Songoftheday 2/24/23 - Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor, or did you just sit down and cry?

 

 

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" - Alan Jackson

from the album Drive (2002)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 10

 

Today's song comes from country music artist Alan Jackson, whose ninth studio album, When Somebody Loves You, had landed him a top-40 crossover hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 with arguably his worst single, "Where I Come From" in the fall of 2001.  At the Country Music Association's Awards show in November of that year, Alan was up for Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year (losing all three). But he was the high point of the show when he performed a song he wrote the month before to relay his thoughts after the horrible terrorist attacks on September 11th. 

What Alan came up with was "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)", which shone above all the drivel that came before and definitely after (looking directly at Toby and Darryl). It's set in a gentle, conversational tone, as Jackson runs through a litany of questions that run through his mind exploring all the aspects of bravery, fear, and grief that prevailed on that day. It's not preachy, it only fleetingly nods to patriotism with the line "did you burst out in pride for the red, white, and blue" with immediately giving it to "the heroes who died doing just what they do". The chorus brings it back to himself, where after saying he doesn't know all the issues surrounding the cause, he turns to God, though it's not a evangelical lyrics, as he sings that out of faith, hope, and love the greatest gift is love (which these days are not the common thought in that realm). It's clunky at times, but it's meant to be, and Alan's genuineness about it (he said he was reluctant to release it) makes it even more special. The CMA awards was the first time he performed it, and the reaction convinced him to put it out to the world in a studio version. However it's the live version that gripped America first...

"Where Were You" topped Billboard's Country Songs chart for five weeks, and made the top-40 on the Hot 100 in January of 2002. The song would appear on Jackson's tenth album, Drive, which was released the following month and topped the Billboard 200 sales tally for four weeks (and six weeks on the Country Albums list), going on to sell over four million copies. At the Grammy Awards in 2002, "Where Were You" won for Best Country Song, and was nominated for Song of the Year, which went to Norah Jones for "Don't Know Why", as well as Best Male Country Vocal Performance, which Johnny Cash won for "Give My Love To Rose". The Drive album was also up for Best Country Album, losing to Home from the (Dixie) Chicks. Both Alan and the Drive album will be back to the series.

(10/10)

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Here's the studio version of the song...

Jackson performed the song for a PBS television special on the anniversary of the attacks in 2021....

and lastly, Alan talking about his song...

I'll be back Monday with a country singer roadtripping with a soldier.