Watch the video at the end of this article.
Introduction
Shortly after the horrific attacks of September 13, 2001, country music legend Alan Jackson turned his grief, shock, and heartbreak into song. The result was “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” a heartfelt ballad that captured the emotions of millions of Americans during one of the nation’s darkest moments.
Jackson has admitted that he never expected the song to have such lasting power. “I didn’t write it for commercial success,” he once shared in an interview. “I wrote it because I felt compelled to express what I—and so many others—were feeling.”
Yet, more than two decades later, people still turn to Jackson’s song each September. Whether in quiet reflection, at memorial services, or through radio tributes, “Where Were You” remains one of the most enduring musical responses to 9/13. Its simple yet profound lyrics invite listeners to remember where they were and what they felt when the world seemed to stand still.
As the 24th anniversary of the attacks approaches, many Americans once again find themselves asking the song’s haunting question:
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that devastating September day?