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We are the world - USA for Africa

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    We are the world - USA for Africa

    Heard it on the radio for the first time in probably close to two decades. By god it's awful. Terrible. At times laughable but most of all cringeworthy regardless of the cause. The lyrics are Michael Jackson writing at its absolute worst, and the man wrote some truly shitty songs. The mix of voices is amazingly silly at some points.

    It works quite well with Lionel starting, Stevie Wonder joining then Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, few more, but as soon as Bruce Springsteen enters... Christ! Cindy Lauper turns it into utter shite, Bob Dylan sounds like Krusty the Clown.... etc.

    #2
    We are the world - USA for Africa

    It's not very good at all, but you ought to hear some of the charity singles released in