The expression " ground zero " was largely connected with nuclear explosions at the time this song was written . After the September 11 , 2001 attacks , the term was co-opted by the media to refer to the large hole over which the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed in the attacks had stood . Due to the new associations of the title , Yankovic 's song received far-reduced airplay since 2001 , but continues to appear in novelty programming such as the '' Dr. Demento '' show . Yankovic later said : The sad part is , I ca n’t really play the song live anymore because too many people misunderstand the connotations of Ground Zero . It ’s not a reference to 9/11 , obviously . It was written in 1987 when ' ground zero ' just meant the epicenter of a nuclear attack . The music video was made during the 1980s at the time of the Cold War . This music video was also Yankovic 's directing debut . The video is a montage of old film , television , and news footage , capped off with a live-action scene of Yankovic and some carolers wearing gas masks , singing with rubble around them . This live action finale was filmed in the Bronx , New York , in an economically devastated area that looked like a bomb had gone off . The video was edited with Yankovic by Darren Bramen , with final edits and effects by John Peterson . Yankovic stated that the record label did not want to pay for this video to be made , due to associating a nuclear disaster with the holidays . Yankovic instead funded production of the video himself . In the late 1980s , the song was a staple on MTV during the holiday season
September 11 , 2001 attacks
September 11 attacks
Christmas at Ground Zero