Simple Plan’s somber video for their song “Untitled” – which shows the far-reaching affects of drinking and driving – has been embraced by fans and program directors alike, having captured the #1 spot on Thursday’s edition of “TRL.” And now they’re getting props from a somewhat unlikely source.
The band has entered into a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and will attach a message from the organization to the end of the “Untitled” video, according to a spokesperson for SP’s label, Lava Records.
“Traffic crashes are the #1 killer of teens, and nearly one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related,” the message reads. “For more information [call] 1-800-GET-MADD.”
In concurrence with the MADD partnership, Simple Plan wrote a letter to fans, asking them to watch the video and consider the impact of their actions if they choose to drive drunk.
“When an accident happens, there are more victims than people think, and many lives are changed forever. Parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters… everybody feels the impact,” the letter reads. “One of the students at our high school crashed his car driving back from a weekend trip and killed his best friend. It was a very sad time that none of us will ever forget.”
When MTV News caught up with SP frontman Pierre Bouvier last month, he expressed interested in taking the partnership even further, including allowing MADD to use Simple Plan music and the video for “Untitled” in their school-outreach programs, which, according to MADD, will be debuted in schools in September.
“We’re going to be using their music and the video for ‘Untitled’ in our new multimedia show, which deals with a real-life drunk-driving story,” said Steve Emerich, the manager of MADD’s school-outreach program. “In the past, we’ve used music from Hilary Duff, John Mayer and the Black Eyed Peas, but Simple Plan contacted us, because of how personal the song was to them. And I think it’s great how committed they are to the cause.”
