Megan Moroney Reveals the Horrific National and Personal Tragedy That Inspired Her To Write “Heaven by Noon”

Megan Moroney released her sophomore album, Am I Okay?, today, July 12. The album is full of standout tracks, from breakup songs to friendship anthems to odes to healing and moving on from an unhealthy relationship. The album as a whole is a stellar offering running a gamut of emotions, but there’s one song that stands out among the standouts.

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“Heaven By Noon” is a terribly sad tribute to a national tragedy, but it’s not obvious or an overly patriotic response. It’s a subtle song honoring lost loved ones during 9/11, but it’s heart-wrenching and emotion in ways that differs from other, more generalized responses. That’s because Moroney personally lost someone in the 9/11 attacks, and wrote from a deep place of enduring hurt.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but my uncle died on 9/11, so I thought about my aunt when I was writing that song because the last thing they talked about was an oil change,” Moroney said in a statement about the song. She added, “And that’s probably not what she would’ve wanted to say to him if she knew it was going to be the last time.”

[RELATED: Megan Moroney Wrote the Soundtrack to Aching, Yearning, and Healing with ‘Am I Okay?’: A Review]

Megan Moroney’s New Album is a Cohesive Look Inside a Young Woman’s Psyche, from Heartbreak to Healing

Moroney co-wrote the song with the help of Jessie Jo Dillon and Matt Jenkins, and the result is heart-breaking in its honesty and pain. I know where you’re at / And there ain’t no time at all / No heartbreak, no more pain / Just streets of gold you get to walk / When I talked to you this morning / I said I’ll see you soon / Would have said so much more if I only knew / That you’d be in heaven by noon.

The album as a whole is beautifully crafted, taking turns down ever-enlightening roads that lead listeners through the universally specific experiences of a young woman. These experiences are sometimes hyper-specific, but the more you funnel an idea down, the more people will connect with it. The more specific you go, the more universal an experience can become.

Megan Moroney achieves this unique phenomenon on Am I Okay?, in her expressive lyricism and her gorgeous, slightly husky vocals. The album itself is a cohesive triumph, but it’s “Heaven By Noon” that shows off Moroney’s talents.

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