Psychopathic Melodies

Few men are as notorious as Charles Manson, the self-styled messiah who ordered the senseless deaths of several people in the late 1960s. That infamy has served him well – due to his tangential relationship with the music industry he is one of the most mentioned people in popular songs, third after Jesus and Elvis Presley. Among the literally hundreds of songs referencing him, three in particular stand out:

1. The Bee Gees After Dark, a song about misguided love that ultimately leads to murder,
2. Eminem’s Bad Meets Evil, a strident (but conventional) indictment of the US prison system, and
3. Three Dog Night’s Mama Told Me (Not To Come), which recounts the two months that Danny Hutton, TDN’s lead singer, spent living with the Manson Family in Dennis Wilson’s home.

Interestingly, all three songs were #1 hits for their respective artists.