<P> After the song's success, Jim Bessman of Billboard summarized its impact: "Deeply personal and self - effacingly simple, (the song) struck a chord with poignant, understatedly eloquent contemplations and a basic, overriding "love is the answer" theme ." Dan Milliken of Country Universe rated the song number 7 on his list of the 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade . He stated that the song "cannot travel forward into the future the way other songs on this countdown can; its full impact will remain locked in the memories of those of us who lived through September 11th, 2001, and will never be experienced quite so deeply ever again ." Rolling Stone ranked it among the 40 "Saddest Country Songs" at number 11, with a reviewer claiming, "Jackson's heartfelt expression of stunned helplessness encapsulated the American collective consciousness perfectly ." Georgia Rep. Mac Collins entered the lyrics into the U.S. Congressional Record, citing the song as "an example of how all Americans can help heal our nation from the wounds we suffered on that tragic day ." </P> <P> Some of the song's lyrics, particularly "I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could tell you / The difference in Iraq and Iran" stood out to critics for other reasons . Bessman wrote that these passages "inadvertently point out our dangerously widespread ignorance of the rest of the world ." While not critical of the lyrics themselves, Bessman is critical of the condition these lyrics highlight . Nevertheless, there were some negative reactions to the song . The song was mocked in "A Ladder to Heaven", a 2002 episode of the American animated television series South Park . The show's creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, disliked the song; Stone later said in the episode's audio commentary that he felt Jackson was "cashing in on the sentimentality of (remembering the 9 / 11 attacks)." </P> <P> Later in 2002, "Where Were You" won both the Academy of Country Music and CMA honors for "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year". In 2003, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" earned Jackson his first Grammy Award, for "Best Country Song". It was also nominated in the overall "Song of the Year" category, a rarity for a pure country song, but it lost to "Don't Know Why", written by Jesse Harris and a hit for Norah Jones . It was also ranked 28th on CMT's list of the "100 Greatest Country Songs". </P> <P> Country singer Scotty McCreery covered the song while on the tenth season of American Idol . He would later win the season . </P>

Where was you when the world stop turning