While not a patriotic song in the traditional sense, this song, written by Alan shortly after the 9/11 attacks, may in fact be the ultimate patriotic song. It addresses and validates all the emotions, thoughts and concerns that Americans felt after that horrific day. Whether he's asking, "Did you dust off that bible at home or go out and buy you a gun," Alan reveals how well he knows the rest of us by examining the effects on our national psyche the day so many were brutally taken from us.
He ends each chorus as he ends the song, with the reminder that the greatest gift God gave us is love. It's nothing short of a masterpiece, and Alan brought honor to the entire country music industry through writing it and offering it to people who might otherwise never have listened to country music—people who needed healing. Within weeks, maybe even days, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the entertainment industry mobilized to show that it too was outraged by what happened. It's not overtly patriotic in a pro military or pro war sense, but it's absolutely patriotic in its call to preserve America's spiritual heritage and tradition.
From the first performance, and at numerous shows thereafter , audiences rose to their feet and began cheering before Diamond Rio reached the first chorus. It's obvious by the audience response that a lot of people embraced the song's message—that a large and vital portion of America's essential cultural fabric is being systematically eroded with the removal of any references to God. But, there's no denying that many thousands of country fans see things the way Diamond Rio does. When Tim McGraw performed "If You're Reading This" at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
The song is a tribute to fallen soldiers and takes the form of a letter, meant to be read only if the soldier didn't return home. Co-written with Brad and Brett Warren of the Warren Brothers, the track was inspired by an article the three men read about war casualties. After Tim's performance at the ACM awards, one hundred relatives of soldiers who died in the line of duty appeared onstage under a banner that read 'Families of Fallen Heroes.' An emotional Tim rightly received a standing ovation from his fellow country artists. Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949) wrote the songs "You're Missing" and "Empty Sky" for his CD titled The Rising as a response to the events of September 11, 2001. Springsteen's home county of Monmouth in New Jersey lost 158 people on 9/11. Within days of the towers collapsing, Springsteen began writing songs.
These two songs were inspired by discussions that he had with two New Jersey widows who lost their husbands when the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed. "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" was at the top of the charts for 20 weeks. I asked Takacs why it was so hard to find any open criticism about the song. "A lot of people made a safer choice," which was to say nothing she explains.
"They weren't going to say anything bad about it." But, according to Keith, the lyrics of his song were too controversial for ABC's Peter Jennings. The country music star claimed he was dropped from the network's July 4th remembrance special because of the assertive line about boots. An ABC spokesperson blamed it on logistics and a "number of other factors." But still, country music fans criticized Jennings and told him to go back to Canada, where the anchor was born. Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, close to 200 songs were shadow banned from American radio stations by Clear Channel Communications, known today as iHeartMedia.
There were little to no consequences for DJs who broke the embargo, though as The Daily Beast, Kerrang, and others have noted, it had a chilling effect on radio play for the targeted songs. Today, the list stands as a curious relic of a time where unfathomable tragedy led to one of the most sweeping censorship movements in recent history. This was a song Waylon carried with him for years and rediscovered after the 1984 Olympics inspired him to write a patriotic song and he found himself dissatisfied with his attempts. After another listen, he knew "America" captured what he'd been trying to say. To commemorate the day, hundreds of people on Saturday gathered in Lower Manhattan at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on the spot where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood. Three presidents — President Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — and their wives attended.
They wore blue ribbons and held their hands over their hearts as a procession marched a flag through the memorial and stood somberly side by side as the names of the dead were read off by family members and stories and remembrances were shared. For those looking to commemorate 9/11 through music, platinum-selling Welsh recording artist Jem has compiled an album from a group of artists in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and to support the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The album titled "Ten Years On" comprises moving songs by a range of talented artists whose heartfelt lyrics and music will bring people together in remembrance on this monumental day. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Cambria County native and country music recording artist Josh Gallagher released a new song, "Never Forget," on Friday in honor of the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Despite numerous reports, Clear Channel never "banned" any songs from rotation on their stations following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
A loose list of songs circulated from higher-ups to ground-level DJs, which included essentially anything that could be remotely related to any of the tragic events that had taken place, was constructed. These tracks were encouraged to be excluded from airplay, not banned. Some stations even disregarded the list and continued to play certain cuts. Out of the tragedy of the September 11th terrorist attacks has come some incredible music in tribute.
