It’s no lie that music ties into our emotions. The soul from the music jumps straight to the listener in many ways. It can cause up to jump around, it makes us laugh and smile, and it can create focus.
The genre of music known as heavy metal has garnered many mixed emotions. Some people revel in its heavy sound, while others believe the music is graphic and vile. For a short time back in the 1980s, there were even some who believed that the music was even linked to suicidal behaviors.
In 1984 and 1985 there were 2 important incidents that occurred just as heavy metal was on the rise.
The first case involved 19 year old John McCallum who shot himself while listening to Ozzy Osbourne’s song “Suicide Solution” on repeat. John’s parents quickly took Ozzy Osbourne to court claiming that his lyrics persuaded the youth to kill himself.
Osbourne stated that the song was actually about avoiding alcohol and not an affirmation of suicide at all. It was their belief that the record company was negligent in the producing of Osbourne’s music because the lyrics highly encouraged suicide. After many years, the family’s legal team was unable to prove the lyrics influenced the action of suicide and the judge dismissed the case in 1988.
The second case involved 2 men from Nevada. Two days before Christmas in 1985, these men had shot themselves after listening to albums by the heavy-metal band Judas Priest.The lawyers for the families of Raymond Belknap and James Vance, the 2 men argued that the musicians had placed concealed messages in several recordings, including the album ”Stained Class,” thereby provoking the two troubled young men to try to kill themselves.
Eventually, the case against Priest and their label was dismissed due to the judge finding the families failed to prove that any alleged subliminal messages were a precipitating factor in the suicides or that the band intentionally placed them on the album.
Heavy metal faced a big crisis. One that could have changed the nature of the music as we know it now. If the verdicts for these cases had gone the other way, it was most likely there would have been a huge ban on such music and a stricter production label in order to review the deeper meaning to music. But no, heavy metal was never the issue. It was parents trying to blame something for their children’s cry for help.
If you or anyone you know may be struggling with depression or other mental health issue and thoughts of suicide don’t be afraid to reach for help.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial or text 988 for 24/7 crisis support, connecting you with trained counselors.
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.