WCSX Classic Cuts : Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too Young to Die

WCSX Classic Cuts

Jethro Tull: "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die"

The Hook: Ian Anderson says the song was used by the C.I.A. to wage psychological warfare against Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.

Album: Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die

Year: 1976

Writer: Ian Anderson

Stats: A rock radio airplay hit, it didn't make the pop chart.

Background: As we've seen in many political campaigns, artists aren't always in control of how their songs are used. Ian Anderson recalls a particular instance of a Jethro Tull song being used in a way he'd never intended -- to help depose a Panamanian dictator.

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson on a particularly memorable usage of "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die." OC:...couldn't ignore. :15

"'Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll,' I think, was a track that was played by the C.I.A. to get Noriega out of his safe sanctuary. They were bombarding him with psychological warfare via a Jethro Tull track. [Laughs] 'Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll,' a message he couldn't ignore."