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Country hit inspired in Afghanistan sparks controversy
by Lee Elder

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Army News Service, March 4, 2003) -- A December trip to Afghanistan gave country singer Darryl Worley a renewed appreciation for America's Army along with a chance to see the frontlines of the nation's war on terrorism. It also provided him with the inspiration for what might be a new hit song.

A DreamWorks recording artist, Worley released the single "Have You Forgotten?" on Feb. 24. The song is already taking off on country radio, but that's not why Worley said he penned the song along with Wynn Varble.

"It was on my heart to do something to honor those guys since I got home," Worley said. "I needed a way to say, 'This is what I experienced.'

"I'm on a mission. I knew I had to come back and do this."

Worley said he hopes the song will make Americans better appreciate their Army.

"Our soldiers are the best," Worley said. "They do great things every day that people never know about, but they don't care.

"I just thought it was time somebody spoke out for them."

Worley, 38, had never been overseas prior to his USO tour to Afghanistan. He said the trip he made with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack L. Tilley and others gave him a new sense for the rigors of military life.

"The whole experience completely changed my life," Worley said. "That's what this is all about.

"It's all about those soldiers."

The song's bridge pays homage to the soldiers serving in harm's way. It says, "I've been there with the soldiers who've gone away to war/And you can bet that they remember just what they're fighting for."

The song is also very outspoken. It has even been called a pro-war song.

It's a charge Worley flatly denies. He said he was concerned that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were starting to fade in the public's memory.

"I don't want to forget it as long as we live," Worley said. "When we forget about these things, that's when we become vulnerable again.

"We can't get too comfortable and let our guard down. There's quite a few people who would like to see the United States crumble and fall."

Worley said the song was not aimed at those who oppose U.S. action in Iraq. He acknowledged the song could be a risky career move.

"I'm not doing this to come against other people," Worley explained. "I'm not trying to create a huge controversy. At the same time, I'm not trying to be politically correct.

"It's a message people need to hear. I don't think we accomplish anything unless go out on a limb and take some risks."

The week since the new single was released was a busy one for Worley. He is gearing for a summer on the road that will promote his new album which will be called, "Have You Forgotten?"

Just two days earlier, Worley had been featured in USA Today and that same morning he done a live interview on NBC's Today Show. Later in the evening, he was scheduled to appear with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist at a Nashville pro-America rally.

Worley worked his way into the industry playing in bars and honky tonks on weekends while working jobs ranging from a contractor to a school teacher. The Savannah, Tenn., native burst onto the country music scene in 2001 with the release of his debut album, "Hard Rain Don't Last."

The album netted the 6-foot-6 Worley a Top 10 single, "Good Day To Run," while three other singles got extensive airplay.

Last year, Worley scored his first No. 1 single with the title cut from his current album, "I Miss My Friend."

The trip to Afghanistan was just the latest in Worley's association with the U.S. Army.

In June 2001, Worley and fellow country music singer Craig Morgan performed tandem jumps with the Army's Golden Knights at Fort Campbell, Ky. The pair also impressed soldiers at Fort Campbell's Sabalauski Air Assault School with their agility on the school's obstacle course.

"I had forgotten about that," Worley laughingly recalled. "Where I come from, we do that kind of stuff for fun."

Worley has also visited Army recruiters in central Kentucky where he recorded a public service announcement.

After returning from Afghanistan, Worley debuted "Have You Forgotten?" on WSM-AM radio's "Grand Ole Opry" broadcast.

The response was immediate from both the crowds and the Opry's huge radio and Internet audience.

"He hit a chord with the song," said a WSM staff member. "We got calls immediately requesting we play the record and people wanted to know where they could buy it.

"It's gotten a tremendous response."

Radio around the nation has similarly responded, according to Scott Borchetta, DreamWorks' senior executive of promotions and artist development. He predicted the single could be a Top 20 song during its first full of week of release.

"It's extremely rare these days," Borchetta explained. "They are treating this like a superstar release. "This is extremely huge."

While some stations have given the label negative feedback, Borchetta said the overwhelming majority of feedback has been enthusiastic. A music industry veteran, he likened the record's response to chart-toppers from the past by the likes of George Strait, Reba McIntyre and Toby Keith.

"The kind of airplay we are getting immediately is unbelievable," Borchetta said.

There's a reason for the impassioned response, Borchetta said.

"One of the reasons the song is so captivating is that it conjures up how people felt on 9/11 right up front and center," Borchetta said. "It was crystal clear when they saw those planes going into the building.

"It's like, 'Hey guys this wasn't just movie-of-the-week stuff.' It really choked a lot of people up."

Worley was philosophical when acknowledging the furor "Have You Forgotten?" could bring.

"If this were to end my career and I had to go back home and build houses, what a way to go out," Worley said. "If I go out standing up for the people who make this country what it is, that suits me fine.

"I don't have any fear, though, because I have confidence in this nation."