"Yes We Can" Music Video: A Pre-Election Reprise
A week before Super Tuesday last February, a bunch of inspired Americans got together over two days to make a music video. Will.i.am had just written a brilliant song based on Barack Obama's speech following the New Hampshire primary. As a long-time supporter of Barack, I had been encouraging Will to write a song for several months before that because I felt strongly that music had never been used to maximum effect before in political campaigns. I believed that if there could be an original, anthemic song that would support Barack's underlying message (like an end title song does on a film soundtrack or "We Are The World" did in the 1980s), it could actually change people's minds. I thought this would be particularly effective in the viral, connected age of the internet in which we now live. But it wasn't until we sat down in Will's home studio on Friday morning, January 29th to re-watch the Iowa and New Hampshire speeches on YouTube that Barack's words hit Will like a wave and his creativity went into overdrive.
I remember Will saying to me that he had grown up in school listening to Dr, King's "I Have A Dream" speech, Kennedy's "Ask Not" inaugural address, and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address; his little brother and his friends were in school memorizing those same words today because there had been nothing as memorable or inspiring from our national leaders since. After listening to Senator Obama's speech, Will felt it could be as important to future generations as those other speeches were to ours, and by putting it to music, people would be drawn in and would actually listen to Barack's words. I knew we were on to something when my younger daughter listened to Will's song over and over again that Friday night in her room, and the next morning came down to breakfast and recited the speech word for word.
It was our hope that the song and the video -- and with it Barack's message of hope and change -- would become indelibly etched in people's psyche walking into the polls on Super Tuesday and beyond. With one day left until this historic presidential election, we invite you all to watch the video one more time as a reminder why so many Americans were inspired by Barack Obama in the first place.
Remember Hope -- and Vote!
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We are indeed at an historic and joyful moment in our history!
I hope you all enjoy this as much as I have:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVi4rUzf-0Q
Peace and love.
OMG, I had never seen that. Beautiful. Brilliant.
I thought this one was also worth watching. It is called American Prayer with Paul Stewart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVi4rUzf-0Q
still has power. "there's never been anything false about hope..."
That line gets me every time
Great contribution to this campaign. Thank you.
Beautiful. Yes, we can. So LET'S DO IT! (Vote for America - Vote for Barack Obama)
Im with ruffmama ... very goosebump inducing ... hum this in line tomorrow folks ... knowing that change soon gonna come
Beautiful
WE REALLY CAN!
It's so good. It feels really good.
Yes WE Can!!!!!
Obama/BIden '08 This one is for you Toot
I love how mostly everyone seems to be coming together for common ground. But, I have a question, why are the stars not upset about the tax increase doesn't it affect them too?
I think some people care about more then giving more money in taxes. And taxes pay for good things, like our roads, schools, emergency personnel, etc. I'd be willing to pay more in taxes if I knew it was going to education. I think a lot of people feel that way.
I agree. Not to mention... only 5% of working people (who happen to make a lot of money) will have a slight tax increase (after years of tax breaks) while 95% of working people will get a break (after years of crushing taxes.) Taxes pay for things, the money doesn't come from thin air. I think most people understand this concept and are OK with it, as long as the money is being used to help this country prosper.
Money isn't everything for everyone that has lots of it...Obama will be paying more as would Biden and these celebrities...but at the end of the day they can afford to. I hate that my federal taxes have been going to Iraq but i love that my city taxes go to schools, public transportation, sanitation etc. we are afterall a part of society.
Most people are taxed each and every day by a crumbling infrastructure, poor public education system joblessness and poverty, the uninsured, a missing energy policy, and a host of other, systemic realities the cynical have accepted as the norm.
Rolling back the audacious Bush tax cuts is a no brainier if it gets on the path to addressing some of these quality of living issues, these hidden taxes we've all paid for far too long.
To paraphrase Luke 12:48
To whom much is given, much is expected.
It appears that these celebrities understand the concept and are willing to make the sacrifice to shore-up the middle class.
"Real Americans" understand the necessity of the tax burden, and don't protest contributing to the services and infrastructure that makes our country great!
We create the CHANGE we need!
Not paying taxes is more expensive than paying them. I always laugh when I hear stupid republicans rail against "socialized medicine." Please. We already have that. When an uninsured person goes to the emergency room, insured people and tax payers pick up the tab. We have socialized medicine already, we just do it incompetently.
Same thing with the so-called free market. We privatize the gain, socialize the harm. So now people are losing their homes. And their property is worth less, which means less property tax revenue for local government. Where are we going to make that up? Our infrastructure is crumbling. How will people who have to travel over a bridge get to work if the bridge falls into a river?
The progressive income tax is good. It makes everyone better off.
still gives me goose bumps....
me too.
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