We take a look at some of the very best pieces written by composers from America and beyond, whether they were there when the attacks happened or were simply inspired by the events themselves. Jackson was originally supposed to perform his more upbeat single "Where I Come From" at the 2001 CMA Awards, but when his manager played "Where Were You" for a group of Country Music Association executives, their response was so emotional and intense that those plans were quickly scrapped. Jackson instead performed his new 9/11 tribute at the CMAs with an orchestra, and he received a standing ovation.
The next morning, radio stations across the country were playing the live recording pulled straight from the awards show's CBS broadcast, before Arista had even manufactured a commercial single to meet the sudden demand. (The single officially came out on Nov. 26, 2001.) Jackson confesses that he had — and still has — mixed feelings about the song's massive success. Keith has two entries in this poll, with "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and "American Soldier." The latter was written for his 2003 Shock'n Y'all album, but still resonated with fans hurting from the attacks. Jackson's "Where Were You " is a longtime fan favorite that makes sure we take time to remember the victims. Worley's "Have You Forgotten?" became an instant hit in 2003, and Aaron Tippin recorded "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly" the weekend after the attack and had it to radio by Monday morning.
Cambria County native and country music recording artistJosh Gallagherreleased a new song, "Never Forget," on Friday in honor of the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Documentaries, newspaper features,many books, and newly-released declassified documents focus on what happened, how it changed the country, and what it means today. But one area that gets less attention, but is certainly revealing of the times, is the extensive blurring of the lines of politics, patriotism, and popular culture that took place. That chilling effect is exactly what happened with Drowning Pool's hit single "Bodies," with band member C.J.
Pierce telling The Ringer in 2016 that the success of the song was nearly derailed by the ban because radio was the most prominent way for songs to reach fans at the time, taking years for the young Dallas band to recover. It was a sentiment that was also echoed by System of a Down's Serj Tankian for their No. 1 song at the time "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which was essentially wiped from the charts. Alan Jackson's 9/11 tribute song 'Where Were You ' remains a hit that the country music star plays at all of his shows 20 years later. "America Will Survive" peaked at No. 45 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Twenty years later, country fans, radio stations, and some of the artists who sang them hold onto the patriotic and sometimes jingoistic songs that sprang up after 9/11, even as the idea of patriotism itself has changed. Even during a pandemic, September is the high season for Darryl Worley.
From Labor Day weekend into early October, the country singer spends most of his Saturdays onstage reminding country fans about the terrorist attacks of 9/11. And this year, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, he's been particularly busy. " — the only Number One country song to ever mention Osama Bin Laden by name. This song shows a side of Toby's patriotism that a lot of people might have been surprised to see after having experienced the in-your-face righteous indignation he showcased in "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" in 2002.
This quiet strength is comforting in a way that an angrier song can't be—even though they can both have their place at one time or another. But, as Toby states so simply, the bottom line with both tunes is that, because of American soldiers, we can sleep in peace tonight. Often called the "unofficial National Anthem," in 2003—the 20th anniversary of its release—online voters named this powerful song the "most recognizable patriotic song" in the nation. And, after nearly 25 years, the song Lee wrote to show his appreciation for his country and his willingness to defend it still routinely brings crowds to their feet at the opening strains of the first chorus. While cynics may describe it as jingoistic, there are a good many citizens who, to this day, cannot hear its heartfelt championing of America's virtues without getting misty.
Josh Gallagher, a country performer from Cresson now living in Nashville, released the song "Never Forget" on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021,for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Richie McDonald explains that while this song wasn't written for September 11th, it became popular following the attacks because troops were deployed. "This was a song that I wrote about being away from my family and a song that we could relate to every single night in the band being away from our families," said McDonald.
