Drowning Pool Was Only Texas Band Banned After 9/11 Attacks

September 11, 2001 will always be regarded as one of the worst days in American history. Shortly afterwards, a list came out of songs containing themes & lyrics that were essentially deemed "offensive" & in bad taste to play on the radio. This list became the Clear Channel memorandum. 165 songs were included on this list including one band from Texas. It wasn't ZZ Top or Pantera or even the heavier bands like D.R.I. or MDC. The one band from Texas that Clear Channel tried to banned after September 11th was Dallas' Drowning Pool.

Which Drowning Pool song was banned after 9/11?

It should probably come as no surprise that the song that was banned was their biggest hit played on the radio (and still is), Bodies. What's crazy is that the song was on the radio for just a few weeks before the attacks occured.

How did Drowning Pool feel after the 9/11 ban?

Obviously looking a the lyrics on the surface, one might assume that it's about...well falling. But Dave Williams even confirmed that the whole song is all about the feeling of jumping into a mosh pit. And the band spoke vehemently on how they felt about the song being tied to the 9/11 attacks.

In a 2021 interview with Billboard, the bassist Stevie Denton confirmed they acknowledged that they were proud of how big the song became during that the time, they hate that some people still link it back to that day by listening to the lyrics (or to a lesser extent perhaps by the music videos that came out during the Iraq War).

"Even with that negative aspect, the song is still one of the biggest ones of that time and we’re proud of the cultural impact — but saddened that we’re kind of forever tied to that tragedy" - Stevie Denton.

Drowning Pool & their songs will forever be a staple in Texas metal history; and I think I speak for everyone when I say... I'm happy the song is still being played around the world.

R.I.P. to Dave Williams & all the victims from the September 11 attacks.

Get our free mobile app