Join Me in Death

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“Join Me in Death”
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 ^ "Cold Fusion" by Martin Carlsson. Metal Hammer, April 2003. ^ "HIM - interview" by Erin Broadley. Modern Fix, issue 37. ^ "Join Me in Death" Chart Positions and Trajectories. Retrieved on 2008-03-27. v • d • e HIM Ville Valo · Mikko Lindström · Mikko Paananen · Janne Puurtinen · Mika Karppinen Discography Studio albums Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 · Razorblade Romance · Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights · Love Metal · Dark Light · Venus Doom EPs and demos Witches and Other Night Fears · This Is Only the Beginning · 666 Ways to Love: Prologue Compilation albums and box sets The Single Collection · And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 · Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666/Razorblade Romance/Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights · Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 · Uneasy Listening Vol. 2 · Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 & 2 DVD's The Video Collection: 1997-2003 · And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 · Love Metal Archives Vol. I · Digital Versatile Doom Singles "Your Sweet Six Six Six" · "Wicked Game" · "When Love and Death Embrace" · "It's All Tears (Drown in This Love)" · "Join Me in Death" · "Right Here in My Arms" · "Poison Girl" · "Gone With the Sin" · "Wicked Game" (2000) · "Your Sweet 666" (2000) · "Pretending" · "In Joy and Sorrow" · "Heartache Every Moment"/"Close to the Flame" · "The Funeral of Hearts" · "Buried Alive By Love" · "The Sacrament" · "Solitary Man" · "And Love Said No" · "Wings of a Butterfly" · "Vampire Heart" · "Killing Loneliness" · "The Kiss of Dawn" · "Bleed Well"