I remember like it was yesterday. When the original We Are the World was released via USA for Africa. That was back in 1985 of course when Michael Jackson was in his prime. Everyone who was anyone in music crammed into a studio session after the American Music Awards that year to record a song to help famine relief in Africa.
It went on to sell millions of records and raised even more millions for USA for Africa. It also spawned a worldwide concert that same summer and is considered a classic song.
Twenty five years later, it has been re-recorded in order to raise relief funds for Haiti’s earthquake victims.
Reviews have been mixed. Some people think that while raising money for Haiti is of most importance, remaking the song was not a good idea. How can you mess with perfection?
Below is a copy of the new We Are the World (Haiti) video. What are your thoughts? Should autotune even be used in this tribute? Should a new song have been written for Haiti’s earthquake victims?
Comment below!
Photos courtesy of Billboard.com & Current.com
Truthfully it's not really about what we think at a time when lives are at stake. For anyone person to criticize the means by which a song was made, who made it or who used what element makes them sell i.e. autotune, is small. It definitely shows the morales of character in time of disaster. I hope that people feel the seriousness of whats happening and looking at it as a tall tale sign that this could one day be us, while we live on a fault line ourselves. When it does happen, I am not going to care who does the song, or who used what to make it, just as long as someone comes in my time of need. So I strive to do right by myself, and by my people…you never know when one day you might be i need of someone.