# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/101 "2020-01-17T22:43:09Z")
_Crazy Mary_. A chilling song by the under-appreciated Victoria Williams. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/102 "2020-01-18T01:44:12Z")
> [@Philliam](#): > > _Crazy Mary_. A chilling song by the under-appreciated Victoria Williams. [Covered by Pearl Jam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ITWtozyqw) on the fantastic Victoria Williams benefit and tribute album [Sweet Relief](https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-relief-a-benefit-for-victoria-williams-mw0000619371)from 1992. It’s one of the best sampler albums of the nineties. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/103 "2020-02-11T05:55:40Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > [Ghost](https://genius.com/Badflower-ghost-lyrics), by Badflower. FINALLY! Great band! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/104 "2020-02-11T22:12:21Z")
Has anyone mentioned **Suicide Chump** by Zappa? A cruelly cynical comment on (supposedly) attempted suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/105 "2020-02-11T22:30:06Z")
Almost every song wrote by David Berman under the band names Silver Jews or Purple Mountains will qualify. He fought severe depression all his life and wrote very humanly and eloquently about it. He lost the battle last year. The music is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/106 "2020-02-11T22:52:25Z")
> [@Philliam](#): > > _Crazy Mary_. A chilling song by the under-appreciated Victoria Williams. That reminds me that there was a song in the early 70’s called “Crazy Annie” that I liked, but nobody else ever heard of. It was about characters from Midnight Cowboy, but I don’t think it was in the soundtrack. ETA: found it. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kr6skvq-kGo/hqdefault.jpg "Evie Sands - Crazy Annie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr6skvq-kGo) ---
**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:** [February 12, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/107 "2020-02-12T15:12:33Z")
Don McLean’s Vincent about Vincent von Gogh, who certainly had his mental problems. And Men At Work’s Who Could It Be Now is so obviously about paranoia that I cannot believe I’m the first to mention it! Who can it be knocking at my door? Make no sound, tip-toe across the floor If he hears, he’ll knock all day I’ll be trapped, and here I’ll have to stay I’ve done no harm, I keep to myself; There’s nothing wrong with my state of mental health I like it here with my childhood friend; Here they come, those feelings again! ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/108 "2020-02-12T15:19:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And Men At Work’s Who Could It Be Now is so obviously about paranoia that I cannot believe I’m the first to mention it! You \*were \*the first to mention it… …in post #37. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/109 "2020-02-14T20:43:58Z")
I wanna be committed, by Sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/110 "2020-02-14T21:31:07Z")
_Twisted Nerve_ - The Damned _All Hail Me_ - Veruca Salt _Quadrophenia_ (entire album) - The Who ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/111 "2020-02-17T01:13:37Z")
Copacabana (OK, deals with the result of a horrible occurrence): “She’s lost her youth, and she’s lost her Tony, now she’s lost her mind”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/112 "2020-02-17T05:46:50Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > [Covered by Pearl Jam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ITWtozyqw) on the fantastic Victoria Williams benefit and tribute album [Sweet Relief](https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-relief-a-benefit-for-victoria-williams-mw0000619371)from 1992. It’s one of the best sampler albums of the nineties. In addition to _Jeremy,_, Pearl Jam had a bonus/unreleased track titled _Dirty Frank_, which is about their tour bus driver being a cannibal. The track is very tongue-in-cheek. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/113 "2020-02-17T15:51:42Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > In addition to _Jeremy,_, Pearl Jam had a bonus/unreleased track titled _Dirty Frank_, which is about their tour bus driver being a cannibal. The track is very tongue-in-cheek. And finger in cheek, and thigh in cheek… ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/114 "2020-02-17T20:17:06Z")
Peter Gabriel - “[Lead a Normal Life](https://youtu.be/-GgEu0Sbiv8)” _Eating with a spoon… they don’t give you knives…_ ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/115 "2020-02-18T12:12:30Z")
Most of the tracks on Electro-shock blues by Eels would count. [Electro-Shock Blues - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-Shock_Blues) E wrote it as therapy while going through a terrible time in his life. I love the last line on the album though; ‘maybe it’s time to live’ ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/116 "2020-02-18T15:36:12Z")
Many of the most unsettling examples are courtesy of Melanie, the “Brand New Key” singer. Lots of people _sing about_ being emotionally & cognitively disturbed, but she could convince you you were hearing someone unravelling in front of the microphone: [Look What They Done](https://youtu.be/Gx_WQGp7YJg?t=35) [Johnny Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiaEtQN6kBM) [In the Hour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kAcuNrN3JU) Even when she wasn’t singing lyrics that specifically referenced being off-balance, it tended to lurk in her music: [I Really Loved Harold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNO8BlJxhZY) [Beautiful People](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDkc3frIJQ) [Animal Crackers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6szZYWfS8o) … of course that was part of the charm. All that personal vulnerability, making you feel like she’d understand _your_ cracked and broken interior parts and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/117 "2020-02-18T20:06:48Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Melanie From “Candles in the Rain”: _We were so close there was no room We bled inside each other’s wounds_ Damn but that’s a great line. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/118 "2020-02-18T20:29:54Z")
Speaking of Melanie, she also had some fun satirizing the subject in “[Psychotherapy](https://youtu.be/fBIaZ9aTWco).” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252/119 "2020-02-19T19:18:37Z")
Jimmy Buffet - Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, “If we weren’t all crazy we would go insane” King Crimson - Three Of A Perfect Pair, “One, one too many schizophrenic tendencies, keeps it complicated…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mental-illness/845252.md?page=5)