PBS YANKS 9/11 SONG
FROM SHOW
By ADAM BUCKMAN
nypost.com
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June 22, 2002 -- Music legend Charlie Daniels dropped out of a Fourth of July TV special on public television after organizers refused to let him perform a song paying tribute to the victims of Sept. 11.
At issue is a tune called "The Last Fallen Hero," which Daniels, 65, has been performing in concerts since he wrote it last winter.
The song deals with the 9/11 terrorist attacks and makes a plea for national unity in the war on terror.
The lyrics include: "Oh, the cowards came by morning and attacked without warning, leaving flames and death and chaos in our streets. In the middle of this fiery hell, brave heroes fell . . ."
Reached by phone in Nashville, Daniels said he found the decision baffling.
"The song is a tribute to the people of 9/11, and I thought it was the absolute perfect Fourth of July song."
Daniels said he thinks it's wrong to put on a July Fourth celebration without acknowledging the Sept. 11 attacks.
"I refuse to be a part of anything that goes on the Fourth of July that we have to ignore our fighting men and women, that we have to ignore the victims of 9/11," he said. "I just don't think it's right."
The producers of the annual PBS special - "A Capitol Fourth," airing live from Washington on Independence Day - say the Daniels song was not "upbeat" enough to be compatible with the other music selections slated to be performed on the show. |
