Watch Alan Jackson Perform ‘Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)’ at the Grand Ole Opry
A few months after debuting "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" at the CMA Awards, Alan Jackson brought his iconic ballad to the Grand Ole Opry. It's a stirring performance.
Jackson has found the proper tone to perform this song live, and he didn't miss during this filmed performance, first broadcast for GAC's Noteworthy at the Opry series in July 2012. Fans of country music and anyone old enough to remember the World Trade Center towers falling know the lyrics were pulled from his response to the terrorist attacks. What was so striking about the song then is what remains striking about his performances today — anger and hate take a backseat to compassion and community.
"I'm just a singer of simple songs / I'm not a real political man / I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you / The difference in Iraq and Iran," Jackson sings. "But I know Jesus and I talk to God / And I remember this from when I was young / Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us / And the greatest is love."
"Where were you?" is the question so many people ask one another in speaking of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Every story is unique, but somehow most are a version of the same thing. Jackson understood that then, and his song was the country music nation's first step toward healing.
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