defend the indefensible: "we are the world"

The defense rests.

Funny observation. They might as well describe the starving masses as having the blues.

And, yeah, it's classic.

Googling the lyrics, it's all I can do not to throw up just reading them:

There comes a time, when we hear a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying, and it's time to lend a hand.
To life the greatest gift of all
We can't go on, pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change
We are all part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know that love is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true, we'll make a better day just you and me.
Send them your heart, so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us, by turning stones to bread.
So that we all must lend a helping hand.
We are the world......
When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let's realise
That a change can only come
When we stand together as one
We are the world......

But, seriously, a couple of the performers are really good (Charles, Cyndi, Daryl Hall, Kim Carnes) and the way the video's edited – the face-off between overemoting Broose and smoove Stevie – always gave me chills.

http://www.concertshots.com/September%2003/cs-KennyRogers10-Atlanta91303.JPG

(xxxpost)

And that's it.

(Prince not participating was in retrospect a truly genius move, especially since it prompted the separate release of "4 the Tears In Your Eyes," an utterly wonderful song.)

Michael Jackson......PRETENTIOUS, PRIMA DONNA ASSHOLE!

Most cringe-worthy moment: Cyndi Lauper's unsolicited "aye-yai-yee-yai-yah!" melismatic vocal fart after her slavishly oversung verse.

OTOH, the lyrics to "Do They Know It's Christmas" always creeped me out:

Where the only water flowing
is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there
are the clanging chimes of doom

... that's some seriously bone-chilling stuff. "Clanging chimes of doom"? On a charity record?

The video is yes, a nice period piece.

"These NYCians are crazy!"

A menhir....yesterday.

http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~janl/ts/obelix.gif

However, Dylan sucks!

xpost

that would take one precise sphincter!

And it shows.

YES! David Foster just dropped dead and rolled over in his grave.

True, but charity songs are, as a rule, complete shit.

I knew the Canadians would get the reference.

i just heard "voices that care" for the first time and jesus christ i don't think i'll ever even joke about "we are the world" being a bad song again.

Haha -- I had an argument with a former Stylus colleague who insists that "Sun City" is better than WATW; he was beguiled by Arthur Baker and Hipster Quotient (nice moniker, that).

If you have the time to watch this 10 parts thing, I recommend you do : it's solid gold 80s !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GA5NvqGg0s

haha I remember LOVING "Sun City" at the time

prefer voices that care to w.a.t.w and "stars" to either

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZktrrqT1A0

it has a nice (lovely at times) melody.

plus it generated a lot of money for charity.

also, bob geldofy and bono werent involved.

*geldof

btw if you watch that stars video with the sound down on the player & forrest fang's new album playing instead, life becomes awesome

You know, the most obvious defence for this song is that it helped save the lives of a lot of starving people in Ethiopia, which is - well.... - not the worst thing a song can do, really...

Besides, it isn't all that bad as a song either - even though the lyrics are indefensible forever and ever.

man i need to poll this

Ugh. Absolutely without merit. Typically American. We lift the idea from Band And, and then blow it way out of proportion ("the day rock cried" my ass). Plus, it's a horrible, overwrought, lyrically meaningless piece of shit song. Fuck everyone involved.

It was true then and it's still true today.

Yes, black Americans are always ripping off the British!

alex is being too kind imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlLIL9rbECE

"i've heard the song its a tremendous song uh i don't know the words but uh i heard the song"

- wayne gretzky

lol @ alex internet toughguying it up about we are the world

lil wayne -- fuck tha world

^ thats one of my favorite alex in nyc posts btw

haha that is classic

there's one...god...alex what did you say?

like "X shits down upon X from a prodigious height or something"

hahaha

what's the one that involves eating someone's organs or was it defecating on their organs

POX: Alex in NYC posts

where's the one where he compared so and so unfavorably to denny vertigo?

"Shock the Monkey" positively defecates in its own paw and lobs it derisively at not only this Billy Joel track, but at BILLY JOEL'S ENTIRE CATALOG!

Siouxsie's cover of "This Town Ain't Big Enough" discreetly defecates on the original from a lofty, height like a divine brown deluge.

James Ingram and Micheal McDonald "Yah mo be there"

What kind of keyboards did Micheal McDonald and James Ingram use to make this song.

-- startrekman, Saturday, November 27, 2004 6:22 AM

irritating ones.

-- Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, November 27, 2004 6:27 AM

hahahaha that one is great

lol indeed

prefer voices that care to w.a.t.w

jesus christ. at the very least, the message of WATW (standard hippie zen "we should all love one another") is a better one than the barely camouflaged pro-war bullshit of "voices that care."

i actually think "voices that care" may make me angrier than any other record in the world. watching that video certainly does.

"You Had To Take a Stand In Someone Else's Land"

Yeah, "Voices that Care" is pretty indefensible.

Holy crap -Dudley Moore!

wau never even heard of Voices That Care, that is some next level awfulness. was that for Gulf War I? That was a good war.

bible nut orel herschieser and noted facist cokedhead james woods in on the action!

wanna be tough guy stephen stills!

man there's way more actors than singers in that.

what a horrible song!

voices that care makes "we are the world" sound like "supernaut"!

okay that is enough to make me stop playing Major Lazer and check this out

voices that care makes "we are the world" sound like "supernaut"!

Bahahaha

holy fucking lolgasm

Michael fucking Bolton, lolololol

holy shit KENNY G

MERYL STREEP?????????????????

