GUN CONTROVERSY HELPS `LA VIDA LOCA' SHOOT UP CHARTS

GUN CONTROVERSY HELPS `LA VIDA LOCA' SHOOT UP CHARTS

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) -- Ricky Martin's hit, "Living La Vida Loca," may be No. 1 with a bullet, but one line in the lyrics is driving psychologists "loco." The line -- "She can take away your pain/ Like a bullet to the brain" -- is being called "an advertisement for suicide" by Los Angeles psychologist Dr. Mark Goulston. Goulston says the lyric suggests suicide is the only way to escape pain, and he fears a mentally ill teenager might hear the song and impulsively take his or her own life. However, musician Robi Rosa -- who co-wrote and produced "Living La Vida Loca" -- says the song isn't gunning for controversy and claims the line is nothing but an "over the top phrase," which are common in Latin music. Rosa thinks Ricky Martin's fun-loving persona will keep anyone from thinking the song is pro-suicide, but he admits it might be a different story if Kurt Cobain sang it.

CONTACT: Robi Rosa, *****; Arrange with Diana Baron; LA; (310) 573-1984; Mark Goulston, ***1/2; Arrange with Tom Brennan; LA; (310) 207-6615