The Story of Our “Heaven 9/11”
As we look back and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, there is a piece of history that still gets played every year. A song that continued to grow through the years. Today, it can be found with a simple Google search. Here is one of the many versions you’ll find:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf6n7lanqEY
What is interesting is that people share this song around the world, but none of them have the story from inside the room where it was created.
I know because our band of merry idiots at 98.5 KLUC created it.
I will say that we were inspired by an earlier version featuring a little girl talking to her father, who had passed away during the 9/11 attacks.
In 2011, as the 10th anniversary of that tragic day approached, J.B. King had the idea to update the original version. He wanted to create something that reflected how the children had grown and how their lives had progressed during those 10 years.
The first girl you hear is Aria, the daughter of our marketing director.
The second girl is my own daughter, Jillian, who was born just 16 days after 9/11.
I wanted to capture the raw emotion the entire nation was feeling, so Jillian and I sat down and watched a story about the children of 9/11—kids like her who had lost a parent in the attacks and would never have the chance to know them.
A year earlier, I had been up for a job in New York. I didn’t get it, but I explained to Jillian that we could have been living in New York City when the attacks happened. It was possible that she could have been one of those children who lost a parent that day.
As we both became teary-eyed, I did what all good radio dads do: I turned on the microphone and recorded her saying those words for the song.
To this day, when I hear the raw emotion in her voice—and know that it came from the empathy she felt for those children—it brings me to tears.
The final girl you hear is Memory. She was a teenager in the same youth theater group as my kids, and she performed the role of the older girl in the song.
I’m not at a radio station today where I can help facilitate another update of the song for the 25th anniversary. Still, it is incredibly gratifying to know that our group of misfits created something so powerful and meaningful that it continues to live on today.
I’ve been asked why we didn’t copyright it or put it online ourselves to monetize it.
But something like this is about sharing it with the world. It would seem almost criminal to do anything other than allow people to experience the emotional roller coaster we all feel every September 11.
I’ve seen the song posted on many YouTube channels, and I have never demanded that it be taken down. If anyone is making money from it, all I ask is that you do the right thing and donate that money to an organization supporting first responders.
Finally, I want to recognize the people who helped make this happen. Last names have been redacted to protect the innocent:
J.B., Juicy, Aria, Jillie, Memory, Spence, JJ, Chet, Lauren, Showkiller/Davey, Amberly, and the entire crew at 98.5 KLUC in 2011.
I’m sure I have missed someone, so I apologize upfront.
Twenty-five years later, we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders who ran toward danger while everyone else was trying to escape.
We will never forget.
#NeverForget #September11 #PatriotDay #HonorAndRemember #September11Memorial #911Remembrance #UnitedWeStand
