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.<\/p>\n
When paired together, we often find clues and prophetic messages\u2014no matter how unintentional\u2014in 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\u2019 deaths.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Smell\u201d by Lynyrd Skynyrd<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most eerie entry on this list, \u201cThat Smell\u201d<\/a> by Lynyrd Skynyrd came out on October 17, 1977. Three days later, a charter Conair CV-240<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Lyrics like \u201cOoh, that smell, can\u2019t you smell that smell? Ooh, that smell, the smell of death surrounds you\u201d and \u201cSay you\u2019ll be alright come tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be here for you\u201d seem uncanny within the context of the devastating crash.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryday\u201d by Buddy Holly<\/p>\n Buddy Holly<\/a> was another musician who died too young after a fatal plane crash. Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. \u201cThe Big Bopper\u201d Richardson all perished when their plane went down<\/a> near Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 3, 1959. Two years earlier, Holly and his band, The Crickets, released \u201cEveryday\u201d as a B-side to \u201cPeggy Sue\u201d.<\/p>\n Before Holly\u2019s death, the song seemed hopeful, innocent, and exciting. But after his death, the lyrics took on new meaning, especially the line, \u201cEveryday, it\u2019s a-getting closer, going faster than a rollercoaster.\u201d With the harrowing plane crash in mind, the song becomes bone-chilling.<\/p>\n \u201cHappiness Is A Warm Gun\u201d by The Beatles<\/p>\n There were plenty of subtle (and not-so subtle) references to death throughout The Beatles\u2019 discography, particularly their later years. But given how John Lennon died, songs like \u201cHappiness Is A Warm Gun\u201d<\/a> seem to adopt a darker meaning, especially since he was the one who wrote it and was singing lead vocals.<\/p>\n Knowing Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon in December 1980 makes the climactic build-up of \u201cMother Superior jumped the gun\u201d all the more frantic and dangerous. The connection itself is sheer coincidence. Nevertheless, the shadow of Lennon\u2019s death casts a strange color over this \u201cWhite Album\u201d track.<\/p>\n \u201cCome As You Are\u201d by Nirvana<\/p>\n 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\u2019s lyrics were certainly no exception. One Nirvana song that many grieving listeners gravitated toward was \u201cCome As You Are\u201d<\/a> from the band\u2019s second studio album, Nevermind.<\/p>\n Cobain died of a gunshot wound, which officials deemed a suicide, in 1994. After that, the repeated phrase at the end of \u201cCome As You Are\u201d seemed like a strange foreshadowing of the tragedy that was to come. \u201cAnd I swear that I don\u2019t have a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA Feast Of Friends\u201d by Jim Morrison and The Doors<\/p>\n