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20 Songs Written in the Aftermath of Columbine [Photo Credit: 5 Minute Walk, A&M, Autumn Tone, EMI Christian, Horror High, Indieblue Music, Interscope, Interscope, Nicole Dollanganger, Nothing, Octone, Odd Future, RCA, Reprise, Reunion, Roadrunner, Sony, Uncle Howie]Numerous songs have been written in the aftermath of the Columbine Massacre.Ā  This playlist explores 20 songs written in the aftermath.

WWhatā€™s the first thing that comes to mind when the word Columbine is uttered? For those old enough to remember, and perhaps not from Colorado, itā€™s the Columbine Massacre that took place in 1999. This incident certainly wasnā€™t the first school shooting to occur, but it remains the deadliest high school shooting to date.Ā  Furthermore, it seemed unlikely. Littleton, Colorado?

The perpetrators were seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Both were supposedly bullied, though the allegations they were social outcasts seem to be disputed. Nonetheless, they killed 13 ā€“ 12 of which were students ā€“ before committing suicide. In addition to the fatalities, there were many more injured.Ā  A most gruesome, chilling event.

Following the Columbine Massacre, America was unsettled, expectedly. There was debate about gun control, naturally.Ā  Also, there were questions about what influenced these teens to commit this mass murder. Was it the influence of Marilyn Manson? Did the purported bullying drive them over the edge?Ā  Additionally, musically, numerous artists were affected by this event.Ā  Numerous songs have been written in the aftermath.Ā  This playlist explores 20 songs written in the aftermath of Columbine.


1. Tyler, the Creator, ā€œPigsā€

Wolf ā€¢ Odd Future ā€¢ 2013

Tyler, the Creator, Wolf [Photo Credit: Odd Future LLC]ā€œGeekā€¦stupid loser, find a rope to hangā€¦ / I sit in my room and I listen to tunes, Iā€™m amused alone / Cause none of the cool kids would let me join a team.ā€ Tyler, the Creator characterizes the picture of a social outcast bluntly. In a tweet about the song ā€œPigsā€ from his 2013 album, Wolf, he asserts that Columbine perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold inspired ā€œPigs.ā€

The retribution that Tyler, the Creator, playing the role of perpetrator, is incredibly chilling.Ā  He asserts at the end of the first verse, ā€œā€¦When I share these feelings finally, they gonā€™ fucking care.ā€ The full-on evil is revealed, beginning on the hook as he asserts, heā€™ll ā€œGather all the bullies, crush them motherfuckersā€¦ā€ The second verse finds him threatening his bullies (ā€œā€¦Iā€™mma keep them motherfuckers there and make sure they passā€), while on the third verse, he dispels the myth that music wasnā€™t the catalyzing source of the massacre (ā€œI just really wanted somebody to come pay me attention / But nobody would listenā€¦ā€). ā€œPigsā€ also appears on Songs About Mass Murderers, Vol. 1.


2-3. Marilyn Manson, ā€œDisposable Teensā€ & ā€œThe Nobodiesā€

Holy Wood ā€¢ Interscope ā€¢ 2000

Marilyn Manson, Holy Wood Ā© InterscopeAs aforementioned, musical influence was questioned in regards to the Columbine massacre.Ā  The chief artist blamed was Marilyn Manson. While ultimately it was myth, Manson responded with a song that Loudwire included in its list of Disturbing Songs People Love.Ā  Author Graham Hartmann asserts that Manson was ā€œlikely commenting on the events aftermath, along with referencing George Orwellā€™s ā€˜Nineteen Eighty-Four.ā€™ā€ Safe to say, thereā€™s nothing ā€˜warm and fuzzyā€™ about ā€œDisposable Teens.ā€

On the second verse, the disposable teen gives thanks.

ā€œI want to thank you mom
I want to thank you dad
For bringing this fucking world
To a bitter end
I never really hated the one true God
But the God of the people I hated.ā€

On the chorus, he sings:

ā€œYou said you wanted evolution
The ape was a great big hit
You say you want a revolution man
And I say that youā€™re full of shit.ā€

Lyrically, Marilyn Manson is always captivating.Ā  Here, he seems to be repudiating the actions of Harris and Klebold, whom he was blamed for influencing. ā€œDisposable Teensā€ also appears on Songs About Mass Murderers, Vol. 1. ā€œDisposable Teensā€ wasnā€™t the only song with ties/influence of the Columbine Massacre from Holy Wood.Ā  ā€œThe Nobodiesā€ also loosely references the horrid event.Ā  ā€œThe Nobodiesā€ is approached from the perspective of the perpetrators.

