Monday, February 15, 2010

We are the World?



Alright, I'm...thoroughly confused.

Granted, there were GREAT artists tossed in the mix; classic singers with unreal voices- Jennifer Hudson (who completely stole the show in my opinion), Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion...
But oh so many question marks as well.

First of all, Justin Bieber? Really? The 15-year-old Canadian pop star actually OPENED the performance. His solo was the first that we heard. In what possible way does this bode well for the rest of the video? If I wasn't so overcome with curiosity I would have shut off the video right then and there.

My second criticism, 5 words:
Nicole Scherzinger, Miley Cyrus, Fergie
Alright, maybe I'm being too hard on these girls. Each had their number 1 hits, after all. Scherzinger and her group The Pussycat Dolls, for example, had their insightful melody "Beep:"

"It's funny how a man only thinks about the BEEP
You got a real big heart, but I'm looking at your BEEP
You got real big brains, but I'm looking at your BEEP
Girl, there ain't no pain in me looking at your BEEP"

wow...beautiful.
Sadly, Miley and Fergie's singles aren't too much better. And to be truthful, I can actually respect Miley's endeavors if only for the fact that my little sister is obsessed with the girl and I, once being a Spice Girls and Hanson guru myself, can absolutely understand her purpose in life. But a song with "We are the World's" credentials are for TIMELESS artists- not for the Miley's of the world.

Fergie, on the other hand, has no excuse. And those that know me well will know that my dislike for Fergie must run deep with what I'm about to say (ahem):
I'd rather listen to Mariah Carey screeching out those high pitched shrills that only dogs can hear than ever listen/look at/read about/and or hear about Fergalicious Fergie and her London Bridge.

Thirdly, did they just use AUTOTUNE? REALLY?! This is supposed to be a display of our generation's biggest talents and Lil' Wayne, Akon, and T-Pain were all autotuned during their solos! I understand that rap should be included since it has become such a staple in today's music industry, but just let them rap. Why do they have to sing?
And don't even get me started on Lil' Wayne singing Bob Dylan's original solo. Some may argue that Dylan doesn't have the best voice either, but at least he sang raw and had the lyrical talent to back him up.

And lastly, the rap. Quit trying to act hard. Just stop. You're rapping about holding hands and peace among all people. It's a slightly softer subject.
_____________________________

Alright, now that I've let out some steam, I'd like to justify myself in saying that it really was a nice attempt in bringing together several unrelated genres. I simply feel that it could have been done in a much more fluid fashion.
In a perfect world, here are several other artists that were prominent and or were still prominent during the last couple of decades that I think should have been included in place of some of the aforementioned others:

Thom Yorke
Christina Aguilera
Stevie Wonder
Beyonce
Stevie Nicks
Alicia Keys
Zooey Deschanal
Tom Petty
Feist
Whitney Houston
Jim James
Elvis Costello
Elton John
Lady GaGa--> yep.
Norah Jones
Regina Spektor

Note: I did not include Bono or Mariah Carey.
This was not an accident.

I could include more on the list, but I kind of want to know what you guys think about it as well. And if you know of any artists that you think should have been included please share!

3 comments:

  1. I wanted to scream when I saw Enrique Iglesias and heard T-Pain's auto tune.... yikes.

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  2. Thanks Emmy for posting this awesome music video that i have to admit i had missed. I agree with you on the RAP stuff. Good to see oldtimers like Barbara Streisand and Gladys Knight mixed in with the newer artists.

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  3. Beyonce FOR SURE should have been there!

    P.S.

    HANSON*SPICE GIRLS FOR LIFE

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