Suicide Is Painless

Suicide Is Painless
"Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)"
Single by The Mash
from the album M*A*S*H (Original Soundtrack Recording)
B-side "The M*A*S*H March"
Released 1970
Format 7" vinyl
Recorded 1969
Genre Folk
Length 2:53
Label Columbia/CBS
Writer(s) Johnny Mandel (music)
Mike Altman (lyrics)
Producer Thomas Z. Shepard

"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Mike Altman (lyrics), which is best known for being 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 earned more than a million US dollars for co-writing the song while he only made US $70,000 for directing 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 (the vocals are sometimes misattributed to Johnny Mandel, due to his being the only name officially credited for the song). Additionally, the movie also features a scene that begins when Walter Koskiusko Waldowski, a dentist nicknamed "The Painless Pole", declares his intention to commit suicide, and the song is sung by Ken Prymus (playing Private Seidman) during the suicide scene. Several instrumental versions of the song were used as the theme for the TV series. Credited to "The Mash" when it appeared on the film's soundtrack album on Columbia/CBS Records in 1970,[1] it belatedly became a number one hit in the UK in 1980 after being championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds.

Contents

Track listing

7" vinyl
  • Germany: CBS / 5009
  • UK: CBS / S CBS 8536
  • US: Columbia / JZSS 153321 [Promo only]
A-side
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)"   Johnny Mandel, Mike Altman The Mash 2:53
B-side
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "The M*A*S*H March"   Mandel Johnny Mandel 1:19

Chart performance

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Dutch GfK chart[2] 3
Dutch Top 40[3] 4
Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[4] 1
Preceded by
"What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan		 UK number one single
31 May 1980 – 14 June 1980		 Succeeded by
"Crying" by Don McLean

Manic Street Preachers version

"Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"
Single by Manic Street Preachers
from the album Ruby Trax
B-side "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (by The Fatima Mansions)
"Sleeping with the NME"
"Spectators of Suicide"
"Star Lover"
"Never Want Again"
"Dead Yankee Drawl"
"Ain't Goin' Down"
Released 1992
Format 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, CD
Genre Alternative rock, hard rock
Length 3:43
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Johnny Mandel (music)
Mike Altman (lyrics)
Producer Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers singles chronology
"Stars and Stripes"
(1992)		 "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"
(1992)		 "Little Baby Nothing"
(1993)

Manic Street Preachers released a cover version of "Suicide Is Painless" in 1992. In the UK it was a double A-side charity single (to help The Spastics Society), with The Fatima Mansions' take on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" as the other A-side. The 12" and CD versions of the UK single included "Sleeping with the NME" - an excerpt from a radio documentary recorded in the offices of the NME, capturing staff's reaction to photographs of guitarist Richey Edwards's self-mutilation. The single peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart[5] spending three weeks in the Top Ten. In other countries it was released as a Manic Street Preachers single, with different B-sides.

Track listings

7" vinyl
  • UK: Columbia / 658382 7
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Johnny Mandel, Mike Altman Manic Street Preachers 3:40
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"   Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen, Robert John "Mutt" Lange The Fatima Mansions 6:26
  • Netherlands: Columbia / COL 658385 7
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Mandel, Altman  
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Spectators of Suicide"   James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore, Richey James Edwards  
12" vinyl
  • UK: Columbia / 658382 6
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Mandel, Altman Manic Street Preachers  
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"   Adams, Kamen, Lange The Fatima Mansions  
2. "Sleeping with the N.M.E."     Manic Street Preachers  
CD
  • UK: Columbia / 658382 2
No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Mandel, Altman Manic Street Preachers  
2. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"   Adams, Kamen, Lange The Fatima Mansions  
3. "Sleeping with the N.M.E."     Manic Street Preachers  
  • Europe: Columbia / 658385 2
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Mandel, Altman  
2. "Spectators of Suicide"   Bradfield, Wire, Moore, Edwards  
3. "Star Lover"   Bradfield, Wire, Moore, Edwards  
  • Japan: Epic/Sony / ESCA 5668
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)"   Mandel, Altman 3:43
2. "Never Want Again"     3:39
3. "Dead Yankee Drawl"     3:46
4. "Ain't Goin' Down"     3:08

Chart performance

Chart (1992) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[5] 7
Irish Singles Chart[6] 12
Swedish Singles Chart[7] 21

