"I swear on my kid's life I never said 'get the f***ing gun'" ...Ozzy on his Suicide Solution song "They know what they are putting out. There are people who are out there trying to make money, and they have no hesitation to sell your kids down the drain. You see a perfectly normal kid there who doesn't show any signs of depression at all. Then six hours later, he's dead. Nobody can explain it. The only thing we know is that he was listening to this music." ...Father of suicide victim who listened to Ozzy A song on Ozzy's first solo album, "Blizzard of Ozz" would cause a lot of trouble. The song "Suicide Solution" from the start, would have a very misleading title and this was understandable. Ozzy wrote the song after the singer for AC/DC (Bon Scott) died after drinking heavily one winter's night and passing out in his car, dying of hypothermia as a result. Ozzy's intentions were to talk about alcohol as a DEADLY LIQUID ('solution' meaning mixture) but the word 'solution' was looked upon as "an answer" instead. If you are not familiar with Ozzy's lyrics and true intentions, I strongly suggest before you pass judgement, to read the meaning behind the song. Suicide Solution: ================ Wine is fine But whiskey's quicker Suicide is slow with liquor Take a bottle drain your sorrows Then it cuts away tomorrows Evil thoughts and evil doings Cold, alone you hang in ruins Thought that you'd escape the reaper You can't escape the master keeper 'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie Such a shame who's to blame and you're wondering why Then you ask from your cask is there life after birth What you saw can mean hell on this earth Now you live inside a bottle The reaper's traveling at full throttle It's catching you but you don't see The reaper is you and the reaper is me Breaking laws, knocking doors But there's no one at home Made your bed, rest your head But you lie there and moan Where to hide, suicide is the only way out Don't you know what it's really about The song is clearly about the dangers of alcohol, but the song title could be misinterpreted just as well. Try as I might, I just can't see anything which tells a person to commit suicide. The only misleading words are in the song title. In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named John M. shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution". When the coroner entered the room, he found the headphones still on John's head. In 1986, Ozzy had just gotten off a plane at LAX airport when people began asking him about the "lawsuits". Ozzy knew nothing about any lawsuit but the details quickly emerged. Three lawsuits had been launched against Ozzy, claiming that his lyrics had caused youths to commit suicide. The family of John hired attorney Thomas Anderson in a lawsuit against Ozzy. Mr. Anderson claimed on the "Don't Blame Me" Ozzy video, that the song contained tones known as 'hemisync' and would cause a person to be unable to resist what was being said in the song. On Jan. 13, 1986 the parents of John, sued Ozzy. The lawsuit was thrown out on Dec. 19, 1986 by a California Superior Court judge. On July 18, 1988 an appeals court uphold the decision to dismiss the lawsuit. The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate the song. They found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the lyrics sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times the normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time listener. The IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough that their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to over and over again." The subliminal lyrics in question were "Why try, why try? Get the gun and try it! Shoot, Shoot, Shoot", followed by a hideous laughter. Further analysis by IBAR revealed the hemisync tones, which result from a patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual's mental state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the human brain assimilates and processes information. IBAR claimed these tones made John vulnerable to the suggestive lyrics which Ozzy sang. Ozzy's lawyer claimed that this was nonsense and relied upon the First Amendment of the Constitution to argue that Ozzy could write about anything he wanted. Three people had now taken their lives, and in each case it was Ozzy's 'Suicide Solution' song which was the focus as the cause of the deaths. Mr. Anderson claimed that the words, "shoot shoot, get the gun, get the gun" were audible in the song. There is an effect which can be heard on the song, that could be interpreted as that. The sounds were just Ozzy dicking around with the soundboard. There is the very real possibility which we must consider, that the record company wanted to promote publicity and placed these tones in purposely, but this is not for me to prove or disprove. Throughout the world, this problem would occur only in America. People were forced to now take a look at the family life instead of the actual music. Rather than blaming the music, families should have realized it was up