Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    The Upshot

    Let’s hear it for New York

    By Mike Krumboltz | The Upshot – Sun, Sep 11, 2011

    "Never forgotten. Forever grateful." To help honor the victims and heroes of Sept. 11, director Spike Lee filmed a unique and moving tribute to the New York Fire Department.

    Lee, working with State Farm, filmed roughly 150 children from New York serenading members of the FDNY to the tune of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's smash hit "Empire State of Mind."

    The tribute may remind some of  Staten Island's PS 22 choir's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the most recent Academy Awards.

    [ Related: 9/11 memorial ceremony details explained ]

    This version of "Empire State of Mind" was conducted by James Davis Jr. The spot first appeared online several days ago.  It then aired during Sunday's Eagles-Rams NFL game. Now it is quickly going viral. Web searches for "empire state of mind lyrics" and "empire state of mind song" are starting to soar.

    Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
    There's nothing you can't do,
    Now you're in New York!
    These streets will make you feel brand new,
    The lights will inspire you,
    Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York.

    Proceeds for the song, which you can buy on iTunes, go toward the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

    Share your 9/11 memories with us on Twitter - #911remembered

     

    1,271 comments

    • Warriorgirl
      Warriorgirl  •  8 mths ago
      Celebrating the firefighters - very great.
      Using 9 11 to sell a product - very bad taste.
      • Krissy
        Krissy 8 mths ago
        I got screamed at by someone when I said it was disgusting how the media was building up to 9/11 for over a month...people shouldn't need a TV reminder to let them know to remember...
      • Display Name
        Display Name 8 mths ago
        Yeah, I had to avoid the media for almost a week. Too much B.S. and it just made me sad.
      • Guy
        Guy 8 mths ago
        Yeah no sh*t
    • Lisa
      Lisa  •  8 mths ago
      Oh my gosh I cried watching this. It is so sad what happened on this day and I hope everyone takes the time to remember the people of 9/11.
      • Luke
        Luke 8 mths ago
        WUSSY !
      • Lisa
        Lisa 8 mths ago
        Just so you know Luke, I lost 5 family members that day so don't you go calling me a wussy for losing my family.
    • FLORIDA GAMMY
      FLORIDA GAMMY  •  8 mths ago
      What a beautiful tribute to the New York Fire Departmeent and their loving contribution to the 9/11 victims and their famalies. They needed to have been included in the services held at the towers site along with our God. All were present during this horrible event in our history. God Bless all of you corageous warriors. We will never forget!!
      • curiose
        curiose 8 mths ago
        well said and i agree .they weren't invited to 9/11/01 but showed up to help others.
    • Me
      Me  •  8 mths ago
      i first saw this commerical during the Giants game and it gave me goosebumps. Watching it again just bought me to tears. That was really nice. Those kids should be very proud of themselve. Expeically since alot of them don't even look much older then 10.
      • A Yahoo! User 8 mths ago
        Lilah, and that's how they are able to swindle you Black folks over and over again.
      • Me
        Me 8 mths ago
        First off im not Black im Dominican....and swindle me how? I live in Jersey City and got a first hand look at what happened on that day. I'm not swindled. Its people like you that make sure the terrorist alway win.
    • Old Softy
      Old Softy  •  8 mths ago
      I first saw it Saturday on Fox News Channel.
      • Michael
        Michael 8 mths ago
        Well, if FOX news aired it, it must be fake!!
      • Old Softy
        Old Softy 8 mths ago
        It's obvious, Michael, that you've never watched Fox News - just like all of the other people who ridicule it. Fox News is the only place to hear BOTH sides of the issues.
    • DeDe
      DeDe  •  8 mths ago
      This is the best commercial ever made it should be run everyday
    • williamH
      williamH  •  8 mths ago
      For now on, we are all New Yorkers. God Bless its firefighters, its police personnel, all doctors, nurses, survivors, and those of us who lost loved ones.

      America stands with you. Yesterday, I was in Laguna Beach, Ca, and there were thousands of people waving flags by the beach. It was very moving.

      We will never forget.

      God Bless the City.
    • Sam
      Sam  •  8 mths ago
      My daughter and family live in NYC, my niece and her husband too. Watching this brought tears to my eyes...THANK YOU KIDS, TEACHERS and ALL for you rememberance...
    • The Word
      The Word  •  8 mths ago
      Very touching...great song and the kids did a great job.
    • Shawna
      Shawna  •  8 mths ago
      I sooooooo loved this commerical...Brought tears to my years...Very thoughful and sincere
    • Sloan
      Sloan  •  8 mths ago
      13 years ago I stood in front of the WTC now and saw Ground Zero under construction, i really wish i can see it now,i'm in Hawaii, Aloha New York!!!
    • growup
      growup  •  8 mths ago
      Nice to see SOMEBODY showing a little appreciation for the firefighters.
    • Kathy
      Kathy  •  8 mths ago
      Precious, Precious if only we could all love like that....
    • Calicahh Aneekaa
      Calicahh Aneekaa  •  8 mths ago
      This Commercial Was The Bomb! I Sooo Loved It (:
      Thank You Everyone For Takinq The Time To Honor Our Loved Ones That Are Gone & Watchinq Over Us As We Speak Today! Thank All The Troops That Are Fiqhtinq For Our Freedom Riqht Now! I Love Each & Evryone Of You! Xoxo! Go New York Yankees
    • mettallica1
      mettallica1  •  8 mths ago
      Wi will never forget our brothers,sisters,tios, tias & All our love ones . We will allways miss them & crye for them.
    • Lesley
      Lesley  •  8 mths ago
      how can i download that new york song by the kids...can I search it on itunes and download it? I love the song! soooo nice!!
    • Genesis
      Genesis  •  8 mths ago
      this gone done just messed me up.
    • Recai Iskender
      Recai Iskender  •  8 mths ago
      Another news from our stupid terrorized world. Lets builld my intelligent internet civilization. More at recaiiskenderanswerengine.wordpress.com
    • Irvin
      Irvin  •  8 mths ago
      I think that was a very touching gesture on behalf of the kids and would also like to comment Spike Lee with this as well. I'm sure the firefighters were very pleased as well as suprised, it was a very touching song.
    • WILLIAM HULL
      WILLIAM HULL  •  8 mths ago
      I still can't believe it even after 10 yrs
     Post a comment

    ABOUT THE UPSHOT

    The Upshot is the Yahoo! News blog assembling choice material from The Ticket (politics), The Lookout (national affairs), The Cutline (media) and The Envoy (foreign affairs).

    Subscribe

    [X]

    How to subscribe

    Roll over each section to subscribe using Add to My Yahoo! or RSS Feed feeds.

    Yahoo! News offers dozens of RSS feeds you can read in My Yahoo! or using third-party RSS news reader software. Click here to find out more about RSS and how you can use it with Yahoo! News.
    More News Feeds »

    Meet The Upshot Team

    Loading...

    The Upshot Network

    The Upshot
    The Cutline
    Edited by Dylan Stableford
    The Lookout
    The Sideshow
    Edited by Eric Pfeiffer
    The Ticket
    Edited by Olivier Knox