dj saved my life
“I don’t have the passion anymore, and so remember,
it’s better to burn out than to fade away.”
— from Kurt Cobain’s suicide note
The power of music is unquestionable, a song can save lives, a song can destroy lives. We sometimes tell each other: “I was moved to tears by this song” or “This artist helped me getting over a dark period”. Right now, as reading this, you surely have your own song in mind, as do I.
A specific story tells us a lot about the incredible influence music has in our lives.
Following the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, sent out an internal memo containing a list of songs that program directors felt were "lyrically questionable" to be played in the aftermath of the attack. The list contained 165 suggestions that referred to inappropriate content, such as Living On A Jet Plane by John Denver or Elton John’s hit Rocket Man, but also You Dropped A Bomb On Me by Gap Band and of course Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire. And you might think: it kind of makes sense, at least for a little while to avoid listening to too many references about planes, bombs, fire and violence. But the Clear Channel Memorandum, as the list then became infamously renowned, also contained songs about peace and friendship, about togetherness and solidarity. So no more Blowing In The Wind, nor Imagine, nor Bridge Over Troubled Water. F**king Bridge Over f**king Troubled Water!? Many still today think that the list was part of a broader plan promoted by US authorities to clear the way for Donald Rumsfeld’s agenda in the Middle East. But yeah, this story tells us quite a lot about the influence music has on our feelings.
And music never feared fragility: sombre feelings play a huge role in music history, chanting lost or forbidden love, mourning, patriotic nostalgia, plain sadness for no reason. We’ve all gone through a Blower’s Daughter moment, at least once, haven’t we? So from Bach to My Chemical Romance, from the Portuguese Fado to the Irish Lament, melancholy has played a big role in music worldwide.
***
“A song by US rapper Logic that references the name of a suicide prevention helpline led to a “notable increase” in the number of calls to the service and may have reduced the number of suicides, new research has found.
Titled 1-800-273-8255 – the number for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – the song generated strong public attention upon its release and following two notable performances. […]
Analysis found that 1-800-273-8255 was associated with a call volume increase of 6.9% to Lifeline during the 34-day period when public attention to the song was substantial.
Over the same period there was some evidence of a reduction in suicides amounting to 245 fewer suicides, a decrease of 5.5%, the study showed.”
* The Guardian, December 16th 2021
Literally as in Indeep’s 1982 hit Last night a DJ saved my life (“Last night a DJ saved my life from a broken heart / Last night a DJ saved my life with a song”)!
It’s April 2017 when rapper Logic releases his new single featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid. The 7-minute-long video tells the story of a young gay man being pushed away from friends and family and discriminated against at school for his sexual orientation; a series of incidents that move him to consider suicide but eventually he decides to call the Lifeline and to desist. The video at this moment counts over 430 million views on YouTube.
"1-800-273-8255" eventually reached third place on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received nominations for Song of the Year and Best Music Video at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
So, not marginal at all but extremely mainstream, if I’m allowed to say; and this piece of information plays a huge role, when somebody might object that stories like this are easier to encounter in underground scenes.
What happened to Logic’s song is considered in psychology as the Papageno effect; in which mass media can influence audiences by responsibly reporting on suicide and presenting non-suicide alternatives to crises (mass media may also include news reportings, social media, movies, TV shows, books, blogs, and theatre). It is named after Mozart’s 18th century opera The Magic Flute, in which Papageno is one of the main characters: he initially loses his love and feels that the only way out of his pain is suicide, but before he can act on it, three characters show him other ways to solve his problems.
The Papageno effect is a quite recent deal and has rapidly become a thing worldwide.
After the implementation of the subway system in Vienna in 1978 it became increasingly common as means to commit suicide, with the suicide rates showing a sharp increase. This and the fact that the mass-media reported on these events in a very dramatic fashion led to the formation of a study-group of the Austrian Association for Suicide Prevention (ÖVSKK), which developed media guidelines and launched a media campaign in mid-1987. Subsequently, media reporting changed noticeably and the number of subway-suicides and attempts dropped more than 80% from the first to the second half of 1987, remaining at a rather low level ever since. (* “Preventing suicide by influencing mass-media reporting. The Viennese experience 1980–1996” - Elmar Etzersdorfer & Gernot Sonneck, March 1998, Springer Link)
“1-800-273-8255” and especially its video is a perfect representation of this kind of effect.