Also I had completely forgotten what early 90s Celine Dion looked like, lololololololol; I spent most of the video going "I know that voice... is that Martika?"

haha Martika

too bad they didn't let Shatner get a few solo bits in

Fred Savage was never more punchable

What the hell. Wow was I glad I never heard about this at the time.

downtown julie brown, brian bosworth, michael tucker from la law, it's really a shame they didn't just take everyone on that stage and bury them deep in the ground as a time capsule.

and i totally remember when this came out! but i think it may have premiered after the simpsons or something, otherwise it might have passed me by

who was the guy that took a big weirdo solo at the end who looked like if charlie brown was a pedophile?

frank sobotka

actually his name is Warren Wiebe

Warren Wiebe (July 18, 1953 – October 25, 1998) was an American vocalist and session artist from San Diego. After playing bass with several bands, he was discovered by David Foster and Burt Bacharach in Los Angeles in 1987. He did the duet "Listen to Me" with Celine Dion for the movie of the same name. It was never officially released.

He was one of several lead vocalists who contributed to the 1991 charity record "Voices That Care".

He is also famous for performing the song "Human Touch", a ballad which was used as one of the ending theme songs for the 1996 anime After War Gundam X. The song is one of a very small number of anime theme songs that not only was performed with English lyrics but was composed by non-Japanese songwriters. An avid ice hockey fan, he was also known for his stirring performances of the national anthems prior to Los Angeles Kings games. He did many demos with David Foster including "When I Fall in Love" for the film Sleepless in Seattle and when Celine heard his singing she wanted him instead of Clive Griffin to sing on the track. In addition he sang on the All-4-One hit "I Swear" and did backing vocals for many artists. Referred to by Quincy Jones as the "Soulful Rain Man" he battled mental health issues and took his own life on October 25, 1998. Several of his early work has been released posthumously but there has not to date been an album of his work entirely.

ok at 2:13 as it pans from right to left, kurt russell, gary busey, kevin costner, IS THAT THE SENSEI FROM KARATE KID???, James Woods...

its good to know that Richard Gere supports the murder of Iraqi children. Its what the Buddha would've wanted amirite

IS THAT THE SENSEI FROM KARATE KID???,

Pat Morita

Then there was the liberal response to "Voices That Care":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IWCq-b5m9s

dude pat morita played the handyman xpost

you can support the troops without supporting the war, as i'm sure gere or alyssa milano would tell you

Is that Adam Ant?

lolz Alfred, that calls for head to head poll....

omigod Peter Gabriel's hair.

OMIGOD Terence Trent D'Arby!

i spit up my lunch reading this thread. luckily i'm alone. i love you, alex in nyc. in an honoring-the-flame sort of way.

WATW isn't so bad, really. brooce is really embarrassing on it, though. kind of makes you wonder about him.

Ofra Haza?!??

Bruce Hornsby glassy-eyed stare at aroun 1:14 is truly frightening

Good lord, Lenny Kravitz was such an insufferable douchecake

sebastian bach segue to randy newman yesss

but really wtf at Peter Gabriel's line readings. Does he think he's starring in King Lear?

Bahahaha

THis really deserves its own thread

is the female duo Wendy and Lisa...?

also is that Duffy from GnR...?

Yep, Duff McKagan

In 1991, Yoko Ono collaborated with Amina, Adam Ant, Sebastian Bach, Bros, Felix Cavaliere, Terence Trent D'Arby, Flea, John Frusciante, Peter Gabriel, Kadeem Hardison, Ofra Haza, Joe Higgs, Bruce Hornsby, Lee Jaffe, Al Jarreau, Jazzie B, Davey Johnstone, Lenny Kravitz, Cyndi Lauper, Sean Ono Lennon, Little Richard, LL Cool J, MC Hammer, Michael McDonald, Duff McKagan, Alannah Myles, New Voices of Freedom, Randy Newman, Tom Petty, Iggy Pop, Q-Tip, Bonnie Raitt, Run, Dave Stewart, Teena Marie, Little Steven Van Zandt, Don Was, Wendy & Lisa, Ahmet Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, and Moon Unit Zappa as the Peace Choir to perform a version of the song in response to the imminent Gulf War.

Kadeem Hardison!

lolling at Little Richard, dude is in BOTH VTC and Peace Choir

dude always liked it both ways

tom petty's BEST LOOK EVER at 3:04

Good god almighty.

dude always liked it both ways

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE TROOPS WITHOUT SUPPORTING THE WAR DO PEOPLE NOT REMEMBER THIS LOGIC

STOP RUINING LOLS WITH LOGIC

stop ruining logic with wars

is Steve Van Zandt speaking English?

these videos collectively explain why people were so impressed by grunge, beavis and butthead, def comedy jam, seinfeld, etc

xxxxpost,

but why is fresh prince rocking a circa 83 whodini type rhyme flow in 91??

Referred to by Quincy Jones as the "Soulful Rain Man"

is that harry hamlin?

these videos collectively explain why people were so impressed by grunge, beavis and butthead, def comedy jam, seinfeld, etc

I was just thinking that. "No wonder people blot out the first two years of the nineties..."

and jon lovitz?

DON KING?!

Early nineties fashion <<<<<<<<<<<<< eighties fashion

It's a shame Bush didn't start the war until Feb '91, so as to take advantage of the "90210" stars' popularity.

Lonely fear lights up the sky,
Can't help but wonder why
You're so far away.
There, you had to take a stand
In someone else's land,
Life can be so strange.
I wish we never had to choose,
To either win or lose,
That we could find a way...
But I won't turn my back again,
Your honor I'll defend
So hurry home, and 'til then...
Chorus:
Stand tall; Stand proud!
Voices that care are crying out loud.
And when you close your eyes tonight,
Feel in your heart how our love burns bright.
I'm not here to justify the cause.
Or to count up all the loss...
That's all been done before.
I just can't let you feel alone.
When there's so much love at home
We're sending out to you.
All the courage that you've known
The bravery you've shown,
Clearly lights the way.
We pray! To make the future bright,
To make the wrong things right,
Right or wrong, we're all praying you remain strong
That's why we're all here and singing along.
(repear chorus)
You are the voice
You are the light
(repeat chorus twice)

luther vandross kind of smokes, though, you must admit.

god I tried to watch some 90210 the other day, it's amazing what passed for a summer of deception on TV back then

Right or wrong, we're all praying you remain strong

wtf does this even mean, I hate these sentiments...

it means PATRIOTISM

Summers of deception don't work without the original theme music -- like, say, Dylan writing in agony on the couch to the accompaniment of R.E.M.'s "You Are The Everything."

