We Are The World 2010 (The MisenPOPic Review)

Finally, the new We Are The World video and song were made available today. I did my part and legally purchased both the video and the song to help those in need. After watching the entire video, I thought it was average and in no way can light a candle to the original. The 1985 version was a classic that people still remember to this day. This song will probably do better on the charts and raise more cash, but will be forgotten in a year or two. Does anybody remember Do They Know It's Christmas Time's sequel in 1987, or the third installment by Band Aid 20? Guess my case is closed! I am very disappointed with the end result, but after seeing the list of performers, my expectations weren't high to begin with! Here are some quick thoughts:


When Justin Bieber begins the tune repeating Lionel Richie's original lyrics, it looks cute as he represents the new generation of music. They could play it off like he's some random kid who won a radio contest to sing the opening lyric. But when I hear that his voice was recorded with that shitty new technology that was also used to enhance the voice of other people who can't sing like Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan, I knew right then that the music of today is garbage and that this new song stood no chance of being as good as the original. Twenty five years, we will look back on this video and try to remember who this Bieber kid was. Ladies and gentlemen... Justin Bieber will go down in history as the 2010 Version of Tony DeFranco! How about them apples for an obscure pop culture reference? Go on wikipedia and look him up if you didn't pick up on that obscure reference.

You can tell that this video was put together on the fly. It was poorly edited and didn't give you that wow factor when seeing which artists were redoing lyrics that I've always associated with legends like Kenny Rogers, Cyndi Lauper, and Willie Nelson. I even had to do double takes to find out who some of the artists even were.

Wyclef Jean's vocals and stupid Haiti diatribe on this song was unnecessary and just too over the top. I never understood why people worship this guy. Taking classic songs and butchering them with his Haitian accent isn't talent. And I'm sure every music purist who reads this blog is going to rip me a new one because it's not socially acceptable to say bad thing about Wyclef. Although I did like the song, Rubble Man, he put together with the Season 3 Apprentice contestants.

What I thought would be the worst part of the song turned out to be the best. I'm not the biggest fan of hip hop, but I really liked will.I.am's contribution toward the end of the song. I'm okay with bringing new things to the table if it's good, and this actually made the song more interesting. will.I.am, I salute you! He just might have been the MVP of this song!

Lil Wayne and T-Pain should have not been given solo parts. Brutal! Same goes for Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, and Celine Dion. Just too over the top for me!

The solo parts I thought worked really well were those performed by Jennifer Hudson (who I really think is talented), Josh Groban, Pink, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, Jamie Foxx, will.I.am, the dude from the Fray, and Nicole Scherzinger. I would have been okay with this song if they stuck with soloists such as the aforementioned, people who can actually sing and will still be relevant in ten years.

It looks like Fergie was brought in to record her part after the initial recording session. dded a bit later to the mix. Where were Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce? They probably figured this new version would be a train wreck and wanted no part of it.

I thought it was a nice touch to keep in the vocals of Michael Jackson and Ray Charles from the original who no longer with us. Considering the death of Kim Carnes and James Ingram's careers, couldn't their vocals be piped in as well in tribute?

If there was no hip-hop influence on this album, many fans would cry foul!!! So will anybody listen to my complaints that there were no hard rock or heavy metal contributions to this song? I think it's time for the 25th anniversary of "Stars"! Read my previous article about this if what I just wrote makes absolutely no sense to you.

This song will be #1 on the charts giving Lionel Richie his first #1 hit in over twenty years. Was this song recorded to help Haiti, or to feed make cash to help the fading careers of his daughter Nicole and her husband, Joel Madden from Good Charlotte? Maybe he needs the cash to feed his grandchild?

After seeing the video, the Dan Aykroyd award for the most random person in the choir who had had me thinking what the fuck?..... Ladies and gentlemen, Jeff Bridges or as he's better known as... The Dude!!!

Final Grade: C+ (Cool for the nostalgia factor and a good idea to raise money for Haiti. But the lack of real star power on this song and phasing out of the original artists on the 1985 song is perplexing to me!)