ā€œToday Iā€™m dirty
I want to be pretty
Tomorrow, I know Iā€™m just dirty.ā€
ā€œWe are the nobodies
We wanna be somebodies
When weā€™re dead
Theyā€™ll know just who we are.ā€

The most specific reference to Columbine itself occurs later in the song:

ā€œSome children died the other day
We fed machines and then we prayed
Puked up and down in morbid faith
You should have seen the ratings that day.ā€

4. Alice Cooper, ā€œWicked Young Manā€

Brutal Planet ā€¢ Indieblu Music ā€¢2000

Alice Cooper, Brutal Planet Ā© Indieblu Musicā€œNothingā€™s Shockingā€ in the hands of shock rocker Alice Cooper, right? Most of the time, but in this case, Cooper was rattled by the unfortunate, tragic events at Columbine High School. According to Post-Gazette, two songs from his 2000 album Brutal Planet were ā€œbased on the killings at Columbine High Schoolā€. In an article for Chron, Michael Moore speaks about the song ā€œWicked Young Manā€ specifically: ā€œOne of the songs on the album, ā€˜Wicked Young Man,ā€™ creates a character for the dark world by combine elements from the move American History XĀ with gruesome recollections from the murders at Columbine.ā€

Cooper gives a chilling description of the dangers of hatred.Ā  He first clarifies that itā€™s not outside influences, but pure wickedness.

ā€œI am a vicious young man, oh I am a wicked young man
It's not the games that I play, the movies I see, the music I dig
I'm just a wicked young man.ā€

Cooper doesnā€™t stop there.Ā  He cites specific examples of fuel for the fire:

ā€œI got every kind of chemical pumpinā€™ through my head
I read Mein Kampf daily just to keep my hatred fed
I never ever sleep I just lay in my bed
Dreaminā€™ of the day when everyone is dead.ā€

ā€œWicked Young Manā€ also appears on Songs About Mass Murderers, Vol. 1.


5. The Orwells, ā€œHallway Homicideā€

Remember When ā€¢ Autumn Tone ā€¢Ā 2012

The Orwells, Remember When Ā© Autumn TonePunk-/garage-rock band The Orwells capture the horror of the Columbine Massacre in ā€œHallway Homicide.ā€Ā  This song is taken from the perspective of perpetrators, essentially shedding light on the mindset of a school shooter.

 

ā€œCartridge is loaded, my trench coat unzips
Eyes on the clock and his hand on the grip
Sawed off, Zoloft, the cocktail is lit
Make his family proud he got a scholarship
Oh no, they donā€™t know whatā€™s gonna happen! Oh no, they donā€™t know, well, look whoā€™s laughinā€™!ā€
ā€œLunch room exploded, my gun met her lips!
Well, she canā€™t take it, stop throwing a fit!
Popped off her top off in class where she sits
Too down the class clown and saved the misfits.ā€

6. Superchick, ā€œHeroā€

Last One Picked ā€¢ Inpop ā€¢Ā 2002

Superchick, Last One Picked Ā© InpopEclectic Christian rock band Superchick delivered their own response to the events at Columbine.Ā  Essentially, on ā€œHero,ā€ they aim for bigger picture thinking ā€“ how could this tragedy be prevented? Superchick focuses on the treatment of others, specifically in this case, the treatment of perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

 

ā€œNo on sits with him, he doesnā€™t fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
Itā€™s not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
Any kindness from you might have saved his life.ā€

7. Five Iron Frenzy, ā€œA New Hopeā€

All the Hype That Money Can Buy ā€¢ 5 Minute Walk ā€¢Ā 2000Ā 

Five Iron Frenzy, All the Hype that Money Can Buy Ā© 5 Minute WalkFive Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band from Denver, Colorado.Ā  Geographically, Denver isnā€™t far from Littleton, Colorado, the site of the tragic school massacre.Ā  ā€œA New Hopeā€ served as the bandā€™s response to the events.

ā€œAmyā€™s going back to school todayā€¦ Did the halls smell
Of gunpowder still
What made the human mind
Dark enough to kill?ā€
ā€œA darker world lies behind this one
Cryptic, it hides beneath perception
We all saw it on that day
Stunned, we stood stuttering
What did the news say?ā€

8. Flyleaf, ā€œCassieā€

Flyleaf ā€¢ Interscope ā€¢ 2007

Flyleaf Ā© InterscopeRock band Flyleaf go in a different direction with their response to Columbine.Ā  Their song, ā€œCassie,ā€ was written about a Columbine victim, Cassie Bernall. Cassie was famously known for her unapologetic Christian beliefs.Ā  Essentially, she had the opportunity to denounce God in order to save her life.Ā  Instead, she held strong to her beliefs, and was ultimately killed.