Right or wrong, we're all praying you remain strong

wtf does this even mean, I hate these sentiments..

Shakey, it's not too late to show some sympathy for Saddam.

I wish we never had to choose,
To either win or lose,
That we could find a way...
But I won't turn my back again,
Your honor I'll defend

???

it's a vietnam allusion

Morrissey on Band Aid, though his logic can be extrapolated to all charity singles

"I'm not afraid to say that I think Band Aid was diabolical. Or to say that I think Bob Geldof is a nauseating character. Many people find that very unsettling, but I'll say it as loud as anyone wants me to. In the first instance the record itself was absolutely tuneless. One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England. It was an awful record considering the mass of talent involved. And it wasn't done shyly it was the most self-righteous platform ever in the history of popular music."

"The whole implication was to save these people in Ethiopia, but who were they asking to save them? Some 13-year-old girl in Wigan! People like Thatcher and the royals could solve the Ethiopian problem within ten seconds. But Band Aid shied away from saying that — for heaven's sake, it was almost directly aimed at unemployed people."

choose to win or lose? weird.

it's like fighting for your right to party.

Morrissey otm

You still will be dismissive when he dies, though.

nah - the world will be a little poorer the day Moz kicks it

man say what you will but

One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England.

when morrissey's got his bitchy game workin' there is no one better

also the end part about thatcher and etc is really otm

yawn @ challops

is "dismissive when he dies" a morrissey lyric?

nah "the world will be a little poorer the day Moz kicks it" is a more accurate song title

In 1991, Yoko Ono collaborated with Amina, Adam Ant, Sebastian Bach, Bros, Felix Cavaliere, Terence Trent D'Arby, Flea, John Frusciante, Peter Gabriel, Kadeem Hardison, Ofra Haza, Joe Higgs, Bruce Hornsby, Lee Jaffe, Al Jarreau, Jazzie B, Davey Johnstone, Lenny Kravitz, Cyndi Lauper, Sean Ono Lennon, Little Richard, LL Cool J, MC Hammer, Michael McDonald, Duff McKagan, Alannah Myles, New Voices of Freedom, Randy Newman, Tom Petty, Iggy Pop, Q-Tip, Bonnie Raitt, Run, Dave Stewart, Teena Marie, Little Steven Van Zandt, Don Was, Wendy & Lisa, Ahmet Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, and Moon Unit Zappa as the Peace Choir to perform a version of the song in response to the imminent Gulf War.

(1) i would swear i saw paula poundstone in there.
(2) props to LL cool j
(3) bonnie raitt is really pretty

we sung Voices that Care in elementary school choir. dear christ, what fucking propaganda they put us through in the first Gulf War.

So anyway:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a846fe9f970b-600wi

Half those people seem Photoshopped in.

lol @ Bieber

is that Harry Connick, Jr way in the back? What happened to his face - did he fall off a skyscraper?

no that's vince vaughn

Horrible, horrible, horrible fucking shit.

is Usher blind?

has this been released ??

Are you guys quoting lyrics?

We are the world
We are the children
Is Usher blind?
Has this been released?
Are you guys quoting lyrics?

We are the world
We are the children
Is Usher blind?
Has this been released?
Are you guys quoting lyrics?
Horrible, horrible, horrible fucking shit

these might be better lyrics than the original ones...

We are the world
We are the children
Is that Harry Connick, Jr way in the back?
What happened to his face?
Did he fall off a skyscraper?

Jeff Bridges?

where's Kanye?

Jeff Bridges made an album you know

He did? Is it on iTunes?

it's on amazon at least: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Here-Soon-Jeff-Bridges/dp/B00004RI61

Bridges really should have been the Dan Ackroyd (who was a Blues Brother you know) rather than Vaughn, who has no musical ambitions whatsoever to the best of my knowledge (though please, please, please correct me if I'm wrong).

"Co-producer Michael McDonald appears on every track (keyboards, vocals)"

can totally see Vaughn doing some shitty Blueshammer harp-blowing a la Bruce Willis

should put out a song called "Song To Bruno"

"Honkin with Favreau" would also be acceptable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjIG-9Zc9ho

jesus. this shit makes 80's pop music look pretty fucking good

i mean who the hell is this beiber kid

Babs could pass for David Lee Roth in that pic.

oh my God this is a trainwreck

they just premiered it on the winter olympics

justin bieber gets the first line

My idea for sealing that studio up would've been fine if we got Bridges outta there

barbra & celine basically the only tolerable moments in the whole deal, carlos santana wheeled in on a segway to provide "guy with guitar who codes as guy with guitar for you guys" at several points

the shoehorned-in rap sections on this are actually worse than the ones on the 9/11 "What's Going On" cover

i honestly can't believe they opened with bieber

^^ I have to say I was genuinely shocked

Usher slipped Quincy a 20 to make it happen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJN3u1wAWIk

justin bieber gets the first line

― Lee Dorrian Gray (J0hn D.), Friday, February 12, 2010 5:54 PM Bookmark

facepalm

haha xps

I can't believe they put an Auto-Tuned dwarf up first. How many times can you vomit in one song.

i think the cold bieber open is a bigger indignation than the actual earthquake itself

who is the woman singing with jenifer hudson? i swear it's kim kardashian

it's really too bad that they didn't wait for wayne to get locked up

i thought maybe it was nicole scherzinger? does she still get invited places?

why is wyclef yodeling

what is going on

someone transcribe the kanye lyrics

despite how obviously horrific it is on a musical level, i feel like will.i.am deserves those big solo moments cuz he's built up such a career by doing the most shamelessly corny things possible

if only they could've had him hold a pepsi

Set on replay, die slowly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

why did lil wayne need to be autotuned? he just spoke his lines, anyway.

this is horrible. holy hell, is this a picture of pop's biggest acts today? damn.

bizzare yodeling is best part imo

yeah i mean i'm sure it would've been awkward to tell wyclef specifically that he sounded epically bad & ridiculous but someone needed to say something

We are the world
We are the children
Is that Harry Connick, Jr way in the back?
What happened to his face?
Did he fall off a skyscraper?

