"Join Me in Death" is a single by Finnish gothic rock band HIM, taken from their second studio album, ''

Razorblade Romance ''Razorblade Romance'' is the second studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. HIM initially began recording the album with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had helmed the group's 1997 debut album, however these sessions proved unsuccessful, ...

'' (2000). It was also released as "Join Me", since they were not allowed to include "Death" in the title for the US version. It was featured in the end credits of the European version of the sci-fi movie '' The Thirteenth Floor'' (the US version features

the Cardigans The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows sin ...

' "

Erase/Rewind "Erase/Rewind" is a song written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for the Cardigans' fourth studio album, '' Gran Turismo'' (1998). The song is the album's second track and was released as its second single in 1999, reaching number three in Ice ...

" instead). It is the eighth-best-selling single of all time in Finland.

Overview

HIM performed this song for the first time in

Ilosaarirock The Ilosaarirock Festival is an annual rock festival held on the second weekend of July in Joensuu, Eastern Finland. Founded in 1971, Ilosaarirock is the second oldest rock festival in Finland still active, and one of the oldest in Europe. In 2 ...

, Finland, on 11 July 1998, which featured an extra verse not included in the studio versions. The song has been 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 Ville Hermanni Valo (; born 22 November 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM. Born and raised in Helsinki to a Hungarian mother and Finnish father, Valo began hi ...

told the European magazine ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' in 2003. "What I was trying to do was sort of rip-off ' Don't Fear the Reaper' by

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...

, making a rock track of ''Romeo And Juliet''." 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''. Four versions of the song's

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...

exist: three "lazer versions", two of which include different scenes from the Thirteenth Floor movie, and the fourth being an "ice version", with a vague '' Romeo and Juliet'' theme also attributed to the song. "Join Me In Death" was included in the film ''The Thirteenth Floor'' (though not on its soundtrack) and 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 exists with vocals performed by Amelia Brightman.

Track listings

Finnish and Australasian CD single # "Join Me" – 3:39 # "Join Me" (13th Floor mix) – 3:39 # "It's All Tears" (unplugged radio live) – 3:48 # "

Rebel Yell The rebel yell was a battle cry used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers used the yell when charging to intimidate the enemy and boost their own morale, although the yell had many other uses. No audio ...

" (live version) – 5:12 European CD single # "Join Me in Death" – 3:39 # "Rebel Yell" (live) – 5:12 German CD single # "Join Me" – 3:39 # "It's All Tears" – 3:48 # "Rebel Yell" – 5:12 # "Dark Sekret Love" – 5:17 * Some versions of this format omit "Dark Sekret Love"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{Authority control HIM (Finnish band) songs 1999 singles 1999 songs Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Germany Songs written by Ville Valo