THERE'S A CHOICE WE'RE MAKING: Speaking of disappointments tonight, the "We Are Still The World" "We Are The World 25" video, released tonight, after the break:
Nancy - The Haitian-sounding "wailer" guy is Wyclef Jean (formerly of The Fugees) who is, to his credit, Haitian. And I agree that probably somebody should have whacked Jamie Foxx upside the head the minute he started doing his Ray Charles.
For me, things probably reach their nadir around the time Lil Wayne pretends to sing or T-Pain pops up.
Regardless, it's a tremendous indictment of the sorry state of contemporary music. If you look at the names on the original "We Are the World" list, most of them have retained at least the patina of their iconic status, more than two decades later. I can't help but think that we're looking at more than a handful of the current crop who won't be recognizable in 10 years, much less 20. I could be wrong, though. We may all just be old fuddy-duddies about this one...
A couple of things, am I the only one who experiences premorse when I see Tony Bennett? Also, couldn't a case be made for Barbra Streisand of 1984 and now? Ultimately, blech
I get that the goal is to raise money, and what better way to ensure download sales than including acts like Bieber, Miley and the Jonas Brothers. But... still.
I think that you had a couple of things going on with the original, where a number of the people included were Michael Jackson's personal friends and idols, which elevated the quality. And then the fact that some of the folks that were picked as "well, they're popular now!" turned out either to have a good quality for what they added to the song (Huey Lewis) or turned out somehow to be more than gimmicks but actually to have real staying power (Cyndi Lauper). Here, they chose some folks who just seem to lack any staying power. Justin Bieber is highly unlikely to have any shelf life, in particular.
But, yes, the state of popular music is pretty sad. A lot of people today seem to lack any real ability to sing, i.e., to hit notes. Obviously, there are exceptions to that---people who can really sing, whether you actually like their style or not. But these days, if you want to increase the sales of a song like this, the odds of sticking in a number of people who cannot sing or will almost certainly have the shelf life of an already ripe avocado are pretty high.
1. The so, so, so blatant autotunage on Bieber creates problems right off the bat. 2. Part of what made the original so special (at least in video form) was that all the parts were recorded in the same room. This is all overdub.
The intetnions here are good, and the artists are all big sellers, and the objest is to raise a lot of money. Did anyone notice Lil Wayne sang Dylan's part from the original? Auto tune vs. out of tune.
Agony! Agony!
ReplyDeleteIt just makes me feel old and out of touch.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I guess I'm a soft touch.
ReplyDeleteReanimated Beach Boys!
ReplyDeleteI missed Huey Lewis more than I ever would have thought.
ReplyDeleteREALLY dislike Jamie Foxx openly imitating Ray Charles. Also, who is the Haitian-sounding "wailer" guy?
ReplyDeleteI could not make myself watch much of it. Blech. But it's still managed to install itself at the top of the itunes download chart.
ReplyDeleteIt just means that kids these days think this crap is good.
ReplyDeleteTo this day, the original makes me weepy. Each individual performer brought more passion to their one line than the sum total of this mess.
ReplyDeleteNancy - The Haitian-sounding "wailer" guy is Wyclef Jean (formerly of The Fugees) who is, to his credit, Haitian. And I agree that probably somebody should have whacked Jamie Foxx upside the head the minute he started doing his Ray Charles.
ReplyDeleteFor me, things probably reach their nadir around the time Lil Wayne pretends to sing or T-Pain pops up.
Regardless, it's a tremendous indictment of the sorry state of contemporary music. If you look at the names on the original "We Are the World" list, most of them have retained at least the patina of their iconic status, more than two decades later. I can't help but think that we're looking at more than a handful of the current crop who won't be recognizable in 10 years, much less 20. I could be wrong, though. We may all just be old fuddy-duddies about this one...
-Daniel
Just awful. And really, Justin Beiber, that will be an excellent trivial pursuit question 5 years from now.
ReplyDeletePart of that's based on who from today wasn't there -- Mariah Carey and Beyonce being the most obvious two who'll be remembered in 2035.
ReplyDeleteReally, other than Prince what major 1984 star didn't show up for the original? (Madonna, I suppose.)
Who's suffering now?
ReplyDeleteA couple of things, am I the only one who experiences premorse when I see Tony Bennett? Also, couldn't a case be made for Barbra Streisand of 1984 and now?
ReplyDeleteUltimately, blech
I just went to youtube and watched the original - no comparison.
ReplyDeleteI get that the goal is to raise money, and what better way to ensure download sales than including acts like Bieber, Miley and the Jonas Brothers. But... still.
ReplyDeleteI think that you had a couple of things going on with the original, where a number of the people included were Michael Jackson's personal friends and idols, which elevated the quality. And then the fact that some of the folks that were picked as "well, they're popular now!" turned out either to have a good quality for what they added to the song (Huey Lewis) or turned out somehow to be more than gimmicks but actually to have real staying power (Cyndi Lauper). Here, they chose some folks who just seem to lack any staying power. Justin Bieber is highly unlikely to have any shelf life, in particular.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, the state of popular music is pretty sad. A lot of people today seem to lack any real ability to sing, i.e., to hit notes. Obviously, there are exceptions to that---people who can really sing, whether you actually like their style or not. But these days, if you want to increase the sales of a song like this, the odds of sticking in a number of people who cannot sing or will almost certainly have the shelf life of an already ripe avocado are pretty high.
1. The so, so, so blatant autotunage on Bieber creates problems right off the bat.
ReplyDelete2. Part of what made the original so special (at least in video form) was that all the parts were recorded in the same room. This is all overdub.
Does T-Pain have auto-tune built into his body now? Can he ever have anything come out of his mouth in public without auto-tune?
ReplyDeleteThe intetnions here are good, and the artists are all big sellers, and the objest is to raise a lot of money. Did anyone notice Lil Wayne sang Dylan's part from the original? Auto tune vs. out of tune.
ReplyDelete