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Officers at the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said music played from the recreational vehicle that exploded downtown early on Christmas Day.
Officer Tyler Luellen, one of six officers who spoke during the MNPD's news briefing Sunday, said that right before the blast an announcement from the RV said to evacuate the area, followed by a countdown.
After the countdown, the officer said, music began to play from the vehicle.
"What I remember was 'downtown, where the lights shine bright,'" said Luellen, who noted that a song was playing as he and his fellow officers quickly worked to evacuate people in the Second Avenue North and Commerce Street area.
The officer said he later looked up the song and found out it was the 1964 hit "Downtown" by British singer Petula Clark.
"When you're alone and life is making you lonely/You can always go downtown/When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry/Seems to help, I know, downtown," Clark sings at the beginning of the track.
Clark's hit song was also used to eerie effect in the television series Lost multiple times.
During the briefing, police officer James Wells said, "There was also cameras on the RV like surveillance cameras above the mirror," said Wells. "It felt like whoever was behind it was watching us."
Wells said he suffered from temporary hearing loss following the explosion, and Luellen was knocked to the ground.
Three other people were sent to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to the MNPD.
Investigators are trying to establish a motive for the explosion caused by the suspect, identified as Anthony Quinn Warner. Some speculated the blast was likely a suicide bombing, as human remains were found in the RV following the explosion.
Senior law enforcement officials previously confirmed to Newsweek that investigators are going to take a DNA test from Warner's mother to determine whether the remains found are his.
"Assuming this is the mother of the bomber, the FBI labs are in 48-72-hour turnaround for confirmation," one of the senior law enforcement sources told Newsweek.
The FBI is also looking into whether Warner acted in response to 5G conspiracy theories.
The MNPD told Newsweek it didn't have any further comment beyond Luellen's remarks made during the news conference.
In statement to Newsweek that was also posted to the singer's Facebook page, Clark questioned why Warner used her song.
"I was told that the music in the background of that strange announcement was me singing 'Downtown'! Of all the thousands of songs, why this one?" said Clark. "Millions of people all over the world have been uplifted by this joyful song. Perhaps you can read something else into these words, depending on your state of mind."
This story was updated on December 29 with a comment to Newsweek from Petula Clark.
