Just had the chance to contrast and compare "We are the World" versions today. I would start by saying that I am amazed at the choices they made for musicians in the newest version. Of course, I was taken back by some of the singers in the original. Musicians such as Randy Jackson, Kanye West, Tony Bennett, and Barbara Striesand help to fill the modern roster of talent. Seems like an eclectic group, and I am sure that is what the song is going for-that sense of the variety of the world. Of course, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and Tina Turner seemed to me to be strange choices at the time as well (guess this gives away my age a wee bit).
I would think that after 25 years, we might have learned a little more to care for others. Alas, that obviously isn't the case. For example, Bono goes around feeding kids and hanging with the HIV positive and get pulverized for his troubles by any media surrounding him. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt become tabloid fodder as opposed to poster adults for taking care of kids that cannot take care of themselves. Michael Jackson, the only one to appear in both videos, is remembered for the many mistakes he made as opposed to the work that he did. I don't think that I'm going to light candles around any of the "star" pictures that have been mentioned in this paragraph. The point remains that we don't look to the cause but to the short comings. If you don't believe that statement, listen to any sports show talk about Tim Tebow.
My real disappointment lies in the fact that a new song wasn't written. We don't need remakes by modern stars. We need all of those with resources to care, period. For me, the modern version fell short because it wasn't really meant. Of course, they don't want people to die, I concede that fact. Here is the difference, when I heard the original, I really felt that through what choice I made, I would be saving lives. There was a raw emotion and empathy that peppered the entire song. This was that generations cry out to the world that we need to make it a better place.
The cause hasn't changed, but we have. Others suffer but we have become more and more immune to that fact. We have watched dead body after dead body through the nightly news during Vietnam to me watching the Gulf Conflict on the floor of my 8th grade GA History class. Millions infected with HIV/AIDS around the world...do you notice that we rarely speak of the disease anymore. I guess since we have fixed the problem for Magic Johnson, then others will be better off left to their own devices.
We don't talk about the hungry because we are not hungry, we don't speak of the homeless because we have a home, and we don't hear the constant pleas of others because we are too busy screaming socialism, bad health care and me, me, me! The core of this song seemed to means something to the previous artists that sang it.
American Idol always has judges making the comment of whether a contestant makes a song their own or not. To Josh Groban, Pink, Lil' Wayne, Celine Dion, and Miley Cyrus...you are all talented (as much as it pains me to say that to some of you) but bring your own voice. That means bringing your own message in a way that is clearly yours. Until you do that, then our concerns were voided 25 years ago.
There is "a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives..."tell us how its our choice because its a choice you make not copy from others nostalgically. This isn't a misty duet between Nat King Cole and his daughter, this is a call to action. Find a way to convey that and realize that you are in no way as talented as Stevie Wonder (sorry, couldn't resist Beiber).
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