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I'm a sucker for a good death-related playlist and for this death-centric collection of songs I thought I'd return to a favorite subject of rock and roll — suicide. It’s a theme you can find woven through every style of music created by mankind. This playlist contains 19 great songs about the act of killing yourself, but it's limited to the "classic alternative" genre.
What's "classic alternative" you ask? Well, it's a personally tagged genre that helps me classify bands who create alternative music, but have been around for 15 years or more. It’s not adult alternative, or indie, but includes forefathers of these genres.
Bands like U2, R.E.M., The Replacements, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Cure, The Jesus and Mary Chain are all bands I would consider “classic alternative”, and are all included in this playlist.
The destructive act of suicide does not only destroy a single life, but has serious impact on the lives those who loved the deceased. It always leaves unanswered questions, which makes the healing process even more difficult for those left behind. These are 19 of the very best classic alternative songs to explore the subject from many different perspectives.
Please join in and add any "classic alternative" songs that are crafted around the subject of suicide in the comments.
Classic Alternative Suicide Songs
1. "Asleep" - The Smiths
2. "Blasphemous Rumours" - Depeche Mode
3. "Mad World" - Tears for Fears
4. "Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide" - David Bowie
5. "Reverence" - The Jesus and Mary Chain
6. "From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea" - The Cure
7. "A Day Without Me" - U2
8. "Kiss Off" - Violent Femmes
9. "Everybody Hurts" - R.E.M.
10. "Insight" - Joy Division
11. "Redondo Beach' - Patti Smith
12. "Sunset" - Roxy Music
13. "In A Lonely Place" - New Order
14. "All Apologies (Solo Acoustic Demo)" - Nirvana
15. "The Ledge" - The Replacements
16. "The Kick Inside" - Kate Bush
17. "Pepper" - Butthole Surfers
18. "The Downward Spiral" - Nine Inch Nails (okay, this one is a stretch for "classic alternative", but is close enough)
19. "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together" - Morrissey
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Keith DeWeese
I'd also add Kate Bush's "Don't Put Your Foot on the Heartbreak," lyric: "She's dropping beads, red, red, glass is bleeding...on the parquet..."; and "The Wedding List": "After she shot the guy, she committed suicide, they found a little one inside..."
2 - Kyle
I would add Tori Amos - Jupiter, seems like the right choice for a suicide playlist, and she is very alternative!
3 - Stacey AKA Smurf
Hey, um does anyone know a suicide song with the lyrics, "I'm sorry, but this is my fate. Everything's worhtless. No one wants me to stay. And I'm sorry, but I've waited too long. So here's my good bye, no one will cry over me. I'm not worth any tears." I heard it through my friend, but she cant remember who wrote the song.
4 - Emma
That's "goodbye, I'm sorry" by And then I turned seven.
5 - Unknown
Brad paisley - Whiskey lullaby
6 - Jordan
suicidal dreams by silverchair
7 - Dee
Another sorta Kate Bush, as she accompanies Peter Gabriel on "Don't Give Up."
Would Blink 182's "Adam's Song," and Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" qualify as 'classic alternative'?
8 - Dee
How about "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" by Marianne Faithfull?
Personally, I like Nine Inch Nails for that suicidal mood. And Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby" is (pardon the pun) a killer. :-D
9 - Daniel
I'd add
Please Please Let me get what i want
by THE SMITHS
10 - On the edge
Dont forget to add,
Pink Floyd --> Goodbye Cruel World
11 - Sarah
Lullabies-By All Time Low
12 - deadman
"Hurt" by NIN but I have grown a liking to mr cash's version
13 - vampireaux
Affliction by AFI
14 - Daniel
Thank's for these song's. A close friend of mine has recently killed himself and i'm struggling alot to cope. Somehow these are giving me a few new perspectives on things.
15 - suicidal
heey. just wondering.. out of you guys.. and that listen to suicidal songs like me. are you all suicidal or you just like the songs?
16 - SonOfABitch
Pink Floyd? WTF, this list refers to "Classic Alternative," not hippie crap.
Blink 182 is not "Classic Alternative."
17 - ...
Skyway Avenue - We the Kings?
18 - WonderxLandx33
Mad World is by Gary Jules.. The album name is Tears for Fears. But i love that song... makes you mad depressive. i just love the music
19 - DeathKnell
Portishead - Roads
20 - Alicythia
Silver and Cold - AFI
21 - speck
Sorry, Tears for Fears did the original "Mad World." Gary Jules was a remake.. TFF was better version.
22 - joe
How about "Luck You" by The National, "Hate It Here" by Wilco, "The Drugs Don't Work" by Ben Harper or the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes"(closet Mix)?...[personal contact info deleted]
23 - dre
The national, nice one. one time by king crimson, ow yeah, screw classic alternative, what a rigid definition.
24 - Guilty
Tim McGraw - Kill Myself.
25 - paul
pillars - sunny day real estate
running up that hill - placebo (cover)
portishead - machine gun
hurt - johnny cash (cover)
it aint really 'classic alternative' but another i like is Born Slippy - Underworld