"But after 9/11 it took on a whole new meaning, especially with the men and women in the military. They spend years away from their families, and it put things in perspective for us." There's no doubt that this is one of the most well-known patriotic songs to be released in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, but believe it or not, there was a lot of controversy around it. People felt that the song had a hidden message in it and that it was an accusation that anyone who disagreed with the United State's involvement in Afghanistan had "forgotten" about 9/11. He just wanted the song to show support for the victims, their families, the veterans and the troops. "It's more than just a 9/11 connection," the country music star said. "I mean, the real hook in it is just quotes right out of the bible anyway. I mean, still at night it's one of my biggest songs in the show and it's hard to follow it … I see so many that are holding up them lighters and they're glad to hear it and I think are moved by it and glad I did it."
The country music star revealed the song actually came to him in the middle of the night. Keith's saber-rattling, polarizing tune took no prisoners as he tied his father's military service and love for country with the U.S. invading Afghanistan as payback for 9/11. Few hit the mark quite like "Where Were You ," a somber everyman ballad that succeeded in part because of Jackson's admitted ignorance.
Jackson wrote the song by himself, and it's his voice that professes to not be a "political man" nor quite grasp the differences between Iraq and Iran. While it resonated across genres — it was a country Number One and broke into the Top 30 on Billboard's Hot 100 — "Where Were You" was explicitly a song for those who, like Jackson and his listeners, lived far from New York or D.C. The lyrics leaned heavily into Christian teachings of faith, hope, and love. At the time, major media companies like Clear Channel Communications urged its 1,100+ radio stations not to play over 150 songs due to potentially offensive material. Now his first hip-hop single, 'Post 9/11 Blues', is dividing opinion at some of Britain's leading radio stations. Ahmed is awaiting verdicts from Radio 1 and XFM on whether the track, which includes references to the death in London of Jean Charles de Menezes and the war in Iraq, is too politically sensitive to play on air.
U.S. radio stations took a red pencil to their playlists, banning over 150 songs that mentioned things related to the attacks, like airplanes ("Leavin' on Jet Plane"), fire ("Burning Down the House"), or references to the Middle East (The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian"). Hank Fellows performed his songs and spoke to the audience about songwriting, creativity, and following one's dream, on Memorial Day in western Minnesota, May 2011. At the local Memorial Day ceremony, the children's chorus sang Hank's patriotic song "One Heart, One Voice".
An inspirational song of gratitude, celebrating all of the special people in our lives. First performed by the "Fannin County 9/11 Memorial Chorus," under the direction of Lois Smith, at the dedication of a 9/11 steel girder at Fire Station No. 5, in Arlington VA, August 2010. Due to widespread budget cuts for school music programs, Hank Fellows is now offering the sheet music, choral arrangements, lyric sheets, and instrumental tracks for all of his patriotic songs FREE OF CHARGE to teachers. This was the title cut of Billy Ray's debut album, which eventually sold approximately 14 million copies worldwide.
The song is a tribute to the sacrifices of all veterans of war and was recorded after Billy Ray met a Vietnam veteran who later died. Not surprisingly, "Some" has been embraced by veterans' groups and has also been featured as the plot line in Billy Ray's former "Doc" TV series. As a truly personal tribute, some rescue workers at "ground zero" in New York later got "Some Gave All" tattoos in memory of their lost friends. "For You," was written for the film Act of Valor which was inspired by real life events and stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALS. Keith was able to spend some time with the SEALS and left impressed with their commitment to service and one another.
In 1991, it was featured on a "list of records to be avoided" distributed by the BBC to its radio stations, and then featured on the 2001 Clear Channel list. Both times, it was for its brief references to the Nile and Egyptians, being technically references to the Middle East – even though the "Egyptians" the song is talking about are ancient ones depicted on tomb paintings. The inclusion of this song on the list has never been truly accounted for – as LA Times' pop music critic Robert Hilburn noted at the time, "Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was written for times like these." Ryan Adams was a new name to most music fans in 2001, and his second solo album,Gold, featured this classic.