***
When I heard the news about the British Medical Journal’s report, without knowing the first thing about Logic (sorry, Logic) I instantly thought that the song was a tribute of some kind that the artist meant for a lost friend or similar. Nothing of the kind. “1-800-273-8255” has a totally fictional plot with no references to Logic’s personal life.
When I jumped on a tour bus that started in Los Angeles, California and I ended in New York City and did a fan tour where I went to fans' houses and shared meals with them, hung out with them, played them my album before it came out. Them along with other people on tour, just fans that I met randomly, they've said things like, "Your music has saved my life. You've saved my life." And I was always like, "Aw so nice of you. Thanks." And I give them a hug and shit but in my mind, I'm like, "What the fuck?" And they're really serious. And they tat shit on their arms and get shit like lyrics that save their life and in my mind, I was like, "Man I wasn't even trying to save nobody's life." And then it hit me, the power that I have as an artist with a voice. I wasn't even trying to save your life. Now what can happen if I actually did?
* Logic interviewed by Genius, 2017
Yeah, what if he actually did? What if Logic really put an effort in writing lyrics meant to save lives? Artists such as him, who reach millions - basically brands - have a very strong influence on their audiences, especially since the rise of social media, where the daily insight into their private lives makes fans an integral part of their existence, beyond professional performances. Brands, on the other hand, are taking over celebrities’ old role, leaving their impact strictly tied to their rare appearances.
Let us imagine for a brief moment a world where the higher purpose of an artist, as well as of a brand, is not economical revenue, but what is best for their audiences. This means that “doing good” is not only to be carried out under the guise of charity, but also needs to be incorporated into the art itself and into the product itself. Sustainability, just to name one, would then not be some kind of communicative compensation, but the top priority of the company.
We are talking about a plain revolution in the creative process. When thinking about your next product or service try to conceive the idea not thinking “how can I make my company richer”, but “how can I leave a greater and more meaningful impact on our audience’s lives”.
It is an exercise an alliance of British advertising agencies, among others, has carried out founding #ChangeTheBrief: not finding ways to make productions “as green as possible”, but to conceive creative concepts that are already green from the minute they are born, long before starting to shoot.
Sustainability cannot remain a reparatory tool to apply on productive misconduct like sunscreen, or a mandatory chapter of communication strategies, it urgently needs to become the highest priority in any business operation.
Going back to the musical metaphor, let us imagine that as the Conscious Rap movement (of which Logic is part) is a precise genre and artistic label, also Conscious Branding shouldn’t just be some shout-out sexy catchphrase for desperate marketers, but a warranty seal carved in stone which the company should be held accountable to if broken.
Doing good should not be collateral. It shouldn’t happen by accident. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Doing good should be our natural call, whether for our peers or for the environment.
“Who can relate?” asks Logic in his score. This should be the basis of any creative thought from now on, whether business- or art oriented. To search for an empathic dimension in which to implement our contribution to humanity and if we do so, guaranteed, revenue will follow.
This said, allow me to end this episode by spending a few words about mental health specifically: at this moment in time, a discussion about this topic is extremely urgent, especially for younger generations. Considering that Logic’s song was released in the pre-pandemic era, imagine how relevant a public debate about mental health has become nowadays.
From the website of the World Health Organization:
Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety. Meanwhile, COVID-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection ̶ they may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death.
* COVID-19 disrupting mental health services in most countries, WHO survey
We already entered 2022 and no brands that I know of have taken a stance on this topic. It is an emergency: don’t wait for it to become newsworthy, help because it’s the right thing to do.
“Who can relate?”
first appeared on Human Brands Observatory on January 21st 2022
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