Theme From M*A*S*H (song)

“Suicide Is Painless” is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Mike Altman (lyrics), which is best known for having been featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H. The actual title is "Song from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless)". Mike Altman is the son of the original film’s director, Robert Altman, and was 14 years old when he wrote the song’s lyrics. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1980s, Robert Altman said that his son had earned more than a million US dollars for having co-written the song while he only made US$70,000 for having directed the movie.

The song was written specifically for Ken Prymus (playing Private Seidman) to sing during the faux suicide of another character, Walter "Painless Pole" Waldowski, in the film's infamous "Last Supper" scene, before the filming began. Robert Altman had two stipulations about the song for Mandel; first, it had to be called "Suicide is Painless", secondly, it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman tried to write the lyrics himself, but found that it was too difficult for his 45-year-old brain to write "stupid enough". Instead he gave the task to his 14-year-old-son, Michael, who apparently wrote the lyrics in five minutes.

Altman later decided that the song worked so well, he would use it as the film's main theme, despite Mandel's initial objections. This version was sung by uncredited session singers John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin and Ian Freebairn-Smith (the vocals are sometimes misattributed to Johnny Mandel, due to his being the only name officially credited for the song).

Several instrumental versions of the song were used as the theme for the TV series. Credited to "The Mash" when it appeared on the film's soundtrack album on Columbia/CBS Records in 1970, it belatedly became a number one hit in the UK in 1980 after being championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Noel Edmonds.

The song was ranked #66 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.

Track listing

 * 7" vinyl
 * Germany: CBS / 5009
 * UK: CBS / S CBS 8536
 * US: Columbia / JZSS 153321 [Promo only]
 * US: Columbia / ZSS 153321 [original release]

Manic Street Preachers version
Manic Street Preachers released a cover version of "Suicide Is Painless" in 1992. In the UK it was a double A-side charity single (to help The Spastics Society), with The Fatima Mansions' take on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" as the other A-side. The 12" and CD versions of the UK single included "Sleeping with the NME" - an excerpt from a radio documentary recorded in the offices of the NME, capturing staff's reaction to photographs of guitarist Richey Edwards's self-mutilation. The single peaked at #7 in the UK Singles Chart spending three weeks in the Top Ten. In other countries it was released as a Manic Street Preachers single, with different B-sides.

Track listings

 * 7" vinyl
 * UK: Columbia / 658382 7


 * Netherlands: Columbia / COL 658385 7


 * 12" vinyl
 * UK: Columbia / 658382 6


 * CD
 * UK: Columbia / 658382 2


 * Europe: Columbia / 658385 2


 * Japan: Epic/Sony / ESCA 5668

Cover versions

 * Grady Tate recorded a soul-jazz version of the song in April 1970 that appears on his second album, After the Long Drive Home (Skye).
 * Al De Lory recorded a jazz piano version of the tune (as "Song from MASH") that peaked at #7 on the adult contemporary chart during the summer of 1970.
 * Henry Mancini recorded an easy listening version of the song for his 1970 album Mancini Plays the Theme from Love Story.
 * Fung Bo Bo recorded a female-vocal version (in English) on a Malaysian EP (MMI Top 21006) in 1970.
 * Ahmad Jamal recorded an instrumental jazz-funk version of the song (as "Theme from M*A*S*H") on his 1974 release Jamalca. This version was included on some re-releases of the soundtrack album. Jamal recorded another version of the tune for his 1985 album Digital Works.
 * Roy Ayers recorded an instrumental version of the theme for his 1974 album Change Up the Groove.
 * Paul Desmond recorded an instrumental version on his 1974 album Pure Desmond.
 * Kerstin Forslund and Small Town Singers released a version in 1975. The single made the Top 100 chart in Australia.
 * Ray Conniff recorded an easy listening version on his 1976 album Theme from S.W.A.T. and Other TV Themes.
 * Bill Evans recorded a jazz piano trio version of the song for You Must Believe in Spring, an album posthumously released in 1980, having made it a staple of his live sets for some years. Evans' version modulates through 4 keys. The song is also recorded in a jazz piano trio version on the CD Bill Evans Trio, recorded live in Buenos Aires in 1979.
 * Cal Tjader recorded a version on his album The Shining Sea (1981).
 * Jimmy Smith recorded a version on his album Off the Top (1982).
 * Art Of Noise perform a short instrumental interpolation on their 1984 track "A Time for Fear (Who's Afraid)", featured on both Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? and Daft.
 * Royal Trux recorded a version for the BBC John Peel radio show in 1993. It was released in 1997 on a Royal Trux compilation called Singles, Live, Unreleased. On the compilation the song is titled "Theme from M.A.S.H."
 * Killarmy sampled the music for their 1997 track "5 Stars" from the Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars album.
 * Edgar Cruz recorded an instrumental cover of the song for his 1997 album Reminiscence titled "M*A*S*H Theme".
 * Jay-Jay Johanson performed a version of this song on France Inter in 1997, later released on a promotional CD. In 2011 it appeared on his CD Spellbound.
 * Marilyn Manson did a version for the soundtrack of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 in 2000.
 * Barði Jóhannsson and Keren Ann recorded a version on their album Lady and Bird (2003).
 * Stewie Griffin sang a part of it on Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story in 2005.
 * Matt Costa, singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California, USA covered the song on his six-track The Elasmosaurus EP in 2005.
 * Kelis does her own interpretation of the song in her single "Lil Star" (with Cee-Lo), released in 2007.
 * The Drones performed an acoustic version in 2008 on Triple J in Australia.
 * Ania Dąbrowska recorded a version of this song on her album Ania Movie (2010).
 * Amanda Lear recorded an acoustic and a dance version of this song on her 2009's cd ''Brief Encounters.
 * Tripod did a short acoustic rendition of the theme in the song "Lingering Dad". Additionally, portions of the theme were later used in the song "Theme from Mash Guy" - a comedic song about a fictionalised writer of the song in an existentialist crisis over being known only as "the theme from M*A*S*H guy".
 * The Crackling has a cover on their 2012 EP "Ashen".