― queen frostine (Eric H.), Friday, 12 February 2010 17:05 (Yesterday) Bookmark

i just lost my shit here

WHAT THE FUCK:

actually that video doesn't have the full version of the song. there is a 13:54 version on itunes.

hey indie folks I have it on good authority that if you watch the youtube of this 10x in a row you get an early download code for the new joanna newsom

haha is that swizz beatz i see??

there needs to be an indie version of this written by panda bear and james murphy

Maura just said that the 13:54 version is 'just the seven-minute video with tons of credits' -- which is better I suppose but at the same time I kinda wanted something THAT insane. Like the spoken word bits on the full "Feed the World" but even more gone.

hey indie folks I have it on good authority that if you watch the youtube of this 10x in a row you get an early download code for the new joanna newsom

― Lee Dorrian Gray (J0hn D.), Friday, February 12, 2010 8:32 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

i think pfork is opening up their staff board again for early downloads of this album

hey indie folks I have it on good authority that if you watch the youtube of this 10x in a row you get an early download code for the new joanna newsom

that's like offering me a bag of magic beans and a unicorn if i watch titanic 10x in a row

omg wyclef

someone transcribe the kanye lyrics

― the cold bieber open (some dude), Friday, February 12, 2010 8:23 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark

everyday citizens, everybody pitching in

*interlude*

12 days without water what's your will to live?
*will.i.am line*
feeling like the world's end, we can make the world win

some dude your new username is A+++ hadouken for all time

YouTube commenters weigh in!

candeladangelo (3 seconds ago)
no words this is amazing,i cried SO much! HOPE for HAITI! please people DONATE. please <3

lyrictenore (5 seconds ago)
@lyrictenore
WHAT IS THIS?
A ROOM FULL OF MUSICIANS AND THIS IS THE RESULT
AUTOTUNE FOR ALL THE MALES? REALLY?
THIS IS WHY MUSIC IS IN TROUBLE NOW
TOO MANY EXCEPT ANYTHING... NO STANDARDS
IM APPALLED AND PISSED OFF
YES A GREAT CAUSE BUT TRUTH REMAINS TRUTH
RETURN TO SENDER. REALLY? HUH?
WHY ARE WE IN TIMES WHERE WE PROMOTE EVERYTHING LIKE ITS GREAT AND EARTH SHATTERING AND IT ENDS UP TOTAL CRAP

ferdente17 (6 seconds ago)
Well I think you all should stop talking about YOUR Idols in the song because A lot of singers sang and recorded together the song for Haiti. The Only thing I can say about ALL the singers and people who tried to help with the song is CONGRATS it's absolutely awesome and a comment about Jonas Brother as a fan I Feel PROUD. : ) Thank you Michael Jackson you're in our HEARTS forever and always ♥ MJ with us too :) Congrats to all of you.

danasaurussex (21 seconds ago)
Wow, that was beautiful.

mrgtusa (22 seconds ago)
"he-he-he-he-he-he-he-he" can not sing at all.

secretblueangel (25 seconds ago)
Autotune was horrible.

jmuilkieay (28 seconds ago)
@jumpingjoker14 yes

ashkrk (33 seconds ago)
WHERE IS USHER PART? ???

perfectlybroken82 (44 seconds ago)
What the fuck is wrong with you all. What's with all the damn negativity.

Shay0ne1 (45 seconds ago)
r u serious??

i am pretty surprised that they gave the autotuners their own section -- it's not even a thing anymore

AUTOTUNE FOR ALL THE MALES

REM's worst album

will.i.am & kanye trading Heartfelt lines on a charity single is really what the whole past decade of popular rap music was leading up too -- i truly believe this

That was AMAZING. As in, I totally understand why I don't listen to the fucking radio anymore if these are the clowns that are getting played.

I cried so much for Haiti. Will it survive this?

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1631796/20100212/lil_wayne.jhtml

Ok I stop listening to Ron Carter for this shit. When will I ever learn? I always gave the original a smirk and a roll of the eyes but this new one is well just bad. At first I was angry at for subjecting myself to something I knew was going to suck but at the end of the day I realize this songs just doesn't matter. Oh well.

http://i45.tinypic.com/2uqlm4i.gif

I had a version with all of the mouths moving but something got fucked up and now I'm too friday nighted out to fix it

good lord, I apologize for posting that, it's weird looking

no that's awesome -- especially w/ only some of the mouths moving, makes it extra creepy

Z S = hero

http://i46.tinypic.com/vgtsu1.gif

Dying here.

Academy Award-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), whose own personal efforts as well as those of Artists for Peace and Justice have already saved countless lives in Haiti, filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and behind-the-scenes production, and serves as Film Director and as an Executive Producer with Jones, Richie, Jean, Phillips and Tortorici.

He's saved so many lives that he can't count them.

They just look like a bunch of hungry birds now.

Haitians?

I want someone to animate a mother bird distributing worms among them.

"We Ate the Worms"

lol ned

I wonder what Tony Bennett did when the song went into the gangsta-rap breakdown with LL Cool J.

Actually I'm just waiting on what St. Sanders will do with all this.

YES Please

A) as previous posts have said, WTF with the yodeling?

B) why did Cher redo Lauper's goofy "woah woah WOAH WOOOAHHH"

C) why did LL & others rap in unison on the breakdown part? it sounded retarded, and also the lyrics sounded like quincy Jones trying to write a rap, which I suspect is what happened

this video only serves to push me deeper into my bitter cave of rockism

I mean seriously, Beiber & Jo Bros are equivalent to Willie, Tina, Bruce etc?

plus, none of the singers wer really interesting or had much character to their voices cause almost all of em were autotuned & shit

i mean, fergie (i think?) filling in for Ray Charles' "let me hear ya" really put the last nail in the coffin for me.

