'I want you to be alive': Rapper Logic's 1-800-273-8255 song linked to fewer suicides, study suggests

The powerful lyrics and storytelling in American rapper Logic's song, 1-800-273-8255, is credited with increased calls to the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800 273-TALK) and a corresponding decline in suicides in the U.S. following three public events that garnered the most attention for the song, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in The BMJ.

The song is about someone in suicidal crisis, and begins with Logic expressing that hopelessness. It is followed by Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara responding with empathy and a positive message of hope, and ends with Logic singing about persevering and a desire to live. The song also features American music artist, Khalid.

The accompanying music video follows the life of a young Black man struggling with disapproval and bullying for being gay, trying to find acceptance and contemplating suicide, before reaching out to Lifeline with a phone call. The video ends years later, when he has found love, happiness, and acceptance.

The influential effects of the song illustrate the positive impact popular media can have on vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups experiencing thoughts of suicide, researchers say.

The observational study, led by Thomas Niederkrotenthaler at the Medical University of Vienna, assessed the changes in daily call volumes to the hotline before and after the song was released, the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2018 Grammy Awards – the three periods when the song generated some of its most intense public attention.