Monday, September 11, 2017

Music Moves Me - The Children of 9/11

September 11 memorial, Putnam Valley, New York. 9-11-16
Those of my generation will never forget.
Steel Girder from World Trade Center - South Carolina State Museum
Today, September 11, 2017, we pause  to mark events that took the lives of over 3,000 innocents on September 11, 2001.  The World Trade Center.  The Pentagon.  Flight 93, crashed by its passengers so the terrorists could not use it as a further weapon that day.

And not just Americans.  Hundreds of citizens of other countries died on our soil that day. That's an important thing to remember - we were not alone in our suffering.  The suffering has continued daily, for all these years - thousands and thousands from all over the world.

As someone who grew up in New York City, I was connected to many who suffered losses that day.  Eleven alumni of my high school died at the World Trade Center, including Ari Jacobs.  This People magazine interview piece interviews both Jacob's widow and his now-teenaged son Gabi, born six days after the attack. (More on Gabi below).

When I think of September 11, I think of someone who had worked at my company.  This man  lost his son (and, several years later, his other son died by suicide).    It wasn't just a son who worked in the North Tower who died that day.

By no stretch of the imagination was my suffering anything like the suffering of those directly affected.  Many of my readers have their own, powerful stories.  Today, let us come together to continue our healing process.

Music has a powerful ability to provide a message, and to heal.  Here are some 9/11 related songs I'd like to share with you.

I will start with a song that's now a classic - Alan Jackson with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)".

My son, some years ago, introduced me to a group called Dream Theatre.  This live version of the song, Sacrificed Sons, talks about the 9/11 attacks (note, this is a long video).

The Rising - Bruce Springsteen

This, the first song by a group My Chemical Romance, was written by a witness to the attack on the World Trade Center and the fall of the twin towers.


For the final song, I'd first like to quote from the interview above with Gabi, the son of someone from my high school who died on 9/11, as described above.  “Some people believe in God or the greater power,” says Gabi “I believe that the ones close to you that we’ve lost are there to help you, watching every step you take.”

Gabi and his mother also described, in the above interview, how they would scream out the words to the Imagine Dragons song "Demons".  I thought I would end this blog post with Gabi's choice of song.

Come join this blog hop and help us commemorate this day many of us will remember for the rest of our lives.

Join this #MusicMovesMe blog hop every Monday - here are the people responsible for it:
X mas Dolly is the Conductor of this trip, and the other Conductors are her fellow bloggers Callie of JAmerican Spice, ♥Stacy of Stacy Uncorked♥  and Cathy from Curious as a Cathy.
 

13 comments:

  1. Alana,

    We went with the same song, "Where Were You When The World Stopped?". How cool is that? I think most of us were touched indirectly on that fatal day. My 2nd or 3rd cousin was killed at the Pentagon. I never met her but my heart was heavy all the same. The irony is that this horrific act happened on such a beautiful September morning. A day you wouldn't expect such loss of life to occur and yet it did. It was the most surreal feeling I've ever witnessed. My brain was in such a fog for days and weeks but American are resilient people who aren't easily squashed by evil doers. We roll up our sleeves and hit hard back. The spirit of this country soared despite her heart break which is awe inspiring! Thanks for sharing in this day of remembrance with some fine song choices!

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  2. I could not listen to music for a week after the atttacks, my mind was too busy trying to grasp the enormity oftbe tragedy and the fearfulness of our new reality.

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  3. Powerful songs that reflect our collective remembrance and heartbreak for those that perished and their families.

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  4. I have never heard of the Dream Machine or that piece- which I have shared (via eMail) with my contacts. And, while the lyrics for the my chemical romance were interesting, the (lack of musicality) rendered it "chalk on the blackboard".
    Thanks for the other selections, too!

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  5. Great songs. They are all so powerful.

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  6. Loved this! We all will always remember where we were on that day.

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  7. The ripples of that day continue to flow. I always find music to both be a comfort, a reminder and a conduit to releasing emotions.

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  8. That second tune I never heard of, but the melody is kinda eerie to me. I mean creepy eerie, but your other tunes are... well, we all knew it was going to be a sad theme with sad news etc. I have a 9-11 movie giveaway if you're interested. The first one in my side-bar. Thanks for joinin' us! You really went out of your way. Thank you so very much. Have a great week & if I don't get a chance to tell you tomorrow or because of anything unforseen... you're a good friend and I care. You're always in my prayers! BIG HUGS

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  9. I've never heard that Alan Jackson song before. Where have I been? Talked about this with my class this morning. Most of them weren't born yet. But all know of it from their parents. The day the world stopped turning.

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  10. Thanks for sharing these and keeping the memories alive.

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  11. Such a sad anniversary. I have no more words.

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  12. Hi Alana,
    Great 9/11 post. Very original and unique with songs that I have never heard before. Dream Theatre's "Sacrificed Sons" is fantastic. Imagine Dragons is new to me as well. And so is My Chemical Romance (what a name!). I liked the lyrics and glad they were included on screen in this video. I didn't like the sound of My Chemical Romance though. I don't think they'll become a band that I follow. :)

    This has been a heavy week with the 9/11 anniversary and today's London terrorist attack. It's a sad scary world. But one of the positive things I have taken away from 9/11 is how we all came together as a country. Party affiliations and differences were tossed aside for a bit as all Americans united as a unified front against the terrorists. It was amazing to see so many flags waving -- everywhere you went they were, on people's homes, on their cars, on business storefronts and in parking lots... and on people themselves. I remember (and still have and still wear) buying commemorative patriotic symbolism t-shirts. It was incredible. That coming together as one was a powerful feeling. I wish we could get that back again --- WITHOUT there being another tragedy.

    Excellent post. I really like your song choices. Some very different ones. Of course I love Alan Jackson's song. I think most of us included that one.

    Have a great weekend Alana.

    Michele at Angels Bark

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  13. Nice tribute for such a sad day

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