to the parents to be strong role models and have good communication with their children. In all cases, Ozzy was found not at fault and has sworn that this was never the true meaning behind the song. Heavy metal seems to be a scape goat in which to blame teenagers problems such as drug abuse on. Yet teenagers who may listen to punk, jazz, or blues music may also suffer from substance abuse or commit suicide. As a parent, you should be keeping not only a close eye on the type of music your child is listening to, but get involved in their lives. Talk to them, ask them how are they doing, try to forge some kind of a relationship. When kids turn to heavy metal, sometimes though not always, it is a form of rebelling against a society or education system they dislike. What follows is an article written by a group calling themselves "Truth About Rock": '' One teenager who unfortunately succeeded in committing suicide was 14 year old Eric A. of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. His favorite groups were Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Quiet Riot, and Motley Crue. Eric's mother said, "He watched it (MTV) day and night. He... watched intil(sic) six o'clock in the morning." Eric and his friends were so obsessed with the rock scene that, the very night before he died, they held a seance and attempted to contack(sic) the spirits of dead rock stars. At 2:30 the next afternoon, with his eyes filled with tears, he said to his father, "Dad, I just can't cope with the pressure." He then went into his room, took his .22 rifle off the wall rack, and killed himself. '' [Right here we have some problems. If a kid is spending all his time in front of the television, it might be a wise idea for the parents to intervene. If you just let him soak up videos all day, there may be a problem. Hosting a seance is also not a normal social activity for a teenager. Why did the father not talk to his son?] '' Apparently, he had followed the deranged advice of one of his favorite rock singers, Ozzy Osbourne, who preaches in "Suicide Solution", "Suicide is the only way out/...Why don't you kill yourself 'cause you can't escape the Master Reaper..." {3} '' [This is bullshit. Ozzy never says "Why don't you kill yourself". This is a prime example of a religious group portraying Ozzy as a menace to society. If you read the lyrics of his song you would see otherwise.] '' Though Ozzy preaches such deadly lyrics, he defends himself saying, "Parents have called me and said, 'When my son died of a drug over-dose, your record was on the turntable.' I can't help that. These people are freaking out anyway, and they need a vehicle for the freakouts." {4} '' [I am not a long hair rock freak. I live a conservative life and am neutral in my views towards the church and Ozzy. I am not under the devil's influence, though some religious person could easily claim so for my negative views, but from my perspective this religious group is trying to blame the actions of this 14 year old on Ozzy. Drug abuse may be higher among the 'headbanger' heavy metal crowd, but to shift the blame to the music itself seems to suggest the person is all too easily influenced by music. Shouldn't television and newspapers also be censored then?] I will leave the closing words to the remainder of the groups article: '' Pathetically, Rock Stars themselves are being caught in the devastating grasp of suicide. Peter Townshend, formerly of The Who, acknowledged, "Rock is going to kill me somehow. Mentally or physically or some thing, it's going to get me in the end." {5} I myself spent 6 months contemplating suicide every day. The influence of Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll had almost destroyed my life. Until, with a knife in my hand, after trying to cut my wrists, I cried out "God help me!" From that moment on He began to change my life, and a short while later I became a 'born again' Christian. Whether you like it or not, you are in a battle for your life. The Devil wants to destroy you and he is using Rock music as a primary agent. But God has not given you life, only to have it choked out by the demented obsessions of Rock musicians. There is only one solution to your problems. Begin to live for God and not for yourself. Because Jesus loves you, He came to Earth to give His life in your place, so that you wouldn't have to die for your own sins. If you give your life back to Him, He will give you the peace you're looking for. '' For more information on Rock n'Roll, write to: Truth About Rock, Box 9222, North St. Paul, MN. 55109 Note: Since there is a constant turnover of new Rock groups some of those mentioned above may not currently be "hot". However, be assured that other groups have taken their place and continue to present a similar message. FOOTNOTES: {1} National Center For Health Statistics {2} Aurora Mackey, "The Frightening Facts About Teen Suicide"< Teen, 10/83 {3} Truth About Rock Report, June/July '85, p. 6 {4} "Heavy Metal Mania", Anne Fadiman, Life magazine, 12/84, p.112 {5} Time magazine Dec. 17, 1979, pg. 94