Suicide Is Painless

"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel (music) and Michael Altman (lyric). It was the theme song for both the movie and TV series "M*A*S*H".
Background.
The song was written specifically for Ken Prymus, the actor playing Private Seidman, who sang it during the faux-suicide of Walter "Painless Pole" Waldowski (John Schuck) in the film's "Last Supper" scene. Director Robert Altman had two stipulations about the song for Mandel: it had to be called "Suicide Is Painless" and it had to be the "stupidest song ever written". Altman attempted to write the lyric himself, but, upon finding it too difficult for his 45-year-old brain to write "stupid enough," he gave the task to his 14-year-old-son Michael, who wrote the lyric in five minutes.
Altman later decided that the song worked so well he would use it as the film's main theme despite Mandel's initial objections. This version was sung by uncredited session singers John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin, and Ian Freebairn-Smith, and the single was attributed to "The Mash". Robert Altman said that, while he only made $70,000 for having directed the movie, his son had earned more than $1 million for having co-written the song.
Several instrumental versions of the song were used as the theme for the TV series. It became a number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart in May 1980. The song was ranked #66 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.
Track listing.
7" vinyl
Manic Street Preachers version.
Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers released a cover version of "Suicide Is Painless" on September 7, 1992, as "Theme from M.A.S.H. (Suicide Is Painless)". In the UK it was a double A-side charity single to help The Spastics Society, with The Fatima Mansions' take on Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" as the other A-side. The 12" and CD versions of the UK single included "Sleeping with the NME" – an excerpt from a radio documentary recorded in the offices of the "NME" capturing staff's reaction to photographs of guitarist Richey Edwards' infamous self-mutilation. The single peaked at number 7 in the UK Singles Chart spending three weeks in the Top Ten.
Track listings.
7" vinyl
12" vinyl
CD