Death and hindsight have a way of providing clarity in ways few other experiences can. The loss of a life, whether a loved one or otherwise, recalibrates our perspectives and reminds us of how fleeting this existence really is. Similarly, hindsight fills in missing details and connections that we would have had no way of knowing in real time.
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When paired together, we often find clues and prophetic messages—no matter how unintentional—in the lyrics of musicians who have passed. Take, for example, these five rock songs that seemed to take on new, cryptic meanings after these artists’ deaths.
“That Smell” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Perhaps the most eerie entry on this list, “That Smell” by Lynyrd Skynyrd came out on October 17, 1977. Three days later, a charter Conair CV-240 transporting the band from South Carolina to Louisiana went down near a Mississippi swamp, killing Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary, and First Officer William John Gray.
Lyrics like “Ooh, that smell, can’t you smell that smell? Ooh, that smell, the smell of death surrounds you” and “Say you’ll be alright come tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be here for you” seem uncanny within the context of the devastating crash.
“Everyday” by Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly was another musician who died too young after a fatal plane crash. Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson all perished when their plane went down near Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3, 1959. Two years earlier, Holly and his band, The Crickets, released “Everyday” as a B-side to “Peggy Sue”.
Before Holly’s death, the song seemed hopeful, innocent, and exciting. But after his death, the lyrics took on new meaning, especially the line, “Everyday, it’s a-getting closer, going faster than a rollercoaster.” With the harrowing plane crash in mind, the song becomes bone-chilling.
“Happiness Is A Warm Gun” by The Beatles
There were plenty of subtle (and not-so subtle) references to death throughout The Beatles’ discography, particularly their later years. But given how John Lennon died, songs like “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” seem to adopt a darker meaning, especially since he was the one who wrote it and was singing lead vocals.
Knowing Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon in December 1980 makes the climactic build-up of “Mother Superior jumped the gun” all the more frantic and dangerous. The connection itself is sheer coincidence. Nevertheless, the shadow of Lennon’s death casts a strange color over this “White Album” track.
“Come As You Are” by Nirvana
When an artist takes their own life, it can be tempting to dissect their lyrics for clues, hints, or premonitions of what was to come. Kurt Cobain’s lyrics were certainly no exception. One Nirvana song that many grieving listeners gravitated toward was “Come As You Are” from the band’s second studio album, Nevermind.
Cobain died of a gunshot wound, which officials deemed a suicide, in 1994. After that, the repeated phrase at the end of “Come As You Are” seemed like a strange foreshadowing of the tragedy that was to come. “And I swear that I don’t have a gun.”
“A Feast Of Friends” by Jim Morrison and The Doors
The entirety of The Doors’ final album, An American Prayer, has a strange pall to it, specifically because it came after Jim Morrison’s death at 27 years old in July 1971. The surviving band members took recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry and tracked backing music to them, giving Morrison a posthumous release in 1978.
In An American Prayer’s “Feast of Friends”, Morrison recites, “Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings where we had shoulders smooth as raven’s claws.” Morrison’s death immortalized him as somewhat of a legend, elevating a troubled musician into something more akin to a deity.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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