Somehow I knew that this remake was going to result in a fair share of tears and hate. Tears from those who truly appreciate it’s message, and hate from those who looked past it’s message to criticize the artists involved. After watching the video and hearing the song, I was pleased. Of course it is not better than the original (why should it be?), and some parts were added to reflect the changes in our music culture, but for the most part it was a well-done remake which got a lot of support and raised a lot of money for Haiti.
After reading through some message board postings about this song, I’ve summarized some complaints below and responded to them. It is worth reading if you’d like a common sense perspective.
Top Public Criticisms Of “We Are The World” Remake:
1. They ruined the original! – Nobody ruined the original! The original is still there and will always be there for your listening pleasure. People always say this when horror movies and other classic films are remade. If remakes were meant to be better, the originals would never be labeled as classic! You can’t remake a classic and expect the new one to be classic as well.
2. They should have never let Lil Wayne and auto-tune be a part of this! – When the original song was made 25 years ago, they picked some of the best artists of that time to make it happen. They did the exact same thing for 2010. Whether you love him or hate him, Lil Wayne will always be remembered as one of the best artists of our time. His presence in the song reflected his presence in the music industry now. Auto-tune has become so popular that they even made a Super Bowl commercial with it. How can you remake a song for 2010 without adding elements of what’s popular in 2010?
3. They should not have added a rapping part! – Again, this remake was meant to be created in light of what is going on in 2010. Rap was barely even invented when the original was made. If Michael Jackson were alive today I am almost certain he would have requested a rap segment to be added. Why are we so embarrassed of our musical advancements in the last 25 years?
4. They didn’t pick any ‘real’ talent for the solo parts! – I agree that some of the solo parts could have been done better by others, but most of them were good, and most were done by Grammy winners, and platinum and gold selling artists. If we are giving Grammys and awards to people without talent then something is wrong with us, not the producers of the song or it’s artists!
Also let’s not forget that Quincy Jones was involved in the production of BOTH versions. He had a lot of say in how this song was constructed and I respect his vision in remaking the song. Whether your favorite artist was in it or not, or if you think you could have made it better is pointless discussion. This track was created for a good cause and I hope that cause is not overlooked by those who wish they were still living in 1985.
Let’s CELEBRATE our musical advancements in the last 25 years and the fact that we as consumers have chosen which artists are currently in the spotlight. It is the consumer who buys the music and concert tickets. If you don’t like the artists who are hot now, find someone who is and PROMOTE them to the world so that they will take over the spotlight. Or just pick up a microphone and do it yourself. Enough hate.
SONG GRADE: B+
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