I know this might surprise some people, but once upon a time I hated country music. Not kidding. The old adage about playing a country music song backward and getting your wife, dog, and job back seemed true enough to me, and I liked to listen to music that would give me a lift rather than bring me down.
I kept waiting in the days after 9/11 for someone with a little influence to come forward and put into words everything we were all feeling. No one did. Like us, those who wrote and sang for us were silent and numb.
I was flipping around the television stations one night a few weeks later and settled on the image of a tall man wearing ripped jeans and a cowboy hat walking onto the stage at an awards show. I sat the remote down after the first line and became a country music fan.
In leiu of the respect I have for September 11 and the days afterward, I'm not doing my usual weekend question. Instead, I'm posting that song. I'm sure most of you have heard Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)." I'm also sure you won't mind hearing it again.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
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16 comments:
I can identify to every word in this song and cry every time I hear it. Actually, I cry every time Alan Jackson sings because his music is awesome - and he's the only one who could get away with that hair. I guess that makes me a redneck.
The greatest is love.
Amen.
I love this song.
I love, love, love this song. I don't like country music per se, but I love Alan Jackson.
I posted this same song on my examiner page yesterday for 9-11.
http://www.examiner.com/x-18479-Richmond-StayatHome-Moms-Examiner
I'm new... think I'll stck around.
This is one of the best songs ever written.
I had actually never heard this song before now. Thank you, Billy, for introducing it to me. So powerful.
(for the record, I was at Ladies' Bible Study)
I love what music and lyrics can do when our own words won't come. It's a beautiful song...thanks for posting this.
That's a great song to commemorate the day.
Hi Billy,
I shared about 9-11 this week too!
I never heard that song before - thanks for sharing it!
Blessings to you and your family!
Jill
Great tribute. And great song :)
Wow! I'm not sure Septemeber 11th will ever get easier. I'm just as emotional this year as I was the year it happened. My husband traveled today (the 12th), and even though I try not to worry about him when he's in the air, 9/11 always crosses my mind when he is. That song is a beautiful song whether you enjoy country music or not.
Never liked country music much until 9-11 either. I can still only take it in small doses, but I do love this song. And Candy's right, only Alan Jackson could get away with that hair.
Oh yes, his hair 9and that chattahoochie song, blech...it gets hotter than a hoochie koochie?)
But aside from that, you gotta love the guy after this song.
Thank you for reminding me of it, I hadn't thought of this song in a long time.
I remember hearing that song for the first time, and bawling my eyes out. He did an amazing job with it, and from then on I was a huge Alan Jackson fan.
(I came over from Heather of the Extraordinary Ordinary, and am thoroughly enjoying reading through your posts!)
I've been a fan of country music for a long, long time, and a fan of Alan Jackson for nearly as long. This song was brilliant, heartfelt and true. Unfortunately, I also remember the controversy this song created, with all the "Jesus" refrences, and how so many were offended that this song couldn't represent them because it represented Him. It is an awesome song, and I thank you for reminding us (and introducing it to others of us) of it. Blessings!
When I was in second grade, I hung upside down on the monkey bars singing "Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry." No, you cannot ask me what year that was.
Our family watched every country music award show. When Alan Jackson did this song, we wept unashamed in the living room. To this day, every time I hear it, I weep. I've awarded it The Best Song of the Century.
Wanda Rosseland
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