The song took on a new meaning after 9/11 — and so did the video, which was shot on September 7, 2001, with the Twin Towers seen clearly in the background. September 11 was traumatic for the entire country, particularly if you were in the New York area. One thing that helped us to get through it was unity and solidarity, watching everyone come together to pull through a horrifying crisis. But another thing was music, whether it was songs from the era, songs recorded in response to the day, or older songs performed at various benefits and tributes that took on a new meaning, post-9/11. The unity and loyalty to our country that Americans felt on the days that followed are feelings only felt now once a year on the anniversary of this day. The national pride that illuminated this country for the first few years after the attacks are now a memory which is a sad commentary even of itself.
When you finish the reading ask students to write a response to the question "What do you remember about the events of September 11, 2001? As a class, create a list of experiences, memories, and feelings about that day. Gallagher's new song was released on his Facebook page, The Tribune-Democrat website and social media, and it will be available to air on local radio stations. On the surface, it makes sense for stations perhaps not to play songs about death, airplane crashes, or anything doomsday-related out of an abundance of caution and sensitivity for freshly traumatized listeners, who had just witnessed a terrorist attack unfold in real time on their TVs. Springsteen performed a solo acoustic rendition of his song "I'll See You In My Dreams" at the World Trade Centre memorial plaza as part of a wider ceremony attended by dignitaries and family members of 9/11 victims.
Swifties have investigated Taylor Swift so much, decoding literally every cryptic Easter egg she's hidden for them throughout her acclaimed music career, that they could likely help professionals solve mysteries. But there are things even some of the most avid Swifties don't know, including her unreleased tunes. Swift apparently wrote a song titled "Didn't They" about the tragic events of 9/11 when she was still an aspiring country singer-songwriter. A final version of the song is nowhere to be found on her nine studio albums, but a recording of "Didn't They" eventually made its way onto the internet in 2013, and some hardcore Swifties have been crying to it ever since. But he never expected that 20 years later, the song would still have such an impact. "Raise Up "Paradigm Blue"Bravado (9/11 Tribute)"2001The progressive rock power trio from Raleigh, North Carolina.
"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue "Unleashed2001Toby Keith wrote this song in response to his father's death and the 9/11 attacks in 2001. At first, he was reluctant to record the song and decided to only play it live for military personnel. Later however, Corps James L. Jones convinced him to record it saying that it was his, "duty as an American citizen to record the song." In the days directly following, popular culture changed as hundreds of films, TV shows, and songs had to be altered due to bans placed on content featuring the twin towers or referencing plane hijackings in order to avoid distress. For this song's sheet music with slightly different lyrics for schools, click here. The rocker made the tribute tonight as he performed the 1994 Oasis track during his headlining show at TRNSMT music festival.
The performance marked Gallagher's return to the festival which he previously headlined in 2018. Bush, who was in office at the time, acknowledged that many people today aren't old enough to remember these moments, even though they now "owe a vast, unconscious debt" to the first responders and others who died in the attacks. As survivors, politicians, first responders and loved ones of those who died reflected on the anniversary, many praised the unity Americans showed and highlighted the importance of passing on the memory of the day to those too young to remember it.
NEW YORK — Solemn crowds around the country gathered in silence Saturday for the 20th time to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that forever changed the nation. When summer is in full swing what better way to beat the heat than on a boat with good friends and good music? Discover Boating, the U.S. recreational boating industry's nonprofit awareness program, asked its Facebook fans what music best captures time spent on a boat. More than 1,500 votes put Jimmy Buffett's "A Pirate Looks at 40″ in the top spot and filled the rest of the Top 10 list with songs by Craig Morgan, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band and more.
"I was talkin' to this kid and he was telling me a very intense story," explains Darryl. There were then, and still are today, plenty of folks who think Merle got it right when he said a lot of people fought and died to give us the American way of life. Dierks and his co-writers were inspired by the shooting that wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords along with 12 others and killed six. The song is about the hard times our country has seen and faces today but leaves the listener with hope of what is to come if we all band together as one. Time has made 9/11 more of a historical moment for them, rather than a day filled with intense emotions like those who remember where they were when the four hijacked airplanes crashed on a Tuesday morning.
