D.O.A. (song)

Last updated

"D.O.A."
Bloodrock D.O.A. single label.jpg
Single by Bloodrock
from the album Bloodrock 2
B-side "Children's Heritage"
Released1971
Recorded1970
Genre Psychedelic rock, Hard rock
Length8:30 (album version)
4:32 (single version)
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s) Rutledge, Pickens, Grundy, Taylor, Hill, Cobb [1]
Producer(s) Terry Knight

"D.O.A." is a song by Texas hard rock band Bloodrock released by Capitol Records in early 1971.

Contents

Synopsis

The song is sung from the perspective of a man who has, temporarily, survived a mid-air collision. In his dying words, he describes in graphic detail what he remembered of the collision and his current condition: his arms have been severed, his co-pilot is already lifeless beside him, blood is rapidly leaving his body and pooling underneath him, and a paramedic indicates that no medical intervention can save him from imminent death. Ambulance sirens are heard at several points in the song; at the end, the music slows down and drops in key, simulating the narrator's loss of consciousness and death.

The initials D.O.A. stand for dead on arrival.

Background

The motivation for writing this song was explained in 2005 by guitarist Lee Pickens. “When I was 17, I wanted to be an airline pilot,” Pickens said. “I had just gotten out of this airplane with a friend of mine, at this little airport, and I watched him take off. He went about 200 feet in the air, rolled and crashed.” The band decided to write a song around the incident and include it on their second album. [2]

Chart performance

The version of "D.O.A." released as a single is roughly half the length of the long album version found on Bloodrock 2 . In March 1971, many US radio stations and high schools banned "D.O.A.".[ citation needed ] Despite a lack of airplay, the single still reached number 36 on the Billboard chart. [3]

The song was later included in a compilation album entitled Death, Glory and Retribution in 1985 that consisted of death, protest and "answer" songs by various artists. [4]

Track listing

  1. "D.O.A." - 4:32 (single version)
  2. "Children's Heritage" - 3:31

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

Horace Michael Swaby, also known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer and a multi-instrumentalist that was active from the 1970s until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mamas & the Papas</span> Canadian-American folk rock vocal group

The Mamas & the Papas was an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York City, the group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Michelle Phillips, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips – the songwriter and leader of the group – who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.

DOA may refer to:

<i>Radio K.A.O.S.</i> 1987 studio album by Roger Waters

Radio K.A.O.S. is the second solo studio album by the English rock musician Roger Waters. Released on 15 June 1987 in the United Kingdom and 16 June in the United States, it was Waters' first solo studio album after his formal departure from the band Pink Floyd in 1985. Like his previous and future studio albums and many works of his during his time with Pink Floyd, the album is a concept album based on a number of key topical subjects of the late 1980s, including monetarism and its effect on citizens, popular culture of the time, and the events and consequences of the Cold War. It also makes criticisms of Margaret Thatcher's government, much like Pink Floyd's The Final Cut (1983), another album conceived by Waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerry Marsden</span> English singer-songwriter and musician (1942–2021)

Gerard Marsden MBE was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was the younger brother of fellow band member Freddie Marsden.

"Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country ballad, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annihilator (band)</span> Canadian thrash metal band

Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in Ottawa in 1984 by Jeff Waters. Waters is the band's sole constant member and has acted as its guitarist, bandleader, writer, producer, engineer, and occasional bassist and vocalist. Annihilator has released seventeen studio albums and has undergone many line-up changes, with Waters regularly assembling touring or session musicians to perform with him. Along with Sacrifice, Voivod and Razor, Annihilator is known as one of the "Big Four" of Canadian thrash metal. They are also considered to be part of the "second wave" of thrash metal bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Matthews</span> English musician

Iain Matthews is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthews Southern Comfort, which had a UK number one in 1970 with their cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". In 1979, his recording of Terence Boylan's "Shake It" reached No. 13 on the US charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloodrock</span> American rock band

Bloodrock was an American hard rock band based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had success in the 1970s. The band emerged from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid-1970s.

Terry Knight was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but considerable success as the original manager-producer for Grand Funk Railroad and the producer for Bloodrock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Wagner</span> American guitarist (1942–2014)

Richard Allen Wagner was an American rock guitarist, songwriter and author best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and Kiss. He also fronted his own Michigan-based bands, the Frost and the Bossmen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)</span> 1928 popular song

"I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk that was published in 1928. Versions by Nick Lucas, Aileen Stanley and, most successfully, Ruth Etting, all charted in America in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coz I Luv You</span> 1971 single by Slade

"Coz I Luv You" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1971 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their first number one single, and remained in the top 50 for fifteen weeks.

<i>Bloodrock 2</i> 1970 studio album by Bloodrock

Bloodrock 2 is the second album by the Texas rock band Bloodrock. It was released on Capitol Records in October 1970 and produced by Terry Knight. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. J. Jackson (singer)</span> American singer, songwriter, and arranger

Jerome Louis "J.J." Jackson is an American soul/R&B singer, songwriter, and arranger. His singing style is as a belter. Jackson best known for the song "But It's Alright", which he co-wrote with Pierre Tubbs. The song was released in 1966 and then re-released in 1969, to chart success on both occasions. The liner notes to his 1967 album, J.J. Jackson, on Calla Records, stated that he weighed 285 pounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nitzinger</span> American guitarist

John Nitzinger is an American blues rock guitarist, recording artist and songwriter from Fort Worth, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darla dirladada</span> 1970 single by Dalida

"Darla dirladada" is a song recorded by Italian French singer Dalida, first released as a single during the summer of 1970. It was a #1 hit in France. The song is based on the Greek folk song "Dirlada", originating from the island of Kalymnos in Greece.

"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It appears on Julius La Rosa's 1966 album You're Gonna Hear from Me, Eric Burdon's 1967 album Eric Is Here, on Newman's 1968 debut album Randy Newman, in The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 (2003), and in Newman's official and bootleg live albums. It is one of his most covered songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)</span> 2009 single by Jay-Z

"D.O.A. " is a song written by American rapper Jay-Z and produced by No I.D. The song was released as a digital download on June 23, 2009, and as the first single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song made its world premiere on the New York radio station Hot 97 on June 5. Its lyrics address the overusage of Auto-Tune in the music industry. The song samples "In the Space" by the Montenegrin composer Janko Nilović. The bridge is inspired by Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and interpolates lyrics from Kanye West's "Big Brother", and "You're Nobody " by The Notorious B.I.G. The song won Jay-Z his eighth Grammy Award, and his second for Best Rap Solo Performance. It peaked at No. 24 on Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Card</span> German-born Canadian drummer (1960–2024)

Jon Card was a German-born Canadian drummer. He played in the punk rock bands Personality Crisis, SNFU, D.O.A., and The Subhumans.

References

  1. "www.discogs.com". www.discogs.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. Wheeler, Lisa (March 18, 2005). "Grapevine: I Remember . . . Bloodrock Reunite". Goldmine . No. 31. pp. 10, 51.
  3. "D.O.A. - Bloodrock". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  4. "Death, Glory and Retribution: Various Artists". Allmusic . Retrieved October 10, 2022.