# Songs About Mental Illness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252 "2019-12-22T20:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/21 "2019-12-23T03:00:03Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > If you can think of examples of songs about mental illness by those who were mentally ill, even better, since its coming from a familiar place, as opposed to someone writing about something they don’t know. > > Pink Floyd - Brain Damage > > I think Roger is intelligent and was troubled, but he had it under control… Someone like Jim Morrison did not have control. Perhaps “Break on Through” is one of many, since many of his lyrics are surreal and can be interpreted differently, where Roger is very direct. Mental illness is a common theme is Pink Floyd’s music, so I guess it depends on how much of the song needs to be specifically devoted to it, and just how obvious/overt the link must be, to consider the song to be “about” mental illness. A good portion of their catalogue might fit the bill. For instance, “If” from _Atom Heart Mother_ has the line “if I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain” and seems to deal more broadly with depression and loneliness. Honestly, I think it’s more “about” actual mental illness than “Brain Damage” is, titles not withstanding (not that I’m not saying “Brain Damage” isn’t also about mental illness). And then there’s _The Wall_ and _The Final Cut_, which are whole albums dealing with, among other things, problems of the psyche—mental illness, if you will. And, bringing it around to your “from a familiar place” criteria, it’s generally understood that much of the content of those two albums (and most especially the last) was heavily influenced by his own personal feelings, if not always his own personal experiences (I mean, shit, it’s not like _he_ ever went up against tiger tanks along the approaches to the Anzio beachhead or landed in the Falklands). ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/22 "2019-12-23T04:17:54Z")
Pretty much the collected works of psychedelic pioneer Roky Erickson, who struggled with schizophrenia for most of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/23 "2019-12-23T06:51:52Z")
The best example I know is the album “On My Way to Where” by Dory Previn. She had a history of psychosis and depression, and had a breakdown that landed her in a mental hospital. Her therapist suggested to Previn that she write songs as part of her therapy, which eventually became this album. Several of the tracks are available on Youtube. Here are some. [Scared to Be Alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQo86OX9X1Y&list=PLIFodIZSbJUGrfmVBIHhALwI7fLbT9ZoF) [Esther’s First Communion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc5dRWiJFvM) - This describes the onset of her mental illness, and her mother’s reaction to it. [With My Daddy in the Attic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc-BSq0yUQk) - Previn’s father was also mentally ill, and at one point out of paranoia he locked himself in the attic. The lyrics come very close to saying that she had an incestuous relationship with her father. [Beware of Young Girls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmi7eeCNVvo) - Dory Previn’s husband Andre Previn had an affair with Mia Farrow, which Dory blamed for her breakdown. This song is an attack on Farrow. [Twenty Mile Zone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35PTBEw8F8) - This song is based on a true incident where Previn was practicing primal scream therapy in her car and she was pulled over by a cop. [Mr. Whisper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRN-GPFDTx4) - This is about the voices in her head, the electroshock therapy that was used to treat her hallucinations, and the breakdown she had while a passenger on a commercial flight. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/24 "2019-12-23T07:47:22Z")
An obscure one: [An Inmate’s Lullaby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9UG0OHijsw) by Gentle Giant. One of the more peculiar songs from a pretty peculiar band. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/25 "2019-12-23T08:18:05Z")
[Imaginary Lover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQFHy6mM5A) by Atlanta Rhythm Section might qualify. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/26 "2019-12-23T08:22:48Z")
I always thought Drive by the Cars might be talking about mental illness, though there are varied interpretations of that song. In Alice Coopers 2 creepiest songs [years Ago](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PaLqqcx5I) and [Steven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt5Y__olA80) the protagonist is clearly in the depths of madness. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/27 "2019-12-23T08:27:08Z")
Oh, and how can we forget Angie Baby (“It’s so nice to be insane, no-one asks you to explain.”) Delta Dawn or I suppose pretty much anything by Helen Reddy for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/28 "2019-12-23T08:34:26Z")
Oops. Let me try this again, with fixed links: Oh, and how can we forget [Angie Baby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjZy00iHM-8) (“It’s so nice to be insane, no-one asks you to explain.”) [Delta Dawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afsp7MU-nTI) or I suppose pretty much anything by Helen Reddy for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/29 "2019-12-23T08:37:19Z")
I’m Going Slightly Mad-Queen My favorite line- I think I’m a banana tree ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/30 "2019-12-23T11:18:52Z")
Jenny by Nothing More ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_(Nothing_More_song)), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWr2pj6kqM)) > [@](#): > > You’re beginning to drag the ones you love down > Will this phase ever end? > A thousand arms to hold you > But you won’t reach for any hands Halestorm Chemicals [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn_H4MvxOzU) > [@](#): > > I am not insane > Blame the chemicals inside my brain > I need the pain to get me through > Just like you [Lyrics](https://genius.com/Halestorm-chemicals-lyrics) ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/31 "2019-12-23T11:56:25Z")
Two hits in a row by the Stones, [19th Nervous Breakdown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEseb6-hssc) [Paint It Black](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/32 "2019-12-23T12:40:08Z")
[Sanitarium Blues](https://youtu.be/2fb13jO7v3Y) , Townes van Zandt. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/33 "2019-12-23T13:10:44Z")
[Paranoid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk_wUT1CvWM), Black Sabbath. And the complete works of Kurt Cobain. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/34 "2019-12-23T13:33:16Z")
_Lump_ by The Presidents of the USA “Lump lingered last in line for brains and the one she got was sort of rotten and insane” _Sunny Came Home_ by Shawn Colvin is about a woman planning to burn a (her?) house down ---
**Author:** ![Grave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grave)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/35 "2019-12-23T14:06:07Z")
Sadly enough, the vast majority of [Linkin Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkin_Park)’s songs always seemed to resonate with people (like myself) who struggled with substance abuse and depression. After singer [Chester Bennington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Bennington)’s suicide it became apparent why. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/36 "2019-12-23T14:09:46Z")
Richard Thompson’s “Grey Walls” is a fairly unsettling description of having a loved one institutionalized. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/37 "2019-12-23T14:13:41Z")
Men At Work’s Who Could It Be Now is a homage to total paranoia. Sting’s Every Breath You Take is the tale of a stalker. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/38 "2019-12-23T14:18:59Z")
“You Done My Brain In” by the Bonzo Dog Band. Lead singer Vivian Stanshall was actually institutionalized for a short time after the band broke up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/39 "2019-12-23T15:08:35Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I don’t think Willie Nelson was really Crazy. Patsy Cline had her demons. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/40 "2019-12-23T15:14:39Z")
Randy Hanzlick- [_I’d Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me(Then Have To Have A Frontal Lobotomy)_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr-kn0JG5p4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252.md?page=3)