HIM performed this song for the first time in
Ilosaarirock, Finland, on 11 July 1998, which featured an extra verse not included in the studio versions. The song has been met with controversy regarding its subject matter. "A couple of people blamed me for a suicide someone committed over here saying that 'Join Me' is an invitation to kill yourself," HIM frontman
Ville Valo told the European magazine
Metal Hammer in 2003. "What I was trying to do was sort of rip-off '
Don't Fear the Reaper' by
Blue Öyster Cult, making a rock track of
Romeo And Juliet." Lyrics such as "Would you die tonight for love?" have contributed to the misconception that the song is about suicide, which Valo denies, claiming the lyrics refer to giving things up for the sake of love. "It's not about suicide, that song. It's about giving it all away," Valo told the magazine
Modern Fix. Four versions of the song's
video exist: three "lazer versions", two of which include different scenes from the movie
The Thirteenth Floor, and the fourth being an "ice version", with a vague
Romeo and Juliet theme also attributed to the song. "Join Me In Death" was included in the film
The Thirteenth Floor (though not on its soundtrack), on the
Resident Evil: Apocalypse soundtrack in 2004. As well as the song included on Bam Margera’s skater recruitment video in Tony Hawk’s Underground video game. The band
Gregorian covered "Join Me" with
Sarah Brightman on their album
Masters of Chant: Chapter III and on Brightman's Limited Edition
The Harem Tour album. Another Gregorian version exists with vocals performed by
Amelia Brightman. ==Track listings==