Radford Music Provides Powerful and Emotive Soundtrack to CALM's Largest Ever Campaign

The Campaign Against Living Miserably is using the last photos and videos of people who have taken their life as part of a campaign that aims to dismantle a misunderstanding of what suicidal looks like. 

The campaign has been revealed on ITV's This Morning in a tie-up with the broadcaster.

Radford Music sourced and licensed the well known song “Bring Me Sunshine” and produced and re-recorded a powerful cover version of the song with singer Beth McCarthy.

James Radford, Radford Music, says: “We wanted to find a song that traditionally has always been a ‘happy’ song with lyrics that matched the message of the powerful campaign. Lyrics that mention the warmth of a smile but in reality, hidden behind the smile can be incredible pain. Working closely with the agency we decided to record a solo vocal version that provides a hauntingly powerful and poignant soundtrack to the heart breaking videos of the families.”

“We would like to thank adam&eveDDB and CALM for asking us to work on such an important campaign. Many thanks also to the team at Wise Music who made licensing the song possible.”

A full length version of the song is currently in production and will be released as a charity single with streaming and download profits going to CALM.

The work by Adam & Eve/DDB is the biggest campaign from CALM to date and aims to equip the nation with tips on how to have difficult conversations with their peers.

"The last photo" launched on Monday as an unbranded exhibition on London's Southbank with 50 six-and-a-half-feet-high smiling portraits showing people living a carefree life.

However, today (Wednesday 22 June) it has been revealed that the happy image is in fact the last picture of the person before they took their own life.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to scan QR codes, which will take them to CALM's website where they can access practical toolkits.

The installation is supported by a 90-second TV ad that shows people living happy lives, playing with their children, enjoying a day out at the beach or laughing with friends. At the end, the titles reveal that these are all last videos of people who took their lives.

Out-of-home ads also pointed people towards the Southbank exhibition on Monday and now feature text to explain that it is a last photo, as part of a partnership with JC Decaux. 

The work has been created by Andy Clough and Richard McGrann at Adam & Eve/DDB. The film was directed by Max Fisher through Cain & Abel. Media planning and buying has been handled by the7stars.

Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said:“Behind every smile is a tragic story of loss and despair that touches family, friends and communities. We like to thank all the families that contributed to the campaign for their strength and courage in stepping forward and sharing these powerful stories. There has long been a stereotype and stigma surrounding suicide that has held people back from opening up and talking about their feelings, and seeking help when it’s needed. 

At a time of economic and social unrest it's even more important that we put suicide prevention back on the national agenda and come together to take collective action. The Last Photo does exactly that, delivering a massively important message in a hugely creative and engaging way. Working together with our key partners Adam & Eve, This Morning and JCDecaux we are sure this campaign will save lives.”

Matt Jennings, CMO of CALM, added:“It’s a simple idea, that can be shared in different ways across multiple channels, but ultimately we needed to make sure we converted all of the attention into action. It can often be hard to know how someone is feeling, but through this campaign we want to break down the stigma that surrounds suicide, and equip the nation to talk about it. Whether that's around the dinner table, in the pub, the locker room or in parliament, if we can make the conversation inescapable, we can all help to save a life.”

Ant Nelson, Executive Creative Director at adam&eveDDB, said:“While Project 84 put suicide on the national agenda, ‘The Last Photo’ takes the issue a step further by actively empowering the nation to prevent suicides. This is the biggest campaign CALM has launched, and we’re immensely proud to have helped bring it to life.”

125 lives are lost to suicide every week. As the UK’s leading voice for suicide prevention, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) exists to change this by provoking conversation, running life-saving services, and bringing people together to give or get help when it’s needed.