Top 10 Suicidal Tendencies Songs

Photo: Morten Amundsen [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Our Top 10 Suicidal Tendencies Songs looks at an American thrash band formed in the early 1980s. The band has formed a considerable following over time. Our Top 10 Suicidal Tendencies Songs list takes a look at some of the best material the band has released over the years.

10. War Inside My Head

We open our top 10 Suicidal Tendencies songs list with a track from the band’s second album, Join The Army. The album was long-awaited, not coming out until four years after their debut, and is considered one of the most crucial albums to combine thrash and punk. The record is one of the band’s most celebrated, and it reached number 100 on the Billboard 200.

It was their first album to feature Rocky George on guitar and R.J. Herrera on drums, and their last with Louchie Mayorga on bass, who, however, co-wrote some songs on their next album. This was also their last LP to feature hardcore punk, as they adopted a more metal style on the next release, which they have continued ever since. This track was featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Metallica. Two re-recordings of it were featured on Still Cyco After All These Years.

9. Get Whacked

This next track is taken from the group’s fifth album Lights…Camera…Revolution! The album was released in 1990. It was the final album to feature what is considered the band’s strongest line-up. Drummer R.J. Herrera would leave before the recording of the band’s next album. The record saw the band veering even further away from their punk roots and becoming more refined as a pure thrash metal band, although it could be argued that this had been the case for some time.

They had now begun to employ more complex song structures, and the lyrics were written in a more varied, less to-the-point manner than in the earlier material. This album also introduced more elements of funk metal, likely due to the addition of Rob Trujillo on bass. The album was very commercially successful, with several singles from it receiving heavy rotation on MTV.

8. Nobody Hears

Up next is this track from the band’s sixth album The Art of Rebellion. It was the album’s first single and became their biggest hit in the US at the time, reaching number 28 on the Billboard Chart. After Herrera’s departure, the band recorded the album with renowned session drummer Josh Freese, known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, among many others. To date, it is their most commercially successful album, with this track and “I’ll Hate You Better” being the only top-40 hits they have ever had.

Many fans often describe it as ST’s “experimental album.” Guitarist Mike Clark acknowledged this but also stated that this was not the intention and that the album’s sound was just a natural progression. The funk elements introduced were continued and expanded on this record. It also featured more progressive elements and pop-oriented sounds that helped the band to blend into the then-prominent 90’s alternative movement. This track had a video which was directed by Samuel Bayer, who had recently directed the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Another aspect of its experimentation was its 60-minute length, which made it their longest album until 13.

7. Cyco Vision

This track is from 1999’s Freedumb , which was Suicidal Tendencies’ first album after they reformed. This track harks back to their hardcore days, featuring none of the thrash-funk that had become a key aspect of their sound over the past few years. It was featured in the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4.

6. Trip At the Brain

This song is from the third album, How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today, released in 1988, and was also its first single. The album was their major label debut on Epic Records. It was also Mike Clark’s first recording with the band and the only one with bassist Bob Heathcote, who would be replaced by Trujillo on the next album. The record continued the band’s progression from punk to metal, as they learned more complex playing styles, leading to longer songs. It also had a better production, which enabled the new sound to develop well. It was moderately successful, reaching 111 on the Billboard Charts.

5. I Saw Your Mommy

With this next entry, we go all the way back to the first album, their self-titled debut from 1983. Despite being a lot less commercially accessible than much of their later material, it sold very well, which was no doubt a factor in the band’s future success. It received a positive critical reception and has gone on to sell well in consecutive years. It was re-recorded ten years later as Still Cyco After All These Years.

4. Send Me Your Money

This track is yet another single from Lights…Camera…Revolution! It also had a video that received heavy airplay on MTV, notably being featured on Beavis and Butt-Head. It was their only ever single to chart in the UK. Despite not being released until 1990, the song was written several years earlier and had been a regular staple of their setlist as far back as 1985.

The track begins with a drum intro and is then followed by one of Trujillo’s funky basslines. The riff is reused from “You’ll Be Sorry” (which is part 2 of the track “Suicides An Alternative”) from the first album. The lyrics are about crooked preachers taking money from gullible followers. Trujillo performs two impressive bass solos during the song.

3. How Will I Laugh Tomorrow

This (partial) title track from the third album was its second single, which also had a promo video. It is definitely one of the highlights of the album, featuring some rather deep lyrics dealing with depression. The track generally shows the band’s ability to successfully write a slow ballad without it sounding clunky. There is an acoustic remix that suits the track’s tone and lyrical content even better.

2. You Can’t Bring Me Down

At the number two spot on our Top 10 Suicidal Tendencies Songs list is one of the band’s best-known songs from Lights. It was a successful single despite not charting. The song takes time to build up. It begins with a whammy bar solo, followed by an acoustic part over which a solo is played. After a while, it speeds up and then kicks in properly. Muir’s lyrics deal with the general stress that comes from dealing with people who have always tried to put him down. He puts in a very angry performance but also adds a humorous touch. It was written by Muir and Rocky George.

The video was a favorite on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. It had its own story to tell, taking the opportunity to take a stab at censorship groups such as the PMRC and places in Los Angeles that banned them from playing. It depicts Muir being arrested by a group of authority figures who then put him into an electric chair and execute him.

1. Institutionalised

At the top of our Suicidal Tendencies Songs list is this single from the first album, which has always been a favorite with fans and a staple of the band’s live shows. It was the album’s only single, and it played a vital part in the band achieving mainstream success.

It was re-recorded ten years later and featured on Still Cyco After All These Years. That version was nominated for Best Metal Performance at that year’s Grammys but lost to Ozzy Osbourne’s “I Don’t Want to Change the World.”

The track is also known for its video, which sees Muir walking through various locations whilst ranting the lyrics about being institutionalized by the school, the church, and his own parents. His father in the video is played by Jack Nance of Eraserhead fame.