‘Downtown’ singer expresses ‘disbelief’ over use of song by Nashville bomber
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 13: Petula Clark performs onstage at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 44th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner at the New York Marriott Marquis on June 13, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The singer of the mid-1960s classic “Downtown” was in “shock and disbelief” when she learned of the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville and that her song had played from the RV prior to the explosion.
Petula Clark posted to her Facebook page Tuesday morning with a message: “I feel the need to express my shock and disbelief at the Christmas Day explosion in our beloved Music City. I love Nashville and its people.”
Federal investigators said Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, detonated a bomb inside of an RV parked near Second Avenue North and Commerce Street around 6:30 a.m. Friday, killing himself, injuring three others and damaging more than 40 buildings.
Prior to the explosion, Metro police said Warner’s RV played an audio recording of a countdown, a warning for people to evacuate and Clark’s song “Downtown.”
“I was told that the music in the background of that strange announcement – was me – singing ‘Downtown’! Of all the thousands of songs – why this one?” Clark wrote on Facebook.
The song made famous by Clark begins, “when you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown.”
She said “millions of people all over the world have been uplifted by this joyful song,” but “perhaps you can read something else into these words — depending on your state of mind.”
Clark concluded her message by writing, “I would like to wrap my arms around Nashville – give you all a hug – and wish you Love, a Happy and Healthy New Year – and, as we sometimes say in the U.K., steady the Buffs! (Look it up!)”
