Join Me in Death

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“Join Me in Death”
“Join Me in Death” cover
Single by HIM
from the album Razorblade Romance
Released 1999
Format CD single
Genre Alternative rock
Label BMG
Producer John Fryer
HIM singles chronology
"It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)"
(1999)		 "Join Me in Death"
(1999)		 "Right Here in My Arms"
(2000)

"Join Me in Death" is the first single by the Finnish band HIM taken from their second studio album Razorblade Romance. It was also released as "Join Me", since they weren't allowed to include "Death" in the title for the US version. This song is the band's best-known song in Europe, where it made HIM a household name after being featured in the sci-fi movie The Thirteenth Floor.


Four versions of the song's video exist: three "lazer versions", two of which includes different scenes from the Thirteenth Floor movie, and the fourth - "ice version", with a vague Romeo and Juliet theme also attributed to the song. This has met with controversy regarding its subject matter. "A couple of people blamed me for a suicide someone committed over here saying that 'Join Me' is an invitation to kill yourself," HIM frontman Ville Valo told the European magazine Metal Hammer in 2003. "What I was trying to do was sort of rip-off 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by Blue Öyster Cult, making a rock track of Romeo And Juliet."[1] Lyrics such as "Would you die tonight for love?" have contributed to the misconception that the song is about suicide, which Valo denies, claiming the lyrics refer to giving things up for the sake of love. "It's not about suicide, that song. It's about giving it all away," Valo told the magazine Modern Fix.[2]

In addition to its release on Razorblade Romance and in the film The Thirteenth Floor (though not on its soundtrack), "Join Me" was included on the Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack in 2004. The band Gregorian covered "Join Me" with Sarah Brightman on their album Masters of Chant: Chapter III and on Brightman's Limited Edition The Harem Tour album. Another Gregorian version exist with vocals performed by Amelia Brightman.

HIM performed this song for the (first time) in Ilosaarirock, Finland on the 12th of September, 1998, which featured a whole extra verse which is not included in the studio versions.

[edit] Track listing

International release
  1. "Join Me in Death" - 3:39
  2. "Join Me in Death" (13th Floor mix) - 3:39
  3. "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" (Unplugged Radio live) - 3:48
  4. "Rebel Yell" (Live version) (Billy Idol cover) - 5:12
Swedish release
  1. "Join Me in Death" - 3:39
  2. "Rebel Yell" (Live) - 5:12
German release
  1. "Join Me in Death" - 3:39
  2. "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" (Unplugged Radio live) - 3:48
  3. "Rebel Yell" (Live) - 5:12
  4. "Dark Sekret Love" * - 5:17
  • * - Only available on a limited edition version of the German release
HER release
  1. "Join Me" - 3:36
Portuguese release (Featured as a McDonald's Promo)
  1. "Join Me in Death" - 3:39
  2. "Join Me in Death" (Video)

[edit] Charts

Chart Peak
position[3]
Austrian Singles Chart 2
Belgian Singles Chart 37
Dutch Singles Chart 33
Finnish Singles Chart 1
German Singles Chart 1
Italian Singles Chart 30
Latvian Airplay Top 1
Swedish Singles Chart 52
Swiss Singles Chart 8

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Cold Fusion" by Martin Carlsson. Metal Hammer, April 2003.
  2. ^ "HIM - interview" by Erin Broadley. Modern Fix, issue 37.
  3. ^ "Join Me in Death" Chart Positions and Trajectories. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
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HIM
Ville Valo · Mikko Lindström · Mikko Paananen · Janne Puurtinen · Mika Karppinen
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