A friend noticed they misspelled Mechastreisand's name as Barbara in the credits. There will be blood.

wow, this is horrible on so many levels. amazing !

of COURSE it would be directed by the "crash" dude.

also, i think i speak for many when i ask, who the fuck are these people?

also brian wilson was apparently in the chorus. along with bizzy bone and benji and joel madden.

is the guy behind Celine using the Haitian flag as a toothpick? INSENSITIVE.

You may think it's bad but IMO better than the original....it had rappers in it!!

both terrible. but new one is so bad a poll would be useless.

"will.i.am & kanye trading Heartfelt lines on a charity single is really what the whole past decade of popular rap music was leading up too -- i truly believe this"

word is born ... to be fair this tune only really kicks in when it threatens to turn into a posse cut ... however it needs some bun b

also what on earth is going on when jamie foxx does that little auto tuned jokey singing bit

The sad thing is there are probably people who think this is the best decade for music so far.

Looking forward to 25th anniversary of Hear N Aid..... Let's get on this.

big lol when i went to http://rappersiknow.com/ this morning

directed by the Crash dude? lol j0hn D. called it upthread

they just want us to hurt like they do iirc

We Are The World is disaster relief because it shows Haitians that things can be much worse.

It's everything that's wrong with modern music in 8 minutes. I especially love how they're all sucking their own dicks now thinking they did such a great thing (aside from the fact that proceeds go to a good cause, obviously)..

http://i45.tinypic.com/2uqlm4i.gif

like how The Dude is at the peak of his inhale here

some thoughts:

1. girl from sugarland has that always sparkly eyed bonnie langford thing going on. does she ever look glum?
2. tony christie phoning it in like a motherfucker.
3. barbara streisand saying 'daaay' made me laugh a lot as she puts on a dylan voice.
4. so much obvious autotune on people who shouldn't need it.
5. oh my fucking god will.i.am.please.die
6. oh my fucking god wyclef oh my god
6. where are status quo?
7. santana is now some sort of robot, you push a button on his back and funky solo comes out.
8. jamie, you're not ray charles any more.
9. the rapping is actually worse than john barnes in world in motion.
10. did the divas refuse to be in the same room as all the non-talent?

basically other than maybe usher and celine dion the best person in it is a dead pederast.

This version basically confirms it wasn't the song but the performances that carried the original. Not that it was ever in dispute.

This is like W. to the original's Reagan.

it sure was in dispute, since the original also sucks ass in hell.

4. so much obvious autotune on people who shouldn't need it.

Seconded, it's totally in that mindfuck zone of "did they just not hit the notes or was the mix engineer just using it for the sake of same???" I understand the auto-tuning of Akon/T-Pain/Lil' Wayne because it's part of their whole shtick, but Barbra Streisand and Tony freakin' Bennett?

considering that they recorded 50 people for this thing and rush released it i could see them preferring sloppy AutoTune to taking the time to get better takes

Well the people on the production side of things were probably saying "throw in some more automatic-tunes or whatever cause thats whats all the rage these days" like somebody's disconnected dad, because they're as in tune with todays cultures as most disconnected dads out there.

Wow yall are not kidding, this is one of the worst things I've ever seen. I made it up to the first couple of lines during the rap but had to shut it down out of respect for Haiti.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Pulp's "Bad Cover Version" video on this thread. It's classic!!

Also, might I suggest that the next time a group of well-meaning celebrity musicians decide to sing together for charity, they begin by WRITING A NEW FUCKING SONG?

some dude OTM btw imo fwiw

i didn't get jamie foxx's joke voice? was he supposed to be imitating r. charles ??

Yes, singing the same lines Charles sang in the original.

Toni Braxton though!

i know, right? the first time i saw her in one of the photos i was like "that looks like Toni but they wouldn't invite her to something like that these days...maybe Ciara got a new haircut? no, Ciara was never that gorgeous."

thought it was K. Hilson until she started singing

Turns out there was already a worse remake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyEjpl50_XE

This is way less worse than I remembered...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7qBq7cJg_s

Who is Justin Bieber?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Justin_Bieber.jpg/506px-Justin_Bieber.jpg

that vid is worse than the we are the world one. 'we are all the same! like... gays and addicts and asians, right?' Also I'm with you Gwen, STOP GLOBAL AIDS.

Better giving rappers their own verses though. And just having ?uestlove looking around going 'why the fuck am I here with these retards? What are you doing to my ears?'

Yeah I was able to figure out that he was the five year old who started the song but... why is it him starting the song?

he is a popular new artist

With whom -- pedophiles?

Revisiting the original after this awful remake = we really didn't know how good we had it.

Yeah back then artists had to use an older model called "manual-tune."

he is a popular new artist

― nagl wayne (J0rdan S.), Monday, February 15, 2010 10:20 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
With whom -- pedophiles?

― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 15, 2010 10:21 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Bahahahaha

Bieber has his moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6B1upS49NM

For a brief half second I'm all "He covered 'My World' by Guns'n'Roses?"

A solo version of the well known charity song, entitled "I Am My World"

HA

Dude owns Twitter too. Girls and pedos united as Bieliebers.

challop: The Fred Phelps parody version of WATW sounds better than the autotuned one.

massive lols at "Bieliebers"

also Jennifer Hudson is the only person on this who doesn't sound entirely embarrasing

"God hates the woooorld
(he hates you)
and all her children
(that means you!)"

the phelps thing sounds like something me and my friends would make up in 3rd grade

i mean the part about "you're headed straight to hell" to the tune of a pop song not the part of sincerely wanting everyone to perish

This reminds me of the Brian Wilson-in-the-studio parody scene from the Dewey Cox movie.

