Rock And Role Models

There is no question that the life-styles, philosophies, and lyrics of some rock stars are a damaging influence on American youth. Here are some examples of song lyrics that deal with death and suicide:

• AC/DC’s "Shoot to Thrill" tells listeners to pull the trigger for a super thrill.

• "Kill Yourself to Live" by Black Sabbath is a ballad of hopelessness and despair.

• Blue Oyster Cult’s video (I'm Burning for You), shows a young man who kills himself by setting his car on fire. This group also produced "Don’t Fear the Reaper," which describes a suicide pact between two lovers.

• The group Loverboy sings "Teenage Overdose."

• The Pet Shop Boys perform a video that shows a gun pointed to the head. The song "West End" tells listeners they are better off dead.

The best-known of all the controversial songs is Ozzy Osbourne's “Suicide Solution." The lyrics describe the life of a boy locked inside his house from a horrible world. After listening to Osbourne’s albums for several hours, John McCollum, nineteen, killed himself with one shot from his father’s pistol.

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