Three fallen "heroes" of the arts - one a singer (Janis Joplin), one a guitarist (Jimi Hendrix) and one an actor (James Dean).
The song was originally blamed for the suicide deaths of two teens in the mid '80s, as the prosecution tried to say the lyrics glorified death as heroic, but the Judge ruled the lyrics were protected by the First Amendment Right of free speech.
Far from glorifying a desire to die, the song simply asks the question: Why do people have to die before they are recognized as heroes for their efforts?
Three fallen "heroes" of the arts - one a singer (Janis Joplin), one a guitarist (Jimi Hendrix) and one an actor (James Dean).
The song was originally blamed for the suicide deaths of two teens in the mid '80s, as the prosecution tried to say the lyrics glorified death as heroic, but the Judge ruled the lyrics were protected by the First Amendment Right of free speech.
Far from glorifying a desire to die, the song simply asks the question: Why do people have to die before they are recognized as heroes for their efforts?