"You eat your children" "Yes you do!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyEjpl50_XE

I love at 2:58 when the two "lady friends" share a moment

I wonder what John Mayer thinks of all this.

you'll eat your kids? I wish!

Who knew?

Los Angeles-based favorite We Are The World have debuted a new mp3 for Fight Song from their debut record Clay Stones, available April 6 on Manimal Vinyl. Listen at Stereogum:

http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/we_are_the_world__fight_song_stereogum_premiere_113811.html

Formed in the summer of 2008 by film composer Robbie Williamson and choreographer Ryan Heffington, the duo's aim was to create devastating electronic pop music. Joining forces with designer Megan Gold and former CIA agent turned burlesque dancer Nina McNeely, they combined Gold's provocative lyrics and Williamson's heavy minimal tracks with Heffington and McNeely's visceral dancing.

We Are The Worlds pounding bass and thrilling live show soon won them a passionate hometown following who reveled in the group's choreographed concert performances. We Are The World have played with The Gossip, Fuck Buttons, Linda Perhacs, and Tricky.

Praise for We Are The World:

[We Are The World] work the dance beat, taking pop to strange outer space. Paper Magazine
Art-damaged electronica. – LA Weekly
Addictive as f*ck, haunting as hell, Clay Stones beats compel helpless skeletons to shake and hearts to pump faster with lyrical myth-making. Like a gothic En Vogue, singer Megan Gold stretches and bends guttural glissandos and breathy chants across glassy hooks so hot Id follow their directions straight to the sacrificing stone. – LA Record

http://www.myspace.com/WATWLA

The only way this song could have been worse is if Sufjan Stephens inserted a mandolin solo......

Is Sufjan Stevens known for mandolin solos?

is he ever!

We are the not-number-one debut single

It probably would've had a good shot at #1 if it wasn't vomit.

yet another reason why Ke$ha-hate is misplaced

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdsxjSZFuTo&feature=player_embedded#

Good Lord, "Do They Know it's Christmas" postively shits all over "We Are the World" in a brown torrent of tannembaum-shaped charity turds.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer)

This again.

It's very simple: Dionne Warwick >>>>>>>> Simon Le Bon

because of MJ 5th anniversary death day, VH1soul is showing WatW…

seems like Lionel crowbarred James Ingram and Al Jarreau in there…respectively gospel and jazz virtuosos that the '85 pop audience would be vaguely familiar with via their hit songs, but they ain't superstars like everyone else, even Aykroyd! two singers that were reflexively respected by black pop machers like Lionel and MJ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4HAIsImOkc

Who is Justin Bieber?

― 80085 (a hoy hoy), Monday, February 15, 2010 5:13 PM

A more innocent time for all of us, Bieber included.

he is a popular new artist
― nagl wayne (J0rdan S.), Monday, February 15, 2010 10:20 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

With whom -- pedophiles?
― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 15, 2010

his hair!

this song inspired a v classic M@tt Helgo thread

We are the world
We are the children
Is Usher blind?
Has this been released?
Are you guys quoting lyrics?
― Michael Steele, the first black Superman (HI DERE), Friday, February 12, 2010 11:46 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

if we put this in a time capsule someone would say this was the year the world ended

Alfred OTM. I love this song

https://youtu.be/3Xaweac0TxY

speaking way upthread about "Voices That Care", I never saw the video before! heard the song every day, but this is my first time seeing it.

*Cetera's hair is a mess
*lotsa NBA cameos
*lol, Jani Lane
*lol, NELSON
*lotsa great voices wasted on a stupid song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol6vr5_CY1o

there's a new Netflix doc on this. I never realized it was recorded in one overnight session right after the AMA's. It's fascinating seeing all those stars in one room and watching the on-the-spot collaborations going on. one great moment is Stevie Wonder coaching Dylan on how to sing his part because he was totally lost.

Is this the same doc that's been floating around on youtube forever?

(I assume it's at least the same footage, so many amazing moments)

Undoubtedly a lot of the footage from the night is the same, but this seems all new. Haven't watched it yet, but the talking head clips I've seen are definitely new.

oh idk i never watched that xp

never likes the song tbh, it creeped me out at a kid

We are the world
We are the children
Is this the same doc that's been floating around on youtube forever?
why did LL & others rap in unison on the breakdown part?
Is Sufjan Stevens known for mandolin solos?

I was showing my wife the trailer for the doc last night and I was really not expecting my 12 year-old to pipe up, "that looks good! can we watch it?"

Shalum shalingay

Enjoyed the doc as well. I didn't know any of the background. The Dylan stuff is awesome/hilarious (if you're into Dylan). Lionel Richie comes off as kind of superhuman for co-writing the song with Michael, hosting and performing on the AMAs that night, then helping corral the all-night recording sesh.

I do wish there were a greater variety of current-day "talking heads"... it's basically Richie, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Sheila E. (who talks about feeling a little "used," in terms of being included in hopes that Prince would show up – which he doesn't, even though she calls him halfway through the night); and, er, Bruce (who doesn't have much to say).

I love the footage of the superstars trickling over to the studio after the AMAs. Bruce parks across the street in a little convertible... Kenny Rogers drives onto the lot in a Toyota Supra or some other bland, mid-level car...

Oh, I think they talk to Cyndi as well. Probably someone else I'm forgetting

So they don't get Quincy to talk some wild shit, huh

If you need more We are the World content here’s one of the producer/arrangers talking about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av24jXhcq8s

lol from the Wiki entry on WATW:

Controversial anti-LGBT church Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), known for their musical parodies, produced a parody of "We Are the World" titled "God Hates the World". In 2007, Warner Chappell Music unsuccessfully tried to prevent WBC from circulating the video on grounds of copyright infringement.

Al Jarreau was lit

I remember some good clips of the rhythm section laying down the basic tracks, there's not a lot of other footage of those guys in their prime that I've seen. JR Robinson still sounds great now, and did when I saw him do a clinic in the late '90s, but it's still cool to see him then.

a parody of "We Are the World" titled "God Hates the World".

