At approximately 8:46 AM on September 11, 2001, a plane crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center. A few moments later, another plane struck the South tower, collapsing both. Commonly known as the day the world stood still, 9/11 sent a shockwave through the country, and American culture was changed forever.
If one were to only look at American music, it would be evident to see how this national tragedy polarized the music scene. On one half, some musicians sought to bring glory to America and bring back nationalism in a time of crisis, while the other side used the tragedy to explore the deeper emotions that lived within every American.
A good example of a musician being polarized by 9/11 is country musician Darryl Worley. Prior to the tragedy, Worley wrote music about common country and folk themes such as the difficulty of blue collar work and the pains of heartbreak. These themes can be seen in his 2000 album, “Hard Rain Don’t Last.”
After 9/11 Worley’s songwriting changed. In his 2003 album, “Have You Forgotten” it seems that his old themes based in folk music had diminished in return for a heavy patriotic tone. Many songs off the album have lyrics about the attack and the following war.
Worley went on to oppose the anti-war movement and seemed to be radicalized by the conflict over 9/11. There is a definite correlation between the September terrorist attack and Worley’s change in songwriting. Post 9/11, Worley was polarized into an aggressive mindset.
To look on the other end of the spectrum, musicians like Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance have directly attributed their musical careers to the tragedy. The interesting part though is how the tragedy polarized Way compared to Worley.
My Chemical Romance went on to write “Skylines and Turnstiles” shortly after 9/11 and it showed how the tragedy affected them personally. The lyrics of the song are somber yet hopeful. Instead of preaching for war and revenge like Worley, My Chemical Romance fell into a sea of empathy and togetherness as a nation.
There is a definite change of tone between music post 9/11. The national tragedy polarized the music scene with some artists feeling implored to preach nationalism while others felt it was a time to explore a deeper emotional connection within their own music.
