Artists Registry

As a former New York resident, the twin towers of the World Trade Center was a place of numerous memories for me, both personal and professional. When the towers were completed, my first visits were as a tourist with my wife. Later, I would come to have meetings there with business associates. Even though Manhattan continued to add skyscrapers to the skyline, those two buildings always left me with a sense of awe and wonder. There was an odd symmetry about them - alike, but different - almost like twin siblings with obviously different personalities.
I am certainly not alone in saying that September 11, 2001 affected me in a very profound way. After visiting Manhattan a couple of years after the event, I broke down in tears looking at the gaping space where the towers once stood. There is still a sense of disbelief more than ten years later.
In October of 2011, my wife and I went to Manhattan to visit our son who now lives there. We all went to the 911 Memorial for the first time, and I was once again awestruck and moved to tears. Gazing at the carved walls, a phrase came into my head that stayed with me for the rest of the entire trip: “The Names Go On Forever.”
Upon returning home, I felt compelled to somehow express my feelings and impressions, so I called a very talented British composer and friend, Jason Feddy. I told him my rough ideas for a song and without question, he suggested we get together and collaborate. From January to July of 2012, we worked on the lyrics and musical composition, and when it was done, we decided the vocals should be a duet. Another local musician and songwriter named Kerry Getz added her voice to the piece and we knew then that we were ready. The song was recorded in Laguna Beach, California in July of 2012.
This is my tribute to the lives lost on that day and to the Memorial that will enshrine their names forever. - Tom Swimm