Cover versions

  • Al De Lory recorded a jazz piano version of the tune (as "Song from MASH") that became an adult contemporary hit a few months after the movie was released in 1970.
  • Henry Mancini recorded an easy listening version of the song for his 1970 album Mancini Plays the Theme from Love Story.
  • Ahmad Jamal recorded an instrumental jazz-funk version of the song (as "Theme from M*A*S*H") on his 1974 release Jamalca. This version was included on some re-releases of the soundtrack album. Jamal recorded another version of the tune for his 1985 album Digital Works.
  • Roy Ayers recorded an instrumental version of the theme for his 1974 album Change Up the Groove.
  • Paul Desmond (alto saxophone) played together with Ed Bickert (e-guitar), Ron Carter (bass) and Connie Kay (drums) an instrumental version on his 1974 album Pure Desmond.
  • Kerstin Forslund and Small Town Singers released a version in 1975. The single made the Top 100 chart in Australia.
  • Ray Conniff recorded an easy listening version on his 1976 album Theme from S.W.A.T. and Other TV Themes.
  • Bill Evans recorded a jazz piano trio version of the song for You Must Believe in Spring, an album posthumously released in 1981, having made it a staple of his live sets for some years. Evans version modulates through all 12 keys. The song is also recorded in a jazz piano trio version on the CD Bill Evans Trio, recorded live in Buenos Aires in 1979.
  • Cal Tjader recorded a version on his album The Shining Sea (1981).
  • Jimmy Smith recorded a version on his album Off the Top (1982).
  • Art Of Noise perform a short instrumental interpolation on their 1984 track "A Time for Fear (Who's Afraid)", featured on both Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? and Daft.
  • Royal Trux recorded a version for the BBC John Peel radio show in 1993. It was released in 1997 on a Royal Trux compilation called Singles, Live, Unreleased. On the compilation the song is titled "Theme from M.A.S.H."
  • Killarmy sampled the music for their 1997 track "5 Stars" from the Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars album.
  • Ryan Kallok, singer-songwriter from Youngstown, Ohio, USA covered the song live and recorded a verion in 2008.
  • Edgar Cruz recorded an instrumental cover of the song for his 1997 album Reminiscence titled "M*A*S*H Theme".
  • Jay-Jay Johanson performed a version of this song on France Inter in 1997, later released on a promotional CD. In 2011 it appeared on his CD "Spellbound".
  • Marilyn Manson did a version for the soundtrack of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 in 2000.
  • Barði Jóhannsson and Keren Ann recorded a version on their album Lady and Bird (2003).
  • Stewie Griffin sang a part of it on Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story in 2005.
  • Matt Costa, singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California, USA covered the song on his six-track The Elasmosaurus EP in 2005.
  • Kelis does her own interpretation of the song in her single "Lil Star" (with Cee-Lo), released in 2007.
  • The Drones performed an acoustic version in 2008 on Triple J in Australia.
  • Ania Dąbrowska recorded a version of this song on her album Ania Movie (2010).
  • Amanda Lear recorded an acoustic and a dance version of this song on her 2009's cd Brief Encounters.
  • Jay-Jay Johanson has a version of this song on his 2011 album Spellbound.
  • Tripod (band) did a short acoustic rendition of the theme in the song "Lingering Dad" (additionally, portions of the theme were later used in the song "Theme from Mash Guy" - a song about acquiring the rights to play the theme from M*A*S*H).

