Just as newspapers across the country paid tribute to Boston's iconic sports teams and a building hundreds of miles away was adorned with "NY ❤ B," our online music tastes on Monday reflected a little more love for Boston.
Dropick Murphys' version of "For Boston," the lively Boston College fight song, soared in Spotify plays on Monday by 260 percent, the company said when contacted by The Huffington Post.
Plays of "Dirty Water," the 1966 hit by The Standells that's become a staple at many professional sporting events in Boston, were up 160 percent on Monday evening, Spotify said.
Since the songs are not new releases, the dramatic increase in plays is most likely linked to the bombings in Boston, as people search for a way to connect and cope after disaster.
Susan Feiner, a professor of music therapy at New York University, said that she's not surprised that people are listening to these songs in the aftermath of Monday's marathon explosions.
"People who are feeling tremendous pain about Boston are going to want to choose music that connects them to this tragedy," Feiner told The Huffington Post. "People use music as a way to process the feelings they have."
"That's a way for them to communicate their feelings and be a part of something," Feiner added.
"For Boston" was written by T.J. Hurley, a member of Boston College's class of 1895. The version by the Dropkick Murphys, a Boston-based Celtic punk band, is frequently played before BC football games.
Writing for Rolling Stone, Andy Greene notes that Dirty Water "has become one of the unofficial rock anthems for the city of Boston." Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Steely Dan are among the bands who've played it during concerts in Boston, Greene added.
A spokesperson for Apple refused to comment on whether or not iTunes had seen an increase in downloads for these songs or any songs about Boston. A Pandora spokesperson said that the company could not help with this story.
Spotify, which is in the midst of an aggresive marketing campaign, announced on Tuesday that it had launched its service Latin America and Asia. The company, which has 24 million active users, is offered in 28 countries.
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