ā€œThe question was asked in order
To save her life or take it
The answer ā€˜Noā€™ to avoid death
The answer ā€˜Yesā€™ would make it.ā€
ā€œā€˜Do you believe in God?ā€™
Written on the bullet
Say ā€˜Yesā€™ to pull the trigger
ā€˜Do you believe in God?ā€™
Written on the bullet
And Cassie pulled the trigger.ā€
ā€œShe answered him knowing what would happenā€¦ā€

9. Michael W. Smith, ā€œThis is Your Timeā€

This Is Your Time ā€¢Ā Reunion ā€¢ 1999

Michael W. Smith, This Is Your Time Ā© Reunionā€œThis Is Your Time,ā€ the title track from a 1999 album by renowned CCM singer/songwriter Michael W. Smith, was also inspired by Cassie Bernall.Ā  According to Smith, ā€œThis Is Your Timeā€ ā€œā€¦Is a challenge for us all to recognize through Cassieā€™s life, that now is our time to stand up and live life unabashedly for God.ā€Ā 

ā€œIt was a test we could all hope to pass
But none of us would want to take
Faced with the choice to deny God to live
For her, there was one choice to make.ā€

ā€œThis was her time, this was her dance
She lived every moment, left nothing to chance
She swam in the sea, drank of the deep
Embraced the mystery of all she could be.ā€

ā€œWhat if tomorrow and what if today
Faced with the question oh, what would you say?ā€

10. Filter, ā€œColumindā€

The Amalgamut ā€¢ Reprise ā€¢ 2002

Filter, The Amalgamut Ā© RepriseIndustrial rock band Filter had a lot say about the events at Columbine High School. Ā From the jump, the tone is incredibly accusatory and biting towards the perpetrators.

ā€œWhat do you think you did here, kid?
Youā€™re living like some rich kid bitch
The scratch that makes you flinch
The scratch that you canā€™t itch
What do you think you got done here, man?
Youā€™re putting on a show
What do you think you got done here, kid?
Did you reach your killing goal?ā€

Essentially, Filter paints Harris and Klebold as despicable, entitled kids, without specifically naming them on ā€œColumind.ā€ Unlike some of the other songs, there are no sympathetic vibes to be found.

ā€œOh, Christ, look at them bleed
Oh, what makes this sick disease?
Oh God, theyā€™re on their hands and knees
Oh, look at me, Iā€™m about to be free.ā€

11. Ill Bill, ā€œThe Anatomy of a School Shootingā€

Whatā€™s Wrong with Bill? ā€¢ Uncle Howie ā€¢ 2004

Ill Bill, What's Wrong With Bill Ā© Uncle HowieQuestion: What wrong with Bill? Another question: Who is Ill Bill? Ill Bill is a Queens, New York rapper and producer. Ā Here, on ā€œThe Anatomy of a School Shooting,ā€ he specifically references the Columbine Massacre. ā€œThe anatomy of a school shooting, shotgun under my trench coat / Columbiners did it / ā€¦My mind consume the doom as I walk through the school 15 people killed and over 14 wounded.ā€

Unlike many of the songs written in the aftermath of Columbine, Bill specifically names the perpetrators.Ā  He focuses on Eric Harris, painting a portrait of Harrisā€™ social status and mindset.

ā€œMy name is Eric Harris, I was forever harassed, an outcast You fuck with us and now me and Dylan is pulling out gats I've been wantinā€™ to murder people
Suicide is played out, if you gonna die, take people with you.ā€
ā€œA bunch of ticking time bombs y'all, is more like me Overflowinā€™ with hate, bullied to get raw like me
They constantly get picked on and shitted on like me
You'd probably get your head blown off by a kid like me...
This ain't a game, the nerds that you be fuckinā€™ with might flip.ā€

Perhaps the most hard-hitting lyrics arrive near the end of record. Ā Essentially, Ill Bill establishes the reasons for the tragedy, from the perspective of Harris, and other potential school shooters.

