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On September 11, 2001 one of the most tragic days in U.S. history unfolded as terrorists crashed hijacked airplanes into each of the World Trade Center towers resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Decades later, it\u2019s hard to remember that the twin towers were previously skyscraping emblems of New York \u2013 ones that appeared in films, TV shows and many major music videos.<\/p>\n
As the compilation below from YouTube user\u00a0@danil6562<\/a> shows, a wide assortment of artists from many genres featured the World Trade Center in their music videos, including Madonna<\/a>, Prince<\/a>, Public Enemy, Hall & Oates<\/a>, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder<\/a> and many others.<\/p>\n The list of classic rockers who\u00a0incorporated the skyscrapers into videos includes AC\/DC<\/a>, who had the twin towers in their 1985 clip for \u201cShake Your Foundations,\u201d and Rod Stewart<\/a>, who featured them in the opening shot of his 1975 video for “Sailing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rolling Stones<\/a> briefly featured the World Trade Center in their music video for \u201cAnybody Seen My Baby\u201d (1997), while the twin towers can also be seen in the clip for R.E.M.<\/a>\u2019s \u201cStand\u201d (1988). You\u2019ll have to search hard to find the version of Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2019s \u201cMama, I\u2019m Coming Home\u201d music video that features twin tower imagery. Even before 9\/11, Ozzy wasn\u2019t a fan of the clip, opting to film and promote a second video instead. The original has largely been scrubbed from the internet.<\/p>\n When Phil Collins<\/a> put together his globetrotting music video for 1985\u2019s \u201cTake Me Home,\u201d the World Trade Center seemed like the perfect visual piece to represent New York. Starship<\/a> featured twin tower imagery in their video for “We Built This City.” Likewise, director David Fincher was sure to include the\u00a0skyscrapers\u00a0in his music video for Sting<\/a>\u2019s 1987 hit \u201cEnglishman in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n A glimpse of the twin towers can be seen in Guns N\u2019 Roses<\/a>\u2019 music video for \u201cParadise City.\u201d During a 2021 performance in Atlantic City, Axl Rose<\/a> dedicated a different song, \u201cKnocking on Heaven\u2019s Door,\u201d to \u201cthe over 3,000 lives lost\u201d in honor of 9\/11\u2019s 20th anniversary.<\/p>\n The twin towers are shown prominently in the music video for \u201cWhat\u2019s Love Got to Do With It,\u201d as Tina Turner<\/a> gazes at the New York City skyline. Huey Lewis<\/a> and the News showcase the buildings in the beginning of the music video for \u201cHeart of Rock & Roll,\u201d right before Lewis delivers the opening line: \u201cNew York, New York is everything they say and no place I\u2019d rather be.\u201d<\/em> Even Hulk Hogan<\/a> featured the World Trade Center in the 1985 music video for his wrestling theme song \u201cReal American\u201d (penned by Rick Derringer<\/a>).<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, several famous New York acts used the World Trade Center in their videos. Blondie<\/a> featured the towering buildings at the opening of their clip for “Heart of Glass,\u201d Jay-Z displayed the landmarks in several of his videos, while the twin towers can clearly be seen in the background throughout much of the Beastie Boys<\/a>\u2019 1999 music video for \u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Did Clear Channel Really Ban Songs After 9\/11?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not far from where I live. I\u2019m not far from the World Trade Center. So I actually watched a lot of what happened,\u201d Beastie Boys’ Mike D said to MTV days after the 9\/11 attacks, describing the overall feeling as one of \u201cdisbelief.\u201d<\/p>\n Some artists didn\u2019t just feature the World Trade Center in the background, they actually filmed at the famous location. In 1990, Depeche Mode<\/a> shot a special performance of \u201cEnjoy the Silence” atop the South Tower\u2019s observation deck for broadcast on the French TV show Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es<\/em>.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the case of Limp Bizkit\u2019s \u201cRollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).” Parts of the song\u2019s music video were filmed at the World Trade Center in September 2000. A year later, after it won an MTV VMA for Best Rock Video, the band received a congratulatory fruit basket from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The gift arrived on Sept. 10, 2001, just a day before tragedy struck.<\/p>\n The final music video shot on location at the twin towers was for \u201cWorst Comes to Worst\u201d by hip-hop group Dilated Peoples, filmed on Sept. 7, 2001. The clip even featured a real World Trade Center employee who filled in when one of the actors didn\u2019t show up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we were framing and lighting, I walked over to one of the buildings and leaned against it with my chest,\u201d recalled<\/a> the video\u2019s director, Jason Goldwatch. \u201cI looked up, all the way into the sky — which looked like f\u2014ing miles — perfectly straight, an unwavering monolith. The buildings were arguably the hallmark of Western imperialism. I mean, that’s why we were there shooting. Regardless of the symbolism, something else struck me. These two towers were just such a monument to human accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n Today, these music videos can feel eerie or even startling to watch, yet they offer a glimpse of the world prior to 9\/11. They serve as a timestamp allowing us to look back at what New York looked like before that tragic day, embodying what we had and what we lost.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWatch AC\/DC’s Music Video for ‘Shake Your Foundations’<\/h3>\n
Watch Phil Collins’ Music Video for ‘Take Me Home’<\/h3>\n
New Yorkers Whose Music Videos Had the Twin Towers<\/h3>\n
Music Videos Shot on Location at the\u00a0Twin Towers<\/h3>\n
Watch Limp Bizkit’s Music Video for ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Siren)’<\/h3>\n
Watch a Compilation of Music Videos Featuring the World Trade Center Twin Towers<\/h3>\n
How 20 Rock Musicians Reacted to 9\/11<\/h2>\n