American rapper Logic’s 2017 song, “1-800-273-8255,” was linked with an increase in phone calls to the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a decline in suicides in the U.S., according to a new peer-reviewed study.
The song, featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, is from the perspective of someone calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, confessing that they “don’t want to live,” according to The Washington Post.
In the end, the song is hopeful, with the second verse lyrics such as “you don’t gotta die, I want you to be alive,” said from the perspective of the person offering help on the other line.
Per CTV News, this song illustrates the positive effects of pop culture on those who are vulnerable and experiencing thoughts of suicide.
The study, led by Thomas Niederkrotenthaler at the Medical University of Vienna, assessed changes in the volume of daily calls before and after the song was released, the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards and the 2018 Grammy Awards. These three events garnered the most public attention.
The study found that the lifeline number received 9,915 more calls, which is a 6.9% increase than normal.
“Logic’s song likely represents the broadest and most sustained suicide prevention messaging directly connected to a story of hope and recovery in any location to date and is thus a serendipitous event for research,” the authors wrote.
In an interview with Genius, the world’s biggest music encyclopedia that celebrates stories, Logic talked about how interactions with his fans inspired him to write “1-800-273-8255.”
“They’ve said things like, ‘Yo, your music has saved my life,’” Logic said. “In my mind, I was like, ‘Man I wasn’t even trying to save nobody’s life. And then it hit me, the power that I have as an artist with a voice. I wasn’t even trying to save your life — now what could happen if I actually did?”