"D.O.A." is a song by Texas hard-rock band

Bloodrock 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. History The Naturals, Crowd + 1 (1963-1969) Bloodrock ...

released by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

in early 1971.

Synopsis

The song is sung from the perspective of a man who has, temporarily, survived a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an aviation accident, accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by Aviation communication, miscommunication, mistrus ...

. 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.

Chart performance

The single version of "D.O.A." is roughly half the length of the longer version found on the album '' Bloodrock 2''. Many US radio stations refused to play "D.O.A." and the song was banned at several high schools. Despite a lack of airplay, the single still reached number 36 on the

Billboard chart The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

. 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.

Track listing

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

Cover versions

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on '' Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation'' (''The

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Suite'' bonus CD)

References

American rock songs 1971 singles Capitol Records singles 1970 songs Songs about death {{1970s-single-stub