Lyrics that Foreshadow 9/11
Chicago alt-rockers Wilco composed the poetic and triumphant “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” in 2000. The album had been originally slated to be released on 9/11/01. The songs below were written before then.
Tall buildings shake voices escape singing sad sad songs I would like to salute the ashes of American flags and all the fallen leaves filling up shopping bagsWilco’s label – Reprise – didn’t think the record sounded commercial enough. They dropped the band and instead, the album was released in 2002 on Nonesuch Records. It had been available for streaming online in 2001.
Eerie parallels to 9/11 are rife throughout the record, starting with the cover art, which features a pair of Twin Towers – the iconic Marina City buildings in downtown Chicago. The “tall buildings shake” lyric is just plain spooky while “Ashes of American Flags” forecast the loss of life and patriotism that would follow 9/11.
But the parallels don’t stop with Wilco. The title of emo band Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 album “Bleed American” says it all. It’s presciently patriotic.
There’s a lyric in the title track that refers to “our hearts littering the topsoil” – foreboding in retrospect.
Are songs prophetic? Cathartic? Gratifying? Escapist? Share your feelings in the comments.
I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say that music is prophetic, but I do think that good musicians make music that taps into the times and social climate. It speaks to a shared consciousness. When that music collides with current events, as is the case here, it’s a great reminder that history rarely comes at us out of nowhere.