ā€œNow everybody wanna talk shit and cry asking why
Two geeks picked up guns and turned murderousā€¦
Two nerdy kids is that a crime?
Why I've gotta be one of the cool kids just to walk by
Without being tripped, thrown down on the ground and kicked
Insulting me for no reason, I was treated like shit
The teachers let it happen
I've even seen some of them teachers laughing
That's why I had a smile on my face when I started blastinā€™
I wasn't crazy - all of y'all were sick
I was the nicest person in the world ā€“ y'all were dicks
Don't even try to analyze me now you have no chance, back then
Maybe you could've been my friend.ā€

12-13. Eminem, ā€œThe Way I Amā€ & ā€œIā€™m Backā€

The Marshall Mathers LP Ā ā€¢ Interscope ā€¢ 2000

Eminem, Marshall Mathers LP Ā© InterscopeBack in the day, was there anybody more controversial than Eminem? No. The rapper was as unapologetic as they come.Ā  His ā€˜real talkā€™ was ahead of his time, yet still rings as controversial years later.Ā  On ā€œThe Way I Am,ā€ he references the Columbine school shooting without explicating naming the school, perpetrators, or victims.Ā  Still, he speaks on the social status and mindset of the shooters, unfounded blame (Marilyn Manson), and neglect in highlighting such incidents in less affluent parts of America.

ā€œWhen a dudeā€™s getting bullied and shoots up his school
And they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin
Where were the parents at? And look where itā€™s at!
Middle America, now itā€™s a tragedy
Now itā€™s so sad to see, an upper-class city havinā€™ this happeningā€¦ā€

ā€œThe Way I Amā€ wasnā€™t the only reference of Columbine on The Marshall Mathers LP.Ā  ā€œIā€™m Backā€ actually mentioned the schoolā€™s name and referenced shooting bulliesā€¦ Controversial to the nth degree. Ā The word ā€œkidsā€ and ā€œColumbineā€ is actually [censored] in every version ā€“ explicit or amended ā€“ of ā€œIā€™m Back.ā€

ā€œI take seven [...] from [...]
Stand ā€˜em all in line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a 9
A MAC-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine
And thatā€™s a school of bullies shot up all at one time.ā€Ā 


14. Pearl Jam, ā€œRivalā€

Binaural ā€¢ Epic ā€¢Ā 2000

Pearl Jam, Binaural Ā© EpicVeteran grunge band Pearl Jam join the response game on ā€œRival.ā€Ā  ā€œRivalā€ wasnā€™t necessarily written specifically about Columbine, but addresses issues raised in the aftermath regarding gun control.

ā€œAll my rivals will see what I have in store
My gun
Iā€™ve been harboring fleets in this reservoir
Red sun
And this nationā€™s about to explode.ā€

ā€œā€¦As we release this unspeakable toll.ā€

15. Foster the People, ā€œPumped Up Kicksā€

Torches ā€¢ Sony ā€¢ 2011

Foster the People, Torches Ā© SonyFoster the People have one giant hit to their name: ā€œPumped Up Kicks.ā€Ā  Surprisingly, that one hit is more controversial than it seems. It wasnā€™t written specifically about Columbine, but part of it seems inspired by it. Itā€™s about school shooter!

ā€œRobertā€™s got a quick hand
Heā€™ll look around the room, he wonā€™t tell you his plan.ā€

ā€œYeah, he found a six-shooter gun
In his dadā€™s closet, in the box of fun thingsā€¦ Heā€™s coming for you, yeah, heā€™s coming for you.ā€
ā€œAll the other kids with the pumped-up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gunā€¦ You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.ā€

16. Nicole Dollanganger, ā€œRampageā€

Observatory Mansions ā€¢ Nicole Dollanganger ā€¢Ā 2014

Nicole Dollanganger, Observatory Mansions Ā© Nicole DollangangerNicole Dollanganger is a Canadian singer/songwriter.Ā  There are some dark elements to her work, particularly judging her 2014 song, ā€œRampage.ā€ It has Columbine written all over it, without explicitly saying so.

ā€œBlack combat boots pacing in through the school building
Heā€™s gonna fight the good fight, the noble warā€¦ā€

In this particular quote, the boyfriend ā€“ the school shooter ā€“ has a ā€˜mighty loveā€™ concerning his gun.

ā€œYeah my baby has a baby but itā€™s not me
Itā€™s an AK47 semi-automatic gun and
He loves her more than he loves me.ā€

Apparently, the girlfriend is filled with utter delusion herself, judging by the end of the following line:

ā€œGunslinger, black duster, delusions of a western
He wears his hat on backwards, sets fire to his locker
Heā€™s gonna fight the good fight, the noble war.ā€

If there was any doubt about the Columbine connections, the following quote confirms itā€™s a thing.

