Drowning Pool 'Devastated' Arizona Killer Played Its 'Bodies' Song

Hard-rockers Drowning Pool say they are "devastated" that the band's 2001 single, "Bodies," was featured in a YouTube video posted by Arizona killer Jared Lee Loughner, the 22-year-old who on Saturday (Jan. 8) went on a shooting rampage that killed six people and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.



In a statement posted on its official website Monday, the Dallas metal band says, "We were devastated to learn of the tragic events that occurred in Arizona and that our music has been misinterpreted, again...For someone to put out a video misinterpreting a song about a mosh pit as fuel for a violent act shows just how sick they really are. We support those who do what they can to keep America safe. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible tragedy."



"Bodies," the lead single from Drowning Pool's debut album, "Sinner," also marked the band's debut on the Billboard charts. The track peaked at No. 6 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart dated Aug. 25, 2001, and No. 12 on the Alternative Songs tally dated Sept. 22 that same year. This is not the first time that the song has inadvertently become the soundtrack to a tragic shooting. In 2003, 19-year-old Joshua Cookie murdered his parents while playing "Bodies," which prominently features the lyrics, "let the bodies hit the floor," in his headphones.



"'Bodies' was written about the brotherhood of the mosh pit and the respect people have for each other in the pit," Drowning Pool explained in its statement, citing its performances for U.S. troops overseas and petitioning for a Mental Health Care Reform Bill in Congress as evidence that it is does note promote violence. "If you push others down, you have to pick them back up. It was never about violence. It's about a certain amount of respect and a code."



A Washington Post article discussing Loughner's connection to "Bodies" led the band to post a follow-up statement on Tuesday, in which it again expressed displeasure with being linked to violent acts.



"We find it inappropriate to imply that our song or rock music in general is to blame for this tragic event," the band said. "It is premature to make this assumption without having all the facts in the case.



"Listening to Drowning Pool music does not make you a bad person," the band continued. "Misleading people does."