Suicide
A more positive song about suicide is “Everybody Hurts” (1992) by REM. The song says, “When you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life, well hang on” (REM). This statement is the plea that defines this song. The song makes the argument that “everybody cries. Everybody hurts, sometimes” (REM). As a justification, the song says that even though “everything is wrong…Hold on” (REM). They also recommend a way to push through the pain by taking “comfort in your friends” and saying that no matter how stranded people may seem they are “not alone” (REM). The song attempts to break the feelings of isolation that many people feel before giving in to suicide. Although the melodies and vocals in this song are very dark, the message is still anti-suicide and is striving to make positive progress with people thinking about suicide.

The next inspirational song is “Jumper”(1996) by Third Eye Blind. “Jumper” was featured in the movie Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey, who uses it to convince a man who is about to commit suicide to “step back from that ledge” (Third Eye Blind). The song describes an “angry boy, a bit too insane, icing over a secret pain. You know you don’t belong” (Third Eye Blind). They reference the warning signs of suicide by describing the boy suffering through feelings of “strong anger or rage” (Third Eye Blind). The singer then asks the boy to “step back from that ledge, my friend. You could cut ties with all the lies that you’ve been living in” (Third Eye Blind). The singer pleads with the jumper to “put the past away” and live his life anew (Third Eye Blind). He then tells his friend that “everyone has to face down the demons. Maybe today, we can put the past away” (Third Eye Blind).

The importance of this line clearly demonstrates to the suicidal person that both he and the speaker are in it together and that the speaker is there to support him in a choice to continue living. By saying “we,” the speaker hopes to remove the isolation that the jumper might feel. This song is a plea to those who are thinking of suicide to choose to live.

Counseling the Suicide
These musical pieces display common themes and feelings of the modern suicide. In order to counsel someone feeling suicidal, one must first understand the mindset, and these songs portray that mindset from both sides of the suicide. The songs that emphasize living as opposed to committing suicide always place importance on unity.

Hollywood Undead emphasizes that when someone commits suicide, it takes more lives than just the person dying. It can completely change the lives of everyone around them. Third Eye Blind also emphasizes the unity that someone who is thinking about committing suicide needs to back down. The key to helping people rethink suicide is to assure them they are not alone in their struggles. We all are living, and we all are in life together.