D.O.A. (song)

"D.O.A." (Dead on Arrival) is a song by Texas hard rock band Bloodrock released by Capitol Records in early 1971. The song is about an airplane crash victim and his girlfriend dying on the way to the hospital. The version of "D.O.A." released as a single is roughly half the length of the long album version found on Bloodrock 2. 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.[1]

In March 1971, many US radio stations and high schools banned "D.O.A.". Despite a lack of airplay, the single still reached number 36 on the Billboard chart.[2]

The song was included in a compilation album entitled "Death, Glory and Retribution" in 1985 that consisted of death, protest and "answer" songs by various artists.