Neon Gravestones

It was a part of the set list for the band's Bandito Tour (2018–2019), and Joseph also performed a piano version of the song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on November 2, 2018.

[1][2] The song was written and recorded by Tyler Joseph in his basement and produced alongside Paul Meany of alternative rock band Mutemath.

[3] Apart from the band's drummer Josh Dun, Joseph, and Meany, no other person, including friends and family members, was allowed to be present during the songwriting process; this was to not influence the song's direction.

[5][6] Several music journalists have described the ending as directly linked to Trench's penultimate track, "Legend", which pays homage to Joseph's late grandfather, Robert, who appeared on the cover of the band's first major-label album, Vessel (2013).

In an October 2018 interview with Kerrang!, Joseph revealed that he was uneasy about the placement of the song in the middle of the Trench, having heard concerns from outside opinions that it affected the flow of the album.

[12] Some publications noted that the song could have been written in response to various celebrity suicides, such as those of Chester Bennington and Scott Hutchison, and the popularity of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

[9][clarification needed] Joseph argues that there is a culture of romanticizing celebrity suicides, and grapples with the idea that some artists who choose to leave the world may have done so with their legacy in mind.

"[13] Joseph closes the song by pleading for suicide not to be glorified, and advising the listener to instead pay respects to the elderly who have remained alive.

[21] Stereogum's Chris DeVille called the song "an unusual message in modern pop music, but unsurprising for a group that put their grandfathers on the cover of their major-label debut.

[10] Calling it an "anti-suicide-glorifying anthem," Chris Willman of Variety said the song may be debated "not just by fans but some of the mental health specialists who track pop culture's statements on this stuff in the months to come".

[7] Martin Williams of The Herald predicted that the song would "undoubtedly receive a kneejerk response of insensitivity to victims with lines like: 'I'm not disrespecting what was left behind / just pleading that it does not get glorified'".