New single raises awareness about male suicide

East Sussex folk duo Milton Hide are set to release a fundraising single to bring attention to the issue of male suicide.
Milton Hide. Picture by Elizabeth DoakMilton Hide. Picture by Elizabeth Doak
Milton Hide. Picture by Elizabeth Doak

‘Say It All The Time’ will be out on October 10 (World Mental Health Day) on digital formats.

Prompted by a bleak mood that came over him during a walk on the Downs and the death of a friend who had taken his own life, Hailsham-based Jim Tipler was inspired to write a song to put those feelings into words.

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Recording it with his wife and musical partner Josie, the duo joined forces with producer and musician John Fowler and talented film-maker Alex Thomas.

Proceeds from sales of the single will go to CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably, a movement against suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.

Jim said: “The inspiration for ‘Say It All The Time’ was in fact a short film called Black Tuesday, which I made for a competition entry a couple of years ago. It was a three-minute long movie of a walk on the South Downs. I was in a very bleak mood and I just started filming what I saw and then came up with a script. I’ve never felt ‘suicidal’ but on that day, for no apparent reason, my mood was very dark. I don’t usually write songs about feelings. They tend to be more kind of story or situation-based but the lyrics of this song tie in quite closely with the script of the movie and speak of how many of us, particularly men, hide our feelings, when actually the ‘brave’ thing to do is to share them. I came up with the idea for turning the script into a song after the shocking news that a fellow musician and friend that I had only recently got to know had taken his own life. This was only a few months after a member of my extended family had done the same.

“I’m really hoping the record and video boost awareness of what can only be described as an epidemic of male suicide and will maybe raise some money towards running a helpline that could save a life or make life a little more bearable for those who have lost loved ones this way.”

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Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said: “As an organisation that has always worked closely with the music community, we’re delighted that Milton Hide have chosen to support CALM with their new single. Music can be a powerful forum for conversation and expression, so it’s great to see the band sharing such a positive message and using their platform to raise awareness of the issue of suicide and of the services that are available to anyone who may be going through a tough time.”

Jim added: “John Fowler’s treatment of the song is incredible. He is such an amazing musician and producer. He discussed what he wanted to do with it in terms of giving it an epic sound while retaining the dreamy ethereal quality of Josie’s voice. He did most of the instrumentation, with me doing my acoustic guitar thing and backing vocals.”

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