This year it will be 15 years since 9/11, the tragic day when thousands died as the Twin Towers came falling down after a terror attack. The whole world mourns with New York, and the healing process has been long and tough. Not only have community events and Western unity helped heal us, but music has played a huge part in it.
Today at RawVolume, we’re looking at how music has helped the healing process over the last 15 years.
On October 20th, 2001, Paul McCartney arranged a benefit concert to honor those NYPD and NYFD workers who responded to the 9/11 attacks, and the families that support them. The concert was arranged to help all those affected by the terrible attacks, and was held in Madison Square Garden with famous singers and performers from all over the world.
McCartney was joined by The Who, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Elton John, David Bowie, The Goo Goo Dolls, Kid Rock, Melissa Etheridge and others. Athletes and celebrities also appeared at the show, including Joe Torre, who helped the concert go on to become a huge success. Since then, the concert has been released on CD and DVD, and is considered one of the very best benefit concerts ever made.
At the time, the crowd was emotional. That’s to be expected. Portraits of those killed were held up on stage to honor them, and the emotion became quite serious at times. Susan Sarandon even got booed for plugging the New York mayor candidate Mark Green, which was seen as completely inappropriate.
Talking about the gig, McCartney said that he had the idea when he was at home in East Hampton, where he had stayed because of his plane being grounded as a result of the attacks. He said:
“One of the things I am most proud of is that I have lucked out and am in a profession like this that can help heal and help people get in touch with their emotions”.
Only Time was a song released by Enya on 20th November 2000. Enya donated all of the money from the sale of the single to the Uniform Firefighters Association’s Widows and Children’s Fund, which was set up to benefit the people who had been affected by 9/11.
To this day, it is the biggest hit Enya has ever had in the United States after it hit Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. It even made Number One in the Adult Contemporary Chart.
Remember Lee Greenwood’s track ‘God Bless the USA’? This was easily one of the most popular post-9/11 songs. It warmed our hearts and gracefully honored the people that died in the attacks. It’s a great track to listen to on the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and something that will no doubt go down in history. Here it is.
Music and concerts help us get through the toughest times in life. Whether we’re celebrating and honoring the lives of people who did something so brave, or we’re listening through our headphones as we walk to work, music can have a huge impact on our lives. Remember that on September 11th this year.