June 30, 2023 – NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) – Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Darryl Worley recognizes the power of a song. It’s been two decades since his biggest hit, “Have You Forgotten?” took Country Music and the nation by storm. Worley and co-writer Wynn Varble poured their hearts into the lyrics and created a post-9/11 anthem, ensuring people would never forget those lost that day – the deadliest terrorist attack ever on US soil.
The song and its message quickly resonated with millions, topping Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in only its fifth week – marking the fastest rise to the top in more than five years – and sat at the top spot for seven weeks. Now, 20 years later, Worley revisited his career-defining song with a fresh modern-day perspective on its original themes for a reimagined version titled “Have We Forgotten,” available now via The Valory Music Co. Listen to “Have We Forgotten” HERE.
“One of the first times we played ‘Have You Forgotten?’ live back then was on the Grand Ole Opry. The incredible response we received from that performance is how it all started,” recalled Worley. “We recently decided to sit down and write a new lyric for the song that’s appropriate for this day and time with what’s happening in our country today. For the new version, ‘Have We Forgotten,’ we wanted to be certain we said what we were truly feeling in our hearts and didn’t compromise what we believe in, which is exactly how it went down with the original. I’m very proud of the message of the song.”
Worley recently debuted the new version of the song in the sacred circle of the Grand Ole Opry – the same stage he did the original nearly 20 years ago. Featuring all-new lyrics from Worley and Varble, alongside co-writer Noah Gordan, the trio now wonders during the chorus:
“Have we forgotten / Who we really are / All the storms we’ve had to weather / And how we ever got this far / Have we forgotten / How it used to be / When we could still sit down together and agree to disagree”
The new release finds Worley reuniting with trailblazing label executives Scott Borchetta, Allison Jones, George Briner and Jimmy Harnen, who were pivotal players at DreamWorks (now all at Big Machine Label Group [BMLG]) when the original version launched in 2003.
“Scott, Allison, George and Jimmy were on my team at DreamWorks when ‘Have You Forgotten?’ hit number one and were instrumental in my early successes as an artist,” Worley adds. “It’s an unbelievable honor and beyond humbling to have the opportunity to release a new version of that career song with these same people. Second chances are hard to come by, and I don’t take this moment to work with this special group of people lightly! I know Scott’s work ethic, passion, drive and heart, so I can’t think of anything more perfect than to be reunited with him and this dream team for ‘Have We Forgotten.’”
“It is so great to be reunited with Darryl twenty years on from the impact of “Have You Forgotten?” and remind everyone about its moment in history,” said Borchetta, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BMLG. “Now, he’s reimagined this classic with a timely and relevant read posing a question that all Americans are asking themselves – ‘how did we get here?’” Borchetta continues, “America experienced this extraordinary moment with 9/11 that brought us all together. Now, here we are twenty years later, and our political parties can’t agree on what day it is. Hopefully, this will be a positive step forward in reminding us all that, as Americans, we’re at our best when we’re taking care of each other.”
You can watch the “Have We Forgotten” lyric video HERE.