ā€œI bet youā€™ve never seen the smile of savage-Springfield 67H
With his blurry face and cracked voice gone through the VHS tapes.ā€

17. Nicole Dollanganger, ā€œLividityā€

Flowers of Flesh and Blood ā€¢ Nicole Dollanganger ā€¢ 2012

Nicole Dollanganger, Flowers of Flesh and Blood Ā© Nicole DollangangerBefore Nicole Dollanganger released ā€œRampage,ā€ there was ā€œLividity.ā€ Again, thereā€™s Columbine influence all over this one.Ā  This song is taken from the perverse perspective of the perpetrator.

ā€œFind no love in flesh, but only weapons
The ones that do the most damage
There is no peace in life but only in death.ā€
ā€œā€¦ I only love the things that I can hurtā€
ā€œTaking baths in all of the bloodshed
From the shards I put into your head
Iā€™ll shoot and break my nose from the blow.ā€

18. Amanda Palmer, ā€œStrength Through Musicā€

Who Killed Amanda Palmer ā€¢ Roadrunner ā€¢ 2008

Amanda Palmer, Who Killed Amanda Palmer [Photo Credit: Roadrunner]ā€œTick-tick-tick-tick-tick.ā€ Amanda Palmer seems to suggest that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the devastating Columbine High School Massacre were ā€œticking time bombs.ā€ While ā€œStrength Through Musicā€ isnā€™t an explicit tone poem to the horrors the massacre, itā€™s patterned after where a potential perpetratorā€™s mindset.Ā  This perspective includes the murderer being ā€œlocked in his bedroom,ā€ seeing ā€œa web of answers and cumshot girlsā€.Ā  Palmer lyrically highlights the debates surrounding the influences of Harris and Klebold, including video games, guns. Also, she cleverly makes reference to music via ā€œHe picked a soundtrack,ā€ and perhaps more disturbingly, ā€œHe hung his Walkman around his neck.ā€Ā  The most chilling lyrics occur on the fourth and final verse, as the perpetrator experiences no emotions as he kills.

ā€œItā€™s so simple
The way they fall
No cry, no whimper
No sound at all.ā€

19. The Calling, ā€œOne by Oneā€

Two ā€¢ RCA ā€¢ 2004

The Calling, Two [Photo Credit: RCA]ā€œAnd now the power of one human being / Has gone and changed so many lives…ā€ ā€œOne by Oneā€ serves as the opening song from Two, the 2004 sophomore album from off-and-on again Los Angeles, California rock band, The Calling.Ā  Of Two, AllMusic reviewer Johnny Loftus didnā€™t have many kind words, ultimately giving the album just one-and-half-stars out of five ā€“ ouch!Ā  He also didnā€™t praise the song at hand, which according to frontman Alex Band, ā€œOne by Oneā€ was written about the Columbine High School massacre.

ā€œHis hair is long, and itā€™s twisted, itā€™s twisted
Around the smile spread cheek to cheek
Another child, another soul, grabs a hold
To the metal that will end his misery...

In this deep dark, fucked up, played out, reality show
So, whoā€™s the man, with the plan
Eating up all that he can?
Donā€™t you see, don't you see...ā€

20. Michale Graves, ā€œNobody Thinks About Meā€

Return to Earth ā€¢ Horror High ā€¢ 2006

Michale Graves, Return to Earth [Photo Credit: Horror High]ā€œGood morning Columbine / Iā€™ll get to my agenda / Fourth Period, Jesus Christ / Iā€™m the one you terrorize.ā€Ā  Michale Graves, like Amanda Palmer earlier, examines the mindset of the perpetrators as opposed to the victims.Ā  Neither Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold are named explicitly on ā€œNobody Thinks About Meā€ but thereā€™s no doubt this song is about the tragic incident that shook everybody.Ā  Notably, Michale Graves highlights the disillusionment, loneliness, and social isolation of the perpetrators.Ā  The titular lyric is the key lyric, repeated numerous times throughout the song.

ā€œGood afternoon, goodbye
Iā€™ll get to my agenda
Gonna be the enemy
Gonna smile and destroy.ā€


[šŸ“·: 5 Minute Walk, A&M, Autumn Tone, EMI Christian, Horror High, Indieblue Music, Interscope, Nicole Dollanganger, Nothing, Octone, Odd Future, RCA, Reprise, Reunion, Roadrunner, Sony, Uncle Howie]


the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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