Suicide Is Painless
Theme song of M*A*S*H film & TV series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Suicide Is Painless" (also known as "Theme from M*A*S*H" or "Song from M*A*S*H") is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Michael Altman (lyrics) for the 1970 film M*A*S*H. In addition to being performed by characters in the film, it plays during the title sequence as sung by The Ron Hicklin Singers. An instrumental version was used as the theme music for the TV series based on the film, playing over the opening and closing credits.
| "Suicide Is Painless" | |
|---|---|
European picture sleeve | |
| Single by The Mash | |
| from the album M*A*S*H (Original Soundtrack Recording) | |
| B-side | "The M*A*S*H March" |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | 1969 |
| Length | 2:53 |
| Label | Columbia/CBS |
| Composer | Johnny Mandel |
| Lyricist | Mike Altman |
| Producer | Thomas Z. Shepard |
| Music video | |
| "Suicide Is Painless" (audio) on YouTube | |
Background
The song was written for Ken Prymus, the actor playing Private Seidman, to sing during the faux-suicide of Walter "Painless Pole" Waldowski (John Schuck) in the film's "Last Supper" scene.[1] Director Robert Altman had two stipulations about the song for composer Johnny Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless" and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written".[2] Altman attempted to write the lyrics himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his "45-year-old brain" to write something "stupid" enough,[3] he gave the task to his 15-year-old-son Michael, who reportedly wrote the lyrics in five minutes.[4][5]
Altman later decided that the song worked so well he would use it as the film's main theme. This more choral version was sung by uncredited session singers John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin, and Ian Freebairn-Smith, and was released as a single attributed to "The Mash". Altman said that, while he made only $70,000 for directing the movie, his son had earned more than $1 million for co-writing the song.[6]
Several instrumental versions of the song were used as the theme for the TV series, but the lyrics were never used in the show.[7] The vocal version from the film's opening credits became a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart in May 1980.[8] The song was ranked No. 66 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.
Track listing
7″ vinyl
- West Germany: CBS / 5009
- UK: CBS / S CBS 8536
- US: Columbia / 4M-45130 [mono promo only]
- US: Columbia / 4S-45130 [original stereo stock release]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from M*A*S*H Suicide Is Painless" | Johnny Mandel, Mike Altman | The Mash | 2:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The M*A*S*H March" | Mandel | Johnny Mandel | 1:19 |
Charts
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch GfK chart[9] | 3 |
| Dutch Top 40[10] | 4 |
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 52 |
| UK Singles Chart[12] | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
Manic Street Preachers version
| "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Manic Street Preachers | ||||
| from the album Ruby Trax | ||||
| A-side | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (by the Fatima Mansions) | |||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | September 7, 1992 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer | Johnny Mandel | |||
| Lyricist | Mike Altman | |||
| Producer | Manic Street Preachers | |||
| Manic Street Preachers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers released a cover version of "Suicide Is Painless" on September 7, 1992, as "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)". 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-inch 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' infamous self-mutilation. The single peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart[14] spending three weeks in the top 10.
Track listings
7-inch vinyl
- UK: Columbia / 658382 7
| 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 |
| 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
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)" | Mandel, Altman |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spectators of Suicide" | James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Sean Moore, Richey James Edwards |
12-inch vinyl
- UK: Columbia / 658382 6
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)" | Mandel, Altman | Manic Street Preachers |
| 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 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Release history
Cover versions
- Al De Lory recorded "Song from M*A*S*H", an instrumental jazz piano version for his 1970 album Al De Lory Plays Song from M*A*S*H. This version peaked at No. 7 on the adult contemporary chart during the summer of 1970.[24]
- Swedish group Small Town Singers released a version under the title "Song from M*A*S*H" in 1975.[25] The single peaked at 17th position in Sweden,[26] Top 100 chart in Australia.