U2, Wyclef, Dixies on "Heroes" CD

The September 21st America: A Tribute to Heroes concert will be released as a two-CD set and DVD/VHS on December 4th, with all five major record labels working together on the project. The proceeds from sales will go to the September 11th Telethon Fund.

The CD set will feature the twenty-one songs from the broadcast, including performances by U2, Wyclef Jean, the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Alicia Keys, and will be released by Interscope and distributed by Universal. Sony will begin international distribution of the album on December 3rd.

Warner Bros. will release the DVD and VHS, which will include the event in its entirety -- from the music to the words of inspiration from Tom Hanks, Muhammad Ali, Robin Williams and others. The original telecast was viewed by more than 100,000,000 people in more than 200 countries.

America: A Tribute to Heroes CD track listing:

Bruce Springsteen, "My City of Ruin"
Stevie Wonder and Take 6, "Love's In Need of Love Today"
U2, "Walk On"
Faith Hill, "There Will Come a Day"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "I Won't Back Down"
Enrique Iglesias, "Hero"
Neil Young, "Imagine"
Alicia Keys, "Someday We'll All Be Free"
Limp Bizkit with Johnny Rzeznik, "Wish You Were Here"
Billy Joel, "New York State of Mind"
Dixie Chicks, "I Believe in Love"
Dave Matthews, "Everyday"
Wyclef Jean, "Redemption Song"
Mariah Carey, "Hero"
Bon Jovi, "Living on a Prayer"
Sheryl Crow, "Safe and Sound"
Sting, "Fragile"
Eddie Vedder, "Long Road"
Paul Simon, "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Celine Dion, "God Bless America"
Willie Nelson and guests, "America the Beautiful"

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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