 The track " Revolution " , excluded from the final track listing , was considered by some critics as having an anti @-@ American tone . Leto rejected the claim and explained that it can be taken " many different ways " and if taken literally or politically , it could be misinterpreted . He said that the band " didn 't want a song like that to overshadow what we are about " and especially after the September 11 attacks , they felt it did not fit thematically with the rest of the album , stating that " it took on new dimensions " . The album features elements inspired by the science fiction novel Dune by Frank Herbert , which influenced the album 's songwriting for its themes regarding the interactions of politics , religion , technology , and human emotion . 
