Phil Collins "Strangers Like Me"

"Are you okay?" I heard as I sat staring out the window of the Kinball-bound CTA Brown Line train.
"Um, are you okay?" I heard again.
I looked up and saw two strangers staring at me from across the aisle.
"Who, me?" I gingerly replied.
"Yeah. You look so down. Are you okay?" she asked again.
"Oh. Yeah. No, I'm fine. Just lost in thought I guess."
"Oh, okay," she said and went back to her conversation with her friend.
This happened three days after 9/11 and the genuine concern that stranger showed remains with me today.

Enrique Iglesias "Hero"

Released days before the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, "Hero" from Enrique Iglesias was one of several songs remixed after the 9/11 attacks to include audio from first responders and politicians. The ballad went on to top the Adult Contemporary Chart for 15 weeks during a time when radio programmers struggled with (among other things) the tone of their radio stations -- should it match the somber feeling of the world around them or be an escape from the reality of what happened? That challenge helped several remixes of songs such as "Hero", "Only Time" and "One More Day" get plenty of airtime.

DJ Sammy & Yanou f/ Do "Heaven"

Two DJ's remixed Bryan Adam's ballad "Heaven" and turned it into a dance hit. The song was later remixed to a "Candlelight Version" by a California radio station to commemorate the one year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Diamond Rio "One More Day"

"One More Day" touches on the theme of wanting one more day with someone you loved and lost. Released in late-2000, the song was a band-aid of sorts following a couple tragic events. The first happened after the death of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt as the song became an unofficial tribute to him. The second happened following the tragic events on September 11th, 2001. Nearly a year after its popularity, the song returned to the radio as our nation struggled to heal and move forward after the 9/11 attacks.

Don Henley - "New York Minute"

A haunting tune from Don Henley's 1990 The End of the Innocence, "New York Minute", proved to be a mild hit for Henley in 1991.  Fast forward a decade and the song found new life after the tragic 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.  Listen to the lyrics today and you'll likely get the chills.

Jo Dee Messina - "Bring on the Rain"

Jo Dee Messina's pop-country ballad "Bring on the Rain" featured Tim McGraw on backup vocals and has the dubious distinction of being released on September 10, 2001.

Lonestar - "I'm Already There"

The 9/11 Attacks helped propel Lonestar's "I'm Already There" to multi-format success in 2001.

Backstreet Boys - "Drowning"

You could probably rattle off a half-dozen songs by The Backstreet Boys before someone reminds you of their 2001 ballad "Drowning".  The somber tune was released in October 2001, post 9-11 attacks, and struck a chord with radio stations struggling to fit the mood of the country at the time.

Enya - "Only Time"

What does the TV show Friends and 9/11 have in common with Enya?  Both helped make "Only Time" Enya's biggest hit to date.  NBC used "Only Time" in television promos for Friends during the summer of 2001.  Following the September 11th attacks, the song was remixed and re-released with proceeds going to help families of firefighters.  "Only Time" shot to #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts and turned Enya into something more than just a soundtrack to your massage.