Music is one of the few things in life that is universally enjoyed. The first few notes of our favorite songs are enough to instantly brighten our day. Yet despite the good vibes, the music industry itself is a bit of a horror show. Between songs said to drive the listener mad, murderers citing song lyrics as inspiration, and supposedly cursed pieces of music, it's enough to wipe the smile from anyone's face. Check out these terrifying tales of musical mayhem.
10. 'Suicide Solution' - Ozzy Osbourne
On October 26, 1984, John Daniel McCollum was listening to a record by his idol, Ozzy Osbourne. The 19-year-old was lying on his bed, his headphones turning out the tracks. During the final song, "Suicide Solution," the seemingly cheerful teen grabbed a gun and ended his own life.
McCollum's parents were quick to accuse Osbourne of encouraging their son to commit suicide, claiming that lyrics like, "Suicide is the only way out," had brainwashed him. They took the artist to court in 1986, where Osbourne claimed that the tragedy had been a simple misunderstanding. " 'Solution' as in liquid, not a way out," he explained. "The song's about the dangers of alcoholism."
The case was dismissed in 1988, but the supposedly evil tune wasn't finished yet. The very same year the McCollums filed their lawsuit, another teen took his own life after listening to the notorious song. The result was another dismissed lawsuit—as well as a bizarre and unsettling pattern.
9. 'Exit' - U2
U2's "Exit" tells the dark tale of a religious fanatic turned murderer. Inspired by the story of executed convicted killer Gary Gilmore, it's understandably a bit heavy. But it became even more so following the events of July 18, 1989, when a madman decided the song had ordered him to take a human life.
Arizona native Robert John Bardo, obsessed with actress Rebecca Schaeffer, stalked her for three years before murdering her outside her apartment building. Later in court, Bardo claimed the lyrics from "Exit" had inspired him to commit the savage point-blank shooting, specifically lines like "pistol weighing heavy." When played during the trial, the normally emotionless Bardo disturbingly lit up, bobbing to the music and mouthing the lyrics.
Luckily, the senseless tragedy wasn't pinned on the band, and Bardo was convicted of first-degree murder. He remains imprisoned—and presumably completely nuts—to this day.
8. The Ninth Symphony - Anyone
For nearly 200 years now, a curse has plagued composers the world over: Soon after completing his ninth symphony, a musician is doomed to die. Despite all logic and rationality, a tenth symphony remains tragically just out of reach for a staggeringly large number of composers.
Beginning with Beethoven's untimely death while penning his tenth in 1827, the curse has since claimed scores of classical musicians, such as Anton Bruckner, Vaughan Williams, and Antonin Dvorak. Of course, it could be argued that the deaths are simply a product of old age. After all, it can take decades to write nine symphonies. But there are also the ridiculously early deaths of Gustav Mahler at 50 of heart failure and Franz Schubert of typhoid at a depressing 31, both after writing their ninth symphonies.
But fear not, would-be music makers, because American composer Philip Glass has recently beaten the dreaded curse. He wrote his tenth before releasing his ninth, just to be safe. It seems to have worked, although an audience member collapsed at number nine's premiere.
7. 'Better By You, Better Than Me' - Judas Priest
On a December evening in 1985, 20-year-old James Vance and 18-year-old Raymond Belknap stumbled into an abandoned playground. The two had spent the day drugging themselves into oblivion and decided to cap it off with a little suicide. Belknap shot himself and died immediately, but Vance only managed to injure himself. (He finally killed himself three years later.)
