Teary-Eyed Alan Jackson Mourns 9/11 Victims In 2006 Live Version Of His Hit Song
Sep 13, 2020
As part of the Toyota Concert Series on TODAY in 2006, country singer Alan Jackson performed Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning), a song that he wrote to remember the victims of 9/11.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video.
Country singer Alan Jackson wrote the song Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) just a few weeks after 9/11 struck and debuted it two months following the attacks in November 2011, according to Yahoo! News.
Yahoo! added that it was the song that "catapulted Jackson's career," for he articulated what "thousands" of other people "felt and thought on that day." Americans nodded in unison to the lyrics, which perfectly described the flurry of emotions that floored the nation after the tragedy:
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor Or did you just sit down and cry?
apost.com
As part of the 2006 Toyota Concert Series on TODAY, Jackson dedicated his song to those whose lives had been taken on that day:
“I’d like to do this song especially for all the people that died five years ago," he said. "The policemen, the firemen, the civilians, Flight 93, and the Pentagon.”
Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) was a major success and topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for five weeks, but Jackson had been hesitant to release it, according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the video of the concert, Jackson is seen closing his eyes often to fight back his tears. You can also see the crowd in attendance, with first responders and military members as they waved American flags while Jackson sang his song — a song which wholly represents the feelings that come to many Americans have every year on September 11.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose loved ones were victims of this tragedy. Let us know how listening to Alan Jackson's performance made you feel and be sure to pass this article along to honor the memory of those who were taken on that fateful September day.