Stained Class - Legacy

Legacy

Stained Class received unfortunate negative attention due to the infamous 1990 civil action brought against the band by the family of a teenager, James Vance, who entered a suicide pact with his friend Ray Belknap after listening to "Better By You, Better Than Me" on 23 December 1985. Belknap succeeded in killing himself, and Vance was left horribly disfigured. The suit alleged that the band recorded subliminal messages on the song that said "do it." The suit was eventually dismissed. The song was originally written and performed by the band Spooky Tooth, and the lyrics are about a person who's upset at the world's current state and is leaving his lover to try to change things by joining the war effort.