Suicide Is Painless
Suicide Is Painless (German: " Suizid ist painless") is the title song of the M * A * S * H television series and the movie of the same name . The song was composed by the American songwriter and jazz musician Johnny Mandel .
History and text message
The lyrics to this popular song by Johnny Mandel were written by Mike Altman, then fourteen, son of Robert Altman . Robert Altman was the director of the film MASH . He later reported on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that his son had probably received more than one million US dollars for helping with the title song, while he only received 70,000 for directing the film.
The lyrics describe from a first-person perspective the possibility of being able to choose suicide as a way out or not. In addition to the interpretation as a melancholy worldview of a pessimist, there is also the view that a person who is aware of the horrors of war and for whom it would be easy to evade it by suicide still does not do it: Because he does not want to give up because it is needed, because this way out is too easy, because it still has strength and therefore will not do it yet. The content of the series, in which the psychological stresses of the medical staff are always absorbed in some form by the community and the support of friends, speaks more for the latter interpretation.
The chorus of the song is:
Suicide is painless,
It brings on many changes,
And I can take or leave it if I please.
"Suicide is painless,
it changes so much
and I can commit it as I please or not."
Suicide Is Painless can be heard during the opening credits in MASH and is sung by Johnny Mandel himself. As a transition from the song to the plot, Captain Walter Koskiusko Waldowski, a military dentist, declares at the beginning of the film that he wants to commit suicide. The song is also sung by Sergeant Seidman during the course of the film's plot during his suicide, which was staged with the help of his colleagues . The dentist with the nickname Painless Pole is mentioned at the beginning of the television series, but the character is not represented there.
The song was released in 1970, but it wasn't until 1980 that it became a number one hit in the UK . The late success is due to disc jockey Noel Edmonds , who played the song while broadcasting on BBC Radio 1 .
Cover versions
- Ahmad Jamal recorded a jazz-funk version of the song for his album Jamalca in 1974 .
- Paul Desmond (alto saxophone) played an instrumental version of the song together with Ed Bickert (electric guitar), Ron Carter on bass and Connie Kay on drums on his album Pure Desmond 1974.
- The surf band The Ventures covered the song in 1976, to be found on the 1996 compilation Tele-Ventures: The Ventures Perform the Great TV Themes .
- By Bill Evans in 1981, after his death, in 1977 resulting album You Must Believe in Spring published, can be found on a piano trio jazz version of the song.
- The Manic Street Preachers released a charity single from Suicide Is Painless in 1992 for The Spastic Society. The single became their first Top 10 ranking in the UK.
- The Royal Trux composed a version for the BBC John Peel radio show in 1993. The version was released on a compilation by the band.
- Killarmy took a sample in 1997 for their album Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars .
- Marilyn Manson produced a cover version as music for the horror film Blair Witch 2 in 2000 .
- Twopointeight recorded a punk version of the song for the TV Sucks sampler in 2000.
- Matt Costa , singer and songwriter from California, on his album: The Elasmosaurus EP 2005.
- In 2007 Kelis interpreted the song on the single Lil Star .
- The French band Air recorded the song in an edited version on their compilation Deck Safari .
- The band Lady & Bird , consisting of the French songwriter Keren Ann and the Icelandic bandleader Barði Jóhannson (Bang Gang), interpret the song on the album "Lady & Bird" (2003).
- The Swedish musician Jay-Jay Johanson released a cover version on his album Spellbound in 2011 .
Others
The chorus is also performed in the cartoon Family Guy presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story by the character "Stewie" when he is drunk. Toby Ziegler in the television series The West Wing quotes the refrain from Suicide Is Painless in the following episode when he is on his way to the President's funeral with Air Force One . In the graphic novel Sandman by Neil Gaiman "item girl" carries the song Death before. The artist Johan Grimonprez uses the song in his video "Dial HISTORY" (1997), the title spelling of which is also similar to that of the series M * A * S * H.