On April 6, a 12-ton FA-18 NAVY fighter jet holding tons of fuel crash landed into an apartment complex in Virginia Beach, Va. Forty units in the complex were destroyed in the crash and the massive fireball it caused. Five were hospitalized, none seriously hurt, and nobody died.
Virginia Beach’s mayor called it a “good Friday miracle.” We call it crazy. In honor of a horrific plane crash not causing massive amounts of death for what feels like the first time ever, this playlist is in honor of aviation and travel and all things air-related—because, despite the violent images of crashes in the news, being able to fly to Australia in a day’s time is still pretty cool.
“Traffic in the Sky” – Jack Johnson
Johnson wrote the first verse “Traffic in the Sky” in New York City about a month before Sept. 11, 2001. He saw some shadows in the ground and when he looked up he saw several airplanes circling above the city. When his bass player inquired about finishing the song a few weeks after, Johnson looked back at the lyrics and shivered when he read, “Maybe it’s a dream and if I scream/it will burst at the seams/this whole place will fall into pieces.” He finished the song a year later out of respect.
“Mama I’m Coming Home” – Ozzy Osbourne
Younger generations know Osbourne more for being the first celebrity to allow cameras into his home for a reality show than for biting the head off a dove. The song is about Osbourne’s wife Sharon—he had plans to imminently retire and come home to spend time with her. The song, however, was recorded in 1991, and Osbourne has yet to actually retire.
“Fake Frowns” – Death Cab for Cutie
This song has nothing to do with airplanes, but it did appear on an album called “Something About Airplanes,” and like most early DCFC cuts, it is awesome.
“Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” – Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship’s song was featured on the soundtrack for “Snakes on a Plane,” perhaps the most ill conceived title for a bad movie in the 2000s. The movie did show the power of the Internet, as five days of additional footage was ordered after the movie went viral and fans asked for Samuel Jackson to continue his foul-mouthed persona. The TV edits further push the movie into wince-inducing hilarity: “Enough is enough! I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane!”
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” – John Denver
Denver released the song in 1969 but Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of the song, which was released the same year, was more popular at the time. The lyrics, “Hold me like you’ll never let me go/Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane/Don’t know when I’ll be back again” are chilling, considering Denver died in a plane crash in 1997 at the age of 53.
“Space Oddity” – David Bowie
Ground control to David Bowie. Where are you? Lady Gaga has filled the androgynous freak performer niche in your stead, and we want you back.
