Tishara Rajagopal
Popular culture serves as units of insights into the attitudes, and beliefs of a population. It differs across geography, decades, and age groups. Much like the appropriateness of using blackface in theater, or how television has developed to stop using sexuality as a punchline. Mental illness representation in pop culture is continually growing; it is worth exploring as a reflection of society, parallel to research in the field. This article presents music through genres and decades, and its varying projections of suicidality: as an object of glorification, or its role in campaigning against the act. Further, I analyze existing research on the impact it has on young audiences.
A highly debated cultural phenomenon is violent media and its correlation with suicide, especially in younger populations. Adolescent suicide nearly tripled from the 1950s to the 1980s in America (Butcher, 2013). This sparked the consideration of music, specifically those that discuss suicide, and its effect on impressionable, vulnerable populations. The archives hold some reasonably questionable records. Blondie’s 1979 song, “Die Young, Stay Pretty”, is a funky tune about living “fast”, and paints the tragedy of old age. As the name suggests, it glorifies dying young. “I Think I’m Going To Kill Myself”’ is Elton John’s rather unsubtle ode to darker themes. The song, upbeat and jovial, pens lines like “Yeah I'm gonna kill myself/Get a little headline news/I'd like to see what the papers say/On the state of teenage blues”. While the satire is unclear, the mixed message may exaggerate the dangers of popularizing such sentiments. The trend is still at large in genres like rap and hip-hop. As recent as 2018, artists XXXTenacion and Lil Uzi Vert have released chart-topping singles that reference suicidality.
Concurrently, there have been a number of suicide cases where the victim has been associated with songs that dance with the ideas of depression and suicide. This connection hasn’t been unexplored in the courtroom. In the late 80s, Ozzy Osbourne had multiple lawsuits against him for his song “Suicide Solution”. Parents claimed that the song, which talks about abusing alcohol and how suicide is the only way out, encouraged their sons to commit the act. Osbourne’s defense held that the song was as an anti-suicide, anti-alcohol tribute to the death of a rockstar. He won the cases under the protection of the First Amendment (Wilkening, 2015). This claim should be examined along with the known risk factors for adolescent suicide. They include depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol abuse — the latter is often the focus of popular music. Attributed to their high susceptibility to suggestion and tendency to imitate behaviour, exposure to suicide, especially in media, is a risk factor (Evans, Hawton, & Rodham, 2004). A study found that up to 13% of adolescent suicides are due to contagion (Gould, Jamieson, & Romer, 2003).
As much as music is saturated with glorified depictions of suicide, the industry has churned out numbers that are uplifting, therapeutic, and anthemize anti-suicide sentiment. “1-800-273-8255” by Logic was a massive hit that embodies this message excellently. It is a redemptive, personal song that moves from expressing suicidality to overcoming depressive thoughts and finding elation in being alive. The song itself is named after the suicide hotline number in the United States. Back in the 90s, the popular song “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M wills the listener to hold on when all hope is lost, to take comfort in knowing that they are not alone, and urges them not to give up. Queen’s 1980 release “Don’t Try Suicide” is a blatant counsel against the same. Crisis intervention usually has aspects that these songs highlight: realizing that circumstances impair judgement, there are alternative ways to deal with the situation, and that the distress is not permanent; diminishing feelings of loneliness, and emphasizing support from family and friends (Butcher, 2013).
As critical thinkers in psychology, we hold the axiom ‘correlation does not imply causation’ to every claim assessed. This argument that rock or rap has an influence over youth suicide is no exception to the rule. However, it is clear that popular media and music is a dangerously powerful tool when wielded in a manner that is oblivious to the consequences. Perhaps more should be done with utilizing this far-reaching conduit of sound as an intervention in suicide prevention and crisis aversion. Inevitably, philosophical questions arise with respect to artistic liberty and responsibility when art imitates life which imitates art.
References
Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2013). Abnormal psychology. Boston: Pearson.
Evans, E., Hawton, K., & Rodham, K. (2004). Factors associated with suicidal phenomena in adolescents: A systematic review of population-based studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 24(8), 957-979.
Gould, M., Jamieson, P., & Romer, D. (2003). Media Contagion and Suicide Among the Young. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(9), 1269–1284.
Wilkening, M. (2015). Revisiting Ozzy Osbourne's 'Suicide Solution' Lawsuit. Retrieved from https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-fan-suicide/
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