America the Beautiful sung by Terry Sutton from the album American Road

I heard this a couple of weeks ago on Jonathan Schwartz's show and thought it was such a beautiful arrangement. Somewhat sad, since it's only the one voice. Earlier I'd heard the ad for what you wanted to hear on 9/11 and I thought about the various classical pieces that mean so much to me. And then when I heard this version of the song I thought it was exactly what I want to hear on 9/11.

The first week after the tragedy, I was often moved by how our country came together. Firefighters driving all night to get here from Texas, an outpouring of concern from people we barely knew, and the American flags flying everywhere. And how seeing those flags strenghtened my love for and belief in my country because I felt I wasn't alone. I realized that this is what the flag has always signified for the American people throughout history. We are strong because we are one whether we live in Alaska or Texas or New York. We support one another because we have a commonality and a committment to this country and what it stands for and what it means to be an American. What being an American has always stood for, for better or worse. To me, that's what hearing this song inspired in me when I heard it. I can't think of a better song, classical or not, to express the sentiments of patriotism without the chest thumping for the 9/11 broadcast.

Melissa McClure