9/11 And Music

Bruce Springsteen — GETTY IMAGES/Mario Tama

The Boss poured his heart out in "The Rising," an album devoted to musings on 9/11 and its impact on everyday life and relationships. But in the title song, he describes the climb of a firefighter inside one of the towers, "bearing the cross of his calling."

Paul McCartney

Sir Paul experienced the fall of the Twin Towers as he sat in an airplane at a New York airport, waiting for a takeoff that never happened. His response was to organize the Concert for NYC, a benefit that took place Oct. 20, 2001, and write a song titled "Freedom."

Lee Greenwood

In the months after 9/11, his song "God Bless the USA" became kind of an alternative national anthem. Here are some of the lyrics: "And I'm proud to be an American/Where at least I know I'm free./And I won't forget the men who died,/Who gave that right to me./And I gladly stand up,/Next to you and defend her still today./'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,/God bless the USA."

Toby Keith

The country singer came out with "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," promising to kick butt and stay strong, and it sent his album, "Unleashed," to the top of the charts. Here, he's seen performing for U.S. troops in Mosul, Iraw, May 15, 2005.

Alan Jackson

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" asked a question that just about every American can answer with ease if they were over the age of 5 on Sept. 11, 2001.

Dolly Parton

"Hello God," from her album "Halos & Horns," finds Parton in an attitude of prayer, troubled over the state of the post-9/11 world. Sample lyric: "We fight and kill each other/In your name, defending you/Do you love some more than others?/We're so lost and confused."

Mos Def

In the controversial "Bin Laden," which Mos Def released with Immortal Technique, the hip-hop artist took issue with the foreign policy of Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush. This didn't gain him any fans among conservative Republicans, but apparently fellow recording artist Eminem didn't mind; he released the song in a club mix version in 2005.

Neil Young

He wrote a song about Todd Beamer and the other passengers on United Flight 93, titled "Let's Roll" and included on his album, "Are You Passionate?" Sample lyrics: "I know I said I love you/I know you know it's true/I got to put the phone down/And do what we gotta do."

Suzanne Vega

Together with the Greenwich Village Songwriter's Exchange, Vega organized the production of "Vigil," a CD for the benefit of Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. Her contribution is a song called "It Hit Home."