Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood

Album cover for Titantic Rising, a 2019 album by American artist Natalie Mering, also known as Weyes Blood (from Genius, 2019).

  • Titanic Rising was released in April 2019 by critically-acclaimed American singer-songwriter Natalie Mering, known as Weyes Blood. This soft rock album features string and synth instrumentals that create an atmospheric and emotional vibe.
  • Natalie Mering is a supporter of climate activism. In many interviews about her album Titanic Rising, she stresses the importance of climate awareness and education. The album cover (image above) depicts Mering submerged underwater in her childhood bedroom. This calls attention to the threat of flooding and sea level rise as a result of global warming.
  • You can listen to the album here and read the lyrics here.

How is this related to climate?

  • Climate change is one of the central themes of Titanic Rising. Mering sings about her anxieties about the effects of anthropogenic climate change and the future of the planet. 
    • In the song “A Lot’s Gonna Change,” Mering sings, “If your friends and your family sadly don’t stick around, it’s high tide you’ll learn to get by.” This refers to rising sea levels (image below) caused by melting ice in polar regions and the thermal expansion of water due to increasing ocean temperatures. Coastal cities, home to approximately 40% of people around the world, are vulnerable to tidal flooding and storm surges as sea levels rise. Small island nations are particularly vulnerable, as people cannot simply move further inland to escape flooding. “A Lot’s Gonna Change” serves as a warning and call to action to survive the effects of climate change.

Graph of recorded average global sea level rise since 1880. The graph’s vertical axis indicates the difference in sea level from the average sea level between 1993 and 2008. Notice the upwards trend, showing the higher sea levels as the planet warms (from Lindsey, 2022).

    • The song “Wild Time” speaks to the consequences of overconsumption with the lyrics, “I’m wonderin’ how we ever got here with no fear we’d fall” and “Burning much more than ever before, burning down the door.” Here, Mering illuminates how society’s desire for constant economic growth is contributing to the excessive demand for fossil fuel and the associated increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Titanic Rising was named after the sinking of the Titanic (image below) in 1912. The ship was initially declared “unsinkable,” but capsized in the North Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. Through her music, Mering uses the Titanic as an analogy to the climate crisis. According to Mering, the sinking of the Titanic is a metaphor for humanity’s hubris or arrogance, and a reminder of our lack of power over nature.
    • In a 2019 interview, Mering said, “I drew the parallel between climate change and a disaster like the Titanic where, instead of crashing the iceberg, we’re melting them. And instead of sinking the ship, we’re sinking civilization.”
    • The sinking of the Titanic is a lesson in the dangers of under-preparedness and ignorance. Because the passengers believed the ship was unsinkable, many chose to stay in their rooms during the evacuation, thinking it was only a drill. The owners of the Titanic were so confident in the strength of their ship that they chose to take fewer lifeboats than required, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to carry all of the passengers. This parallels the lack of widespread action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite numerous warnings by climate scientists.
    • In both the sinking of the Titanic and the ongoing climate crisis, impoverished people are the ones who are the most affected. When evacuating the Titanic, wealthy, first-class passengers were prioritized, as there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate everyone. In the aftermath, over 60% of passengers from the first class survived, compared to only 25% from the third class. Similarly, anthropogenic climate change is disproportionately impacting people without resources to withstand increasingly intense weather events. Many people from low-income countries are significantly more vulnerable to the consequences of changing climate conditions, like heat waves, rising sea levels, and hurricanes. Furthermore, economic inequality within communities creates inequity in disaster preparedness and relief. Wealthier individuals have the option of moving away to less affected areas, while those without that privilege are hit the hardest.
The RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. Note the lifeboats on the upper deck. Credit: F.G.O. Stuart

Photograph of the RMS Titanic leaving Southampton, England on its maiden voyage in April 1912. Once considered “unsinkable,” the ship capsized in the Northern Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg (from Stover, 2019).

References and additional resources

How to cite this page

Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood. (2024, June 12). Climate in Global Cultures and Histories: Promoting Climate Literacy Across Disciplines. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/titanic-rising-by-weyes-blood/.