“The Tower” by Insane Clown Posse
The lyrics of Insane Clown Posse’s “The Tower” narrate the harrowing atrocities of Charles Whitman in the mid 1960s. Whitman is regarded as one of the most violent American mass murderers of all time.
The song’s title was extracted from the fact that Whitman committed the majority of his murders from a tower.
“The Tower” Facts
Primary Artist(s): Insane Clown Posse
Album/EP: “The Tempest”
When was “The Tower” released?
On March 20th of 2007, Insane Clown Pose officially released it along with “The Tempest” album.
Writing and Production Credits
It was written by Violent J. Violent is the other half of the duo Insane Clown Posse.
American DJ and music producer Mike E. Clark worked on the production of “The Tower”. Actually one of the reasons Mike is renowned in the music industry is because of his extensive work with Insane Clown Posse.
What Genre(s) best fit this song?
- Hip hop
- Rap
Summary
The lyrics of “The Tower” focus on one of the most notorious mass murderers in the history of the United States, a man known by the name Charles Whitman.
Who was Charles Whitman?
Charles Whitman, dubbed The Texas Tower Sniper, was a former US Marine and a mass murderer.
At age 12, Whitman became the youngest Eagles Scout in the history of the Boys Scout. He later joined the Marines in 1959. However, after scoring bad grades, he was discharged from the Marines in 1964.
Whitman then enrolled in the University of Texas, pursuing architectural engineering. During his studies, he became psychologically disturbed after experiencing rage, depression, and violent impulses. He visited the University’s doctor and psychiatrist, who prescribed drugs for him and told him to return for further checkups. However, Whitman did not go for any checkup afterward.
On August the 1st of 1966, Whitman embarked on a mass killing spree. He first stabbed and murdered his wife and mother at their homes. Then he went to the University of Texas, Austin campus, and randomly fired at many people with his many guns.
Lastly, he made his way to the University tower, where he shot three people as soon as he entered. Whitman then moved to the tower’s 28th-floor observation deck and fiercely shot at the people over there for over 90 minutes. In total, he murdered 16 people of which included a pregnant mother. Finally, police officers of the Austin department shot Whitman dead in the University tower.