References

  1. ^ "Mash, The - Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless) (7", Single) at Discogs". http://www.discogs.com/Mash-Theme-From-MASH-Suicide-Is-Painless/release/721762. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  2. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - M*A*S*H - Suicide Is Painless (Theme From M*A*S*H) (Dutch)". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=M*A*S*H&titel=Suicide+Is+Painless+%28Theme+From+M*A*S*H%29&cat=s. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  3. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40: week 39, 1970 (Dutch)". http://www.top40.nl/index.aspx?week=39&jaar=1970. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  4. ^ "Chart Stats - MASH - Theme From 'M*A*S*H' (Suicide is Painless)". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=8805. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  5. ^ a b "Chart Stats - Manic Street Preachers/Fatima Mansions - Theme From M*A*S*H/(Everything I Do) I Do It For You". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=20168. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  6. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
  7. ^ "swedishcharts.com - Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (Theme From M.A.S.H)". http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Manic+Street+Preachers&titel=Suicide+Is+Painless+%28Theme+From+M.A.S.H%29&cat=s. Retrieved 27 July 2009 (2009-07-27). 
v · d · eM*A*S*H
Books
MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors · M*A*S*H Goes to Maine · M*A*S*H Mania · Other novels
Film
MASH · "Suicide Is Painless"
TV series
M*A*S*H (episodes: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11; finale; guest stars) · Trapper John, M.D. · AfterMASH · W*A*L*T*E*R
Characters
v · d · eManic Street Preachers
Studio albums
Generation Terrorists (1992) · Gold Against the Soul (1993) · The Holy Bible (1994) · Everything Must Go (1996) · This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998) · Know Your Enemy (2001) · Lifeblood (2004) · Send Away the Tigers (2007) · Journal for Plague Lovers (2009) · Postcards from a Young Man (2010)
Compilation albums
Forever Delayed (2002) · Lipstick Traces (2003) · National Treasures – The Complete Singles (2011)
EPs
New Art Riot (1990) · Stars and Stripes (1992) · Life Becoming a Landslide EP (1994) · Know Our B-Sides (2001)  · God Save the Manics (2005) · Journal for Plague Lovers Remixes E.P. (2009)
Singles
"Suicide Alley" (1988) · "UK Channel Boredom" (1990) · "Motown Junk" (1991) · "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991) · "Feminine Is Beautiful" (1991) · "Stay Beautiful" (1991) · "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1991) · "You Love Us" (1991) · "Slash 'n' Burn" (1992) · "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) · "Suicide Is Painless (Theme from M*A*S*H)" (1992) · "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) · "From Despair to Where" (1993) · "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" (1993) · "Roses in the Hospital" (1993) · "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) · "Revol" (1994) · "She Is Suffering" (1994) · "A Design for Life" (1996) · "Everything Must Go" (1996) · "Kevin Carter" (1996) · "Further Away" (1996) · "Australia" (1996) · "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) · "The Everlasting" (1998) · "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" (1999) · "Tsunami" (1999) · "The Masses Against the Classes" (2000) · "Found That Soul" (2001) · "So Why So Sad" (2001) · "Ocean Spray" (2001) · "Let Robeson Sing" (2001) · "There by the Grace of God" (2002) · "The Love of Richard Nixon" (2004) · "Empty Souls" (2005) · "Underdogs" (2007) · "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) · "Autumnsong" (2007) · "Indian Summer" (2007) · "The Ghosts of Christmas" (2007) · "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love" (2010) · "Some Kind of Nothingness" (2010) · "Postcards from a Young Man" (2011) · "This Is the Day" (2011)
Box sets
Video Albums
Other appearances
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (1995)  · "Leviathan" (2005)  · "The Instrumental" (2006) · "Umbrella" (2008)
Related articles

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Suicide Is Painless — (deutsch: „Suizid ist schmerzlos“) ist Titelsong der M*A*S*H Fernsehserie und des gleichnamigen M*A*S*H Kinofilms. Das Lied wurde von dem amerikanischen Songschreiber und Jazzmusiker Johnny Mandel komponiert. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Suicide is painless — (deutsch: „Suizid ist schmerzlos“) ist Titelsong der M*A*S*H Fernsehserie und des gleichnamigen M*A*S*H Kinofilms. Das Lied wurde von dem amerikanischen Songschreiber und Jazzmusiker Johnny Mandel komponiert. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Suicide by hanging — Suicide Social …   Wikipedia

  • Suicide booth — A suicide booth is a fictional machine for committing suicide. Suicide booths appear in numerous fictional settings, including the American animated series Futurama and the manga Gunnm / Battle Angel Alita . Compulsory self execution booths were… …   Wikipedia

  • suicide — n. self destruction as a deliberate act. Distinction is usually made between attempted suicide, when death is averted although the person concerned intended to kill himself (or herself), and deliberate self harm, when the attempt is made for… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Assisted suicide — Detail of The Death of Socrates. A disciple is handing Socrates a goblet of hemlock …   Wikipedia

  • Charcoal-burning suicide — is committing suicide by burning charcoal in a closed room. Contents 1 Mechanism of action 2 History 3 Film 4 References …   Wikipedia

  • The Complete Manual of Suicide — （Japanese:完全自殺マニュアル) is a Japanese book written by Wataru Tsurumi. It was first published on the 4th of July, 1993 and sold more than one million copies. This 198 page book provides explicit descriptions and analysis on a wide range of suicide… …   Wikipedia

  • assisted suicide — noun suicide of a terminally ill person that involves an assistant who serves to make dying as painless and dignified as possible • Hypernyms: ↑suicide, ↑self destruction, ↑self annihilation • Hyponyms: ↑physician assisted suicide * * * noun, pl… …   Useful english dictionary

  • assisted suicide — Suicide of a terminally ill or otherwise incapable person with help (such as painless drugs) from a physician, family member, or other individual. A form of euthanasia, assisted suicide is illegal in almost all states. Category: Divorce & Family… …   Law dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”