The song that launched Venice, California punk legends Suicidal Tendencies onto the national scene, “Institutionalized” was the lead single of their self-titled debut.

The song talks about the everyday problems teenagers face and how friends and family can often believe they are going insane or have become substance abusers. Muir recalled seeing ads on TV at the time for camps that kids could be shipped off to if parents were concerned about their child’s behavior.

The original recording of “Institutionalized” was very popular locally in southern California. KROQ FM named it their #23 song of 1983.

In 1993, the band re-recorded every song from their debut album for the album Still Cyco After All These Years. The updated version of “Institutionalized” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category that year.

Quick fact: the guitarist in the 1983 video, Rocky George, was not the original S.T. axeman – he replaced Grant Estes, who had recorded the track. Amery Smith (who drummed on the first S.T. album) didn’t appear in the video either and was replaced by R.J. Herrera.