Undead Bullet Hollywood Undead

Undead Album: Swan Songs (2008)
Bullet Album: American Tragedy (2011)
by Hollywood Undead

Undead was originally released as a song entitled "Out The Way." It not known why this revised version was re-titled.

The synthesiser riff was borrowed from Ozzy Osbourne's debut single as a solo artist, "Crazy Train."

Undead was featured in commercials for the live action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Undead was produced by Danny Lohner who is best known for his work with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Lohner also helped produce "Sell Your Soul."

Johnny 3 Tears of Hollywood Undead explained the album title to Artist Direct: "We came up with Swan Songs because there's an irony to it. A swan song is supposed to be the last noise a swan makes before it dies. Even though it's our first record, I thought that it would be cool because of the irony of it. In all honesty, I never know what's going to happen with us, so I thought it was a fitting title. It's very complete, representing the lifespan of something. If we never made another record again, I think we would've done something that most bands haven't done; even though it's only a 14-track record, but it covers a lifetime."

"Bullet" is a song by American band Hollywood Undead. It was recorded as the sixth single and eleventh track from their second studio album American Tragedy (2011). The song was produced by Griffin Boice. This song is one of the few songs by Hollywood Undead to feature a member other than Danny or Deuce as the clean vocalist. Charlie Scene performs the chorus of "Bullet," in addition to "Rain" from Notes from the Underground. The song has received positive reviews from critics due to its cheerful tone and uptempo beat that directly contrast its dark lyrics about suicide and self-harm.

"Bullet" was written by Lewis Edwards. The song contains verses by Terrell and Ragan, and a b-section and chorus sung by Terrell.

The song was produced, recorded, and mixed by Griffin Boice at the Beat Suite in Hollywood, California.

The lyrics detail a teenage male's trouble with suicide. The chorus, which the song opens with, implies past attempts at suicide for the protagonist: "My legs are dangling off the edge, the bottom of the bottle is my only friend. I think I'll slit my wrist again, and I'm gone, gone, gone, gone! My legs are dangling off the edge, a stomach full of pills didn't work again. I put a bullet in my head, and I'm gone, gone, gone, gone!" The protagonist continues in the verses to describe the decomposition of his life, stating that his "two best friends" are "a bottle of pills" and "a bottle of Gin". We then learn he is at the top of a twenty story building, and that the polishing of a bottle is "pushing [me]" off and he describes how asphalt has never "looked so soft". The protagonist begins to express concern that his mother found his suicide note and had called the police. He starts realising he needs to move fast, as he hears "sirens and they're off in the distance" and that he's "more scarred than my wrist is". He states that he's going to purchase a suit, because "when you go to meet God ya know you wanna look nice." The pre-chorus states that "So if I survive then I'll see you tomorrow" and the chorus plays again. Johnny 3 Tears takes the second verse from a third-person point of view of another young man who had an abusive family life. The young man's father had apparently abandoned him, which left his mother guilt-struck, and he had gone astray in a way that is not specified. It is, however, stated that he "Climbed to the roof to see if [you] could fly". This ends the verse, and goes into the pre-chorus and chorus. After the chorus, Petra Christensen sings the outro stated by J-Dog in a Hollywood Undead live cast in January promoting the release for the band's latest album.

Rick Florino of Artist Direct had a list of ten reasons readers needed American Tragedy, with number three being the track "Bullet". Florino explains that "Hollywood Undead snap from faint acoustic guitar into cinematic rhyming about suicide. It's as infectious as it is intense." He states that the ending refrain featuring a little girl "is utterly powerful." He also stated that "Bullet" is "the kind of song that could save some kid in the crowd," and closed his review stating that the song is "heart-wrenching genius." In his official review, Florino again referenced "Bullet" stating it was one of "two moments that make [American Tragedy] a classic," stating that "After an acoustic intro, the song tells a potent and poignant tale of longing for suicide. However, it's the sunniest and catchiest tune on American Tragedy" and that the band's genius lies "in that dangerous space between unforgettable and unsettling." He compared Johnny 3 Tears' verse to being as soulful as Jonathan Davis of Korn. The album as a whole garnered five out of five stars.

Charlie Scene – clean vocals, rapping, guitar, composer, writer
Johnny 3 Tears – vocals, composer, writer
Petra Christensen – end vocals on Bullet
J-Dog – synthesizers, keyboards, composer, writer
Danny – composer, writer, background vocals
Griffin Boice – production, recording, mixing, guitar, bass guitar, programming, percussion, composer, writer
Sean Curiel – drum recording assistant
Ken Dudley – additional recording
Daren Pfeifer – drums