How is this not a Slayer song

I was relentlessly otm in this thread

Alex in NYC too ... at least to his own truth, which I'm forever grateful is not my truth

Omg this was hilarious

I love the footage of the superstars trickling over to the studio after the AMAs. Bruce parks across the street in a little convertible... Kenny Rogers drives onto the lot in a Toyota Supra or some other bland, mid-level car...

― jake morgendorffer core (morrisp), Friday, February 2, 2024 3:37 PM bookmarkflaglink

Lol I remarked on Kenny's car to my mother "THAT'S his car?"

Supposedly Dylan couldn't figure out how to sing it until Stevie Wonder demonstrated in full-on DYLAN mode.
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, June 24, 2005 2:11 PM bookmarkflaglink

this appears in the documentary!

also jesus christ @ Lindsay Buckingham's hair

wau, didn't know Waylon Jennings walked out.

I learned that from this or one of the other threads, but had no idea that him leaving was caught on video

I don't know whether to call him out for racism or to high-five him for vetoing a bad idea. Both, I guess?

I forgot I had this, but I listened to a We Are the World compilation I burned many years ago, and besides the many iterations of the UK equivalent, "Do They Know It's Christmas?," there's also the CANADIAN equivalent with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, a French one with Gérard Depardieu somewhere in the mix, and the Spanish-language "Cantaré, cantarás" with Placido Domingo, Miami Sound Machine, Julio Iglesias, Cheech Marin and Apollonia among many others. All on YouTube.

oh man:

Geldof argued that it sounded too close to an African language and that it might be considered mocking, so Stevie Wonder called a Nigerian friend to get a phrase in Swahili that would be appropriate for the song. The phrase was “willi moing-gu”, which didn’t go down well with some of the cast. “Say what!” yelled Ray Charles, “Willi what! Willi moing-gu, my ass! It’s three o’clock in the goddamn mornin’ – I can’t even sing in English no more.” Geldof pointed out that Ethiopians don’t speak Swahili and Waylon Jennings left the sessions claiming “no good old boy sings in Swahili”. When everyone voted to settle on a new line, “one world, our children”, an exhausted Tina Turner muttered, “I like sha-lum better, who cares what it means?”

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-charity-michael-jackson-and-lionel-ricjie-a9374791.html

“no good old boy sings in Swahili”.

"Some day the mountain might get 'em, but the Swahili never will..."

I'm sad there wasn't a reboot in, say, 1996. Imagine an over-emoting Billy Corgan passing the verse along to an overer-emoting Ed Kowalczyk!

there's no way Ed w0uldn't have been kicked out of the session

Ha! Ed trying to add "MORE WINE!!" to the song might have led him to some early drama he could not sell

somehow no recollection of this vid is possible in my brain without seeing donald trump pretending to sing in that line-up in a terrible vhs capture. i don't know why, it just feels true.

Still an insufferable bag of pungent crap, this song.

Really enjoyed watching this, even though I had seen most of the footage before. The clothes & '80s LA vibes are worth it alone.

Ultimate nightmare audio engineer scenario when it's 4am and there's some weird monitoring issue and Dionne Warwick is mad at you, not mention you need to physically rewind the tape in between every take.

The related bit with Cyndi and all her accessories really made me sweat...

need a similar doc for the 2001 "What's Goin On" with Fred Durst rapping about suicide bombers

Is it as good as this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHT8V5OIkl4

"What's Goin On" with Fred Durst rapping about suicide bombers"

why u tryna ruin universe with this "information" time to die

Ultimate nightmare audio engineer scenario when it's 4am and there's some weird monitoring issue and Dionne Warwick is mad at you

Ok it was probably 4 am when I watched this and correct me if I'm wrong, but was it Dan Akroyd's reverb return in her headphone mix?? Please, let that be true.

Waylon Jennings once again raising the question, "Why not Waylon?"

hearing Huey Lewis stumbling through the solo he'd just been given to see if it was in his range was pretty cool.

the harmony frustration was also funny because unless you have perfect pitch, it's hard to just do on the spot (someone shoulda plunked out some notes on the piano).

documentary left out the bit where supposedly Cyndi had a manager go into the booth and say "the rockers don't like the song" to try to stir up trouble. I don't think Quincy remembers her contributions very fondly

Enjoyed this in a Spinal Tap kind of way, which is perhaps not what the filmmakers intended. The hubris, false humility, and complete lack of self awareness of the pop stars of this era really is an astonishing thing to behold

Do you mean *now* or then (the archive footage), or both?

I think I watched half of it. "Quincy Jones is a genius, one of the most respected musicians, producers and arrangers of all time!" (Quincy immediately signs off on this POS song.)

The doc does represent some sort of empty victory. Yes, it is very hard to wrangle a roomful of cats, but in the end, simply wrangling said cats shouldn't be the lasting achievement. It's very much akin to SNL's original sin. "Sure, we would be better if we had more time, but look what we cranked out in less than a week!"

I do appreciate top-of-the-world Lionel Ritchie as referee, shooting down the stupidest of bad ideas from people not used to be being told "no."

I'm not sure how anyone could write a song intended for these singers and about feeding the hungry that wouldn't come out like "We Are the World."

There's not much arguing in the British Band Aid docu footage, but i suppose you can argue that they hadn't been up all night*, as it was recorded on a Sunday morning.

*except Status Quo obvs.

xpost It's kind of a cart before the horse situation, because yeah, writing a good song for 50 famous singers is an insurmountable challenge. Of course, other tribute songs that had more time and just as many voices didn't necessarily fair better, as we have discussed on ILX. That Spirit of the Forest song, Sun City, the all Canadian one ...

simply wrangling said cats shouldn't be the lasting achievement

I guess the song did raise a significant amount of money, right? Anyway it’s obv not the greatest song, but I don’t think the doc was insisting that it is… it’s just fascinating to see the cats being wrangled, I took that as the main point.

