HISTORY OF POP AND ROCK MUSIC - part 432 torrent

PART 432



MANIAC STREET PREACHERS - Suicide Is Painless (1992)


bonus (photo video)

KEREN ANN & BARDI JOHANNSON - Suicide Is Painless (2003)



“Suicide Is Painless” is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Mike Altman (lyrics), which is best known for having been featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H. The actual title is "Song from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)". Mike Altman is the son of the original film’s director, Robert Altman, and was 14 years old when he wrote the song’s lyrics. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1980s, Robert Altman said that his son had earned more than a million US dollars for having co-written the song while he only made US$70,000 for having directed the movie.
The song is played during the film’s opening credits, sung by uncredited session singers John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin and Ian Freebairn-Smith. Credited to "The Mash" when it appeared on the film's soundtrack album on Columbia/CBS Records in 1970, it belatedly became a number one hit in the UK in 1980 after being championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds. The song was ranked #66 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.

Manic Street Preachers released a cover version of "Suicide Is Painless" in 1992. In the UK it was a double A-side charity single with The Fatima Mansions' take on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" as the other A-side. The single peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart spending three weeks in the Top Ten. In other countries it was released as a Manic Street Preachers single, with different B-sides.

Barði Jóhannsson and Keren Ann recorded a version on their album "Lady and Bird" (2003).