Tragedy and loss are processed so many different ways by different people. You could say that 70, 80, maybe even 99% of the people who heard “Die Young” wouldn’t even think to put two and two together, but there ARE people out there who would think playing a song with that title would be in bad taste so soon after an incident like this.

As much as it sucks to fans of a certain songs, radio is still a business. The last thing we want to do is lose a listener because they feel it’s insensitive to play a certain song following a tragedy.

I think part of what makes it sound so absurd is that “Die Young,” currently the second most played song on U.S. pop radio, is being summarily dropped not because of its actual lyrics in context but because the words out of context could remind people of the awful occurrence. (I can better understand removing “Pumped Up Kicks” from local playlists, because it’s so on the nose, but with its age, it was unlikely receiving many spins anyhow.) Even if the removal is only for a short time, where exactly do you draw the line that it should be re-introduced? When have people been given enough time to grieve that the song could be any more appropriate than it is today?

What I would think would remind people less of the awful tragedy that has befallen them is if the world kept turning. Maybe that’s just my own grieving mechanism, though. When my mom died, being hugged and pitied by everyone I came in contact with was well-intentioned but made me feel worse than if everyone had treated me as they would normally. I suppose everyone grieves in their own way. But if that’s so, then shouldn’t radio continue to play as it would and let each person manage her grief in her own way, either by switching the dial or letting it play?