Let’s discuss any and all music here. Got a new artist who’s rocking your boat that you want to talk about? Post a video! Found out about that unearthed Coltrane album that has the jazz freak in you losing your mind? Lay it out for us! Have a theory about what your favorite band might do for their next album? Let’s hear it! Anything and everything music-related goes here.
This week’s discussion prompt: Tuesday September 11, 2001
It was twenty-four years ago today that in a coordinated suicide attack, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing two of them into the World Trade Center and the third into the Pentagon, while the fourth crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. In total 2,996 lives were lost that day, many more were injured, and countless others were left with substantial long-term physical and mental health consequences. The world changed that day in ways that those not old enough to remember may never to able to fully comprehend, and subsequent events that have unfolded in this century (starting with “The War on Terror”) may well not have happened if not for the tragic events of that day.
Like every other aspect of life at the time, music was affected as well. Following the attacks, some songs received an increased amount of airplay, and others were banned from the airwaves; notoriously, Clear Channel Communications (the largest owner of radio stations in the United States) produced a list of 165 songs that program directors felt were “lyrically questionable” to play in the aftermath of the attacks. Some artists went on to write songs inspired by or containing lyrics referring to the attacks. Album art and track listings that could be considered potentially offensive or insensitive were altered. And since in those days Tuesday was the day of the week that new albums were released, a number of albums were released on September 11, a few which have gone on to be regarded as classics.
What are your music-related memories of that day and that time period in general? Were there any particular albums or songs that you took solace in, or was there something you just happened to have in heavy rotation that is now inextricably linked to that time for you? I know this week’s discussion prompt isn’t exactly a fun one, but I think that many of us who regularly post here have some music-related memories associated with 9/11 – and of course the prompt is optional, so feel free to disregard it if you’d rather not recollect that particular time.
As always, any and all music-related posts are welcome!