It made a lot of money for sure, though it's hard to get a good accounting for exactly how much was made and how it was spent.

It is some kind of achievement to devise a canvas for all these people at once, most of whom would probably have come up with a better song on their own but none of whom likely could have come up with something like "We Are the World" (for better or for worse) with 50 collaborators in so short a span.

Right, it’s a “functional” song, I don’t think anyone put it on just to enjoy it… the goal was something they could all sing and that would sound “good” and serve its purpose.

Springsteen said something very similar in the doc, sorta gently equivocating about how the "aesthetic" of the song is almost beside the point

It could be like Voices That Care, gooey faux-Gospel pro war bullshit

Still kinda agitated that some aging punks didn't release their own response "Voices That Don't Give a Shit"

We are the World vs Dear Mr Jesus

Some non-aging punks in the form of FNM did come up with "We Care a Lot" as a response though!

And I love them forever for it

It could be like Voices That Care, gooey faux-Gospel pro war bullshit

Except better

I love how Mystery Train jokingly refers to "Voices That Care" as "We Are The War."

(And surprised that Meryl Streep and Sissy Spacek were in the chorus.)

Really liked the doc, but can anyone tell me why Dan Aykroyd was there to begin with? Was Blues Brothers that big to warrant his presence with the rest of these legends? And wtf, how have I been misspelling this dude's name for 30 years

This was less than a year after Ghostbusters (at the time the-highest-grossing comedy ever) so that would explain it.

Here’s what he said in 2009 (it doesn’t make much sense):

Speaking of iconic images, you were in the ensemble for the Live Aid, "We Are the World video." How did you snag that gig?

Totally by accident. My father and I were interviewing business managers in LA and we walked into this office of a talent manager, and realized we were in the wrong place. I was looking for a money manager, not a talent manager. I had managed myself at that time and always have. But he said, so long as you are here, would you like to come and join this "We are the World" thing.

I thought how do I fit in here? Well, we did sell a few million records with the Blues Brothers and in my other persona I am a musician, so I showed up and was a part of it but it was totally by accident.

I bet he (and a few others there) fit in more than a few lines.

Snarf.

The person who was there who I was looking for in the doc but didn't immediately see, and was kinda wondering if they would get as a talking head but didn't? Garry Trudeau. Really. Remember seeing news about it at the time (and he coordinated a comics-related effort later in the year), and per this thread, a run of strips resulted some time after the session:

1. Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau was allowed to witness the "We Are the World" recording sessions that produced the 1985 megahit to aid famine relief in Africa. Producer Quincy Jones corralled 45 pop stars into the studio, insisting everyone check their egos at the door.

— Mark Stryker (@Mark_Stryker) June 13, 2021

And in case you're wondering if this is some weird urban legend, nope -- from a Chicago Tribune story in March 1985.

Although most of the musicians` guests watched the proceedings via a live video feed to A&M`s Chaplin Stage next door, there was one nonmusician in the recording studio. ”Doonesbury” creator Garry Trudeau spent the night in the studio watching and sketching, with the result being two weeks of USA for Africa-related ”Doonesbury” cartoons.

we still need a 10-episode expose into this thing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un3TmvzoVYM

The Milli Vanilli guy was clearly lip-syncing.

That one had a Chumbawumba parody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDRG2s9GC_E

I realize these clips were available for years, and also were only shown in a truncated form in the latest documentary, but ever since watching it I can't get Bob Dylan's goofy rendition of "it's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lies, it's true we'll make a better day, just you and me".

it just sounds Randy Newman singing it and getting punched while he farted

*lives

lol that was my generation's introduction to Bob Dylan

woulda been for me if my dad didn't routinely walk around the house singing "Like a Rolling Stone" and overemphasizing the "DIDN'T YEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW".

As bad as it was, Dylan would hit lower lows as the decade wore on. I can't imagine anyone turning into a Dylan fan back then based on his "new" work.

*raises hand* a friend who heard "Tight Connection to My Heart" was moved to hear the back catalog

that "Let it Be" upthread is like a cluster bomb of wtf

xp That's not a bad track - had they dropped a couple of the worst songs and reinstated "New Danville Girl," that would've been a pretty good album IMHO. Also forgot the Traveling Wilburys, that's a fun album. But Knocked Out Loaded, the Hearts of Fire movie, nearly all of Down in the Groove and the live stuff with the Grateful Dead are pretty awful.

(Yes, "Brownsville Girl" is a different version of "New Danville Girl," and "Maybe Someday" is kind of catchy, but I still wouldn't play Knocked Out Loaded again.)

A new all-star charity single based on Mark Knopfler's theme to Bill Forsyth's great film Local Hero, and naturally, it's all about guitarists, not singing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_KWnAoPckk

Benefits Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.

The full list of contributors is: Joan Armatrading, Jeff Beck, Richard Bennett, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Brown, James Burton, Jonathan Cain, Paul Carrack, Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Jim Cox, Steve Cropper, Sheryl Crow, Danny Cummings, Roger Daltrey, Duane Eddy, Sam Fender, Guy Fletcher, Peter Frampton, Audley Freed, Vince Gill, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, Keiji Haino, Tony Iommi, Joan Jett, John Jorgenson, Mark Knopfler, Sonny Landreth, Albert Lee, Greg Leisz, Alex Lifeson, Steve Lukather, Phil Manzanera, Dave Mason, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Robbie McIntosh, John McLaughlin, Tom Morello, Rick Nielsen, Orianthi, Brad Paisley, Nile Rodgers, Mike Rutherford, Joe Satriani, John Sebastian, Connor Selby, Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and Zak Starkey (both on drums, of course), Sting (on bass), Andy Taylor, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Ian Thomas, Pete Townshend, Keith Urban, Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel.

The sleeve has been designed by pop art icon and Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band designer Peter Blake, whose collage shows all the contributors in front of Hank’s guitar store in London’s Denmark Street.

Might be the last thing Jeff Beck ever recorded - he opens the record.