Videos

February 02, 2008

Obama song w/ John Legend, Will.i.am, Scarlett Johansson, Herbie Hancock, others...

TDS Editors

Will.i.am: Why I Recorded Yes We Can.

I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates…
Torn between the candidates

I was never really big on politics…
and actually I’m still not big on politics…

The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me…
on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful,
corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and “politics” are…

So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early…

ABC News:

Celebrity-filled music videos have been used to support many social movements, from famine relief for Africa, to support for American farmers, to opposition to apartheid in South Africa.

But rarely have celebrities and musicians banded together to create new music in the heat of a presidential campaign.

The Black Eyed Peas’ frontman, songwriter and producer known as will.i.am, along with director and filmmaker Jesse Dylan, son of another socially active musician, Bob Dylan, released a new song Friday that attempts to do just that.

Yahoo:

There’s no telling if this video will catch on, but musicians have turned political speeches into popular songs before. The most famous example is Haile Selassie’s 1963 address to the UN, which Bob Marley put to music in the song “War.”

While the Obama campaign had no role in this video, it has run a sophisticated and effective YouTube strategy. It was the only campaign to record a YouTube address for this week’s State of the Union, which has already drawn over 850,000 views and is one of the most popular clips in the world this week. The campaign also promotes a battery of ring tones, which splice one-liners from Obama with riffs of music. Young voters can get the items for free by providing the campaign with their cell phone number—a life-line for organizing a demographic that is rarely listed in party databases.


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Previous comments include

#1 Good lord says:

What a train wreck

#2 Matt says:

This is amazingly inspiring. Go Obama!

#3 ed says:

what a piece of crap.

#4 Fergie says:

I stole all the production quality from all the other Peas, thus making my powers harder, better, faster, stronger.

Will shall fall, as well as the freaky Alien Pea.

There might have been another Pea, but I'm so popular and rich now I can't help it, a girl can't help it.

#5 undecided says:

this really inspired me. thank you.

#6 Not A. Republican says:

This is one of the shittiest things I've ever seen.

#7 DM says:

Why not?

#8 thelink says:

my vote has been swayed. if obama is president, then all artist will follow suit.
i cant wait to see britney spears obama video featuring all 100 paparazzi's that camp outside her house everday and the various motorcycle cops and ambulance drivers that have rescued her along with a plea for obama to step up and pass the "more resources for pop stars to use media and government officials to their advantage" law.

#9 Danny J says:

are you listening america?

#10 JanMan says:

Awesome. I felt it.

#11 Sofia Passick says:

As me and my dad watched this video I was stunned. That speech that Obama gave was truthful, and I say "Yes we can!" changed we can belive in. All that hard work to write that song payed off I had a great messga that was turned into a song a music video. It doesn't really matter if your a kid, or someone that isn't really involed in politics but it does matter if you belive in change so say to your self "Yes we can!"

#12 fnord says:

what is it with the addiction to PR like super polished and shallow information? so reminisce of good old mass media days. keyword driven (change change change) propaganda with out probing deeper or second guessing anything. Lets all shut our eyes and ears and on three shout collectively: yes we can!

#13 Yes I. Can says:

it's a 3 minute video
a song written from a speech
the speech was lyrical, and so the song repeats its refrain
if you mistake this kind of video for an attempt to be substantial and "probe deeper" or "ask questions" then you might want to consider seeing a doctor about that thing called your head stuck firmly inside your ass

#14 jeff says:

will.i.am for VP!! what a publicity whore. that guy will do anything to get his name out there. yes, he can.

#15 openyoureyes says:

for all you negative folks, what are the other options?!?!

keep on doing nothing? keep complaining? ignore everything? as we continue to destroy ourselves?

regardless of how you feel, or who you support, or think you support, please do some research (from more than 3 sources) and really look into what your choices are.

open your eyes. become aware. educate yourself.

#16 openyoureyes says:

The only other option we do have is a Mad Max world. And I've been wanting that since I was a kid.

#17 Daft Punk says:

Obama should have shut Will down just like we did. This is garbage.

#18 Gabo says:

This video is amazing. After seeing some of these ridiculous comments I can't help but see how cynical some of us have grown. And I would like to remind them that "there has never been anything false about hope".

#19 Carter says:

God bless you for doing this, I cried listening to it..I really feel America is going to be okay ...America has a chance to be back on track......Go Obama.You have already won in many of our hearts.This HOPE is real.

#20 NARdles says:

re #15 et al:

try reading some of mlk's speeches sometime, beyond "i have a dream"...

<<If you will let me be a preacher just a little bit - One night, a juror came to Jesus and he wanted to know what he could do to be saved. Jesus didn't get bogged down in the kind of isolated approach of what he shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop lying." HE didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must not commit adultery." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, now you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing that excessively." He said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic - that if a man will lie, he will steal. And if a man will steal, he will kill. So instead of just getting bogged down in one thing, Jesus looked at him and said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again."

He said, in other words, "Your whole structure must be changed." A nation that will keep people in slavery for 244 years will "thingify" them - make them things. Therefore they will exploit them, and poor people generally, economically. And a nation that will exploit economically will have to have foreign investments and everything else, and will have to use its military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together. What I am saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!">>

your whole structure must be changed. chew on that for a little while.

when obama invokes king it's devoid of any of this profoundly radical context and, moreover, invoked by someone in fundamental opposition to it - a stunningly brazen insult to his legacy.

the most voting for BO (or any of the u.s. presidential candidates you will be allowed to tick a box for in november or before then) is really going to do is make you feel mad pleased with yourself for a minute - enjoy!

#21 Michael Campion says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-clc...

Michael Campion Folk Cover Version
Yes We Can Song - Barack Obama - Will.i.am

I was sent a link tonight (Feb. 2, 2008) from Esthero, who appeared in the original video and song. This project inspired me beyond words. I decided to figure out the guitar chords, print out the lyrics and record this version live, in one take on my laptop. I did this all within an hour or so of seeing the clip for the first time. This was a completely improvised musical performance; I did the best I could.

I am a singer-songwriter from New York; I hope you enjoy my version of this song and can take something away from the intention behind the project. I am going to post more about the song and the chords for anyone looking to learn and perform it.

Yes, we can.

http://www.michaelcampion.com
http://www.myspace.com/michaelcampion...
http://www.barackobama.com/
http://www.yeswecansong.com/

I used G, Bm, Em and C.
Bridge is Am, C, G - Cm at the end of the bridge; I added that chord as a turn around.

#22 Hope says:

Obama has inspired millions already into remembering that this country is ours, and that the president is not the CEO of our country telling us what to do and how we are just supposed to listen to them. They are supposed to listen to us. We have been taken hostage by our government. How did we let this happen to ourselves? It's time to wake up and retake our country. It's time for our voices to be heard and not to just listen. Yes we can.

#23 Charmaine says:

Awesome!!! A real soul toucher.

#24 For the People says:

A tall, dark, handsome President is way long over due...Yes We Can and now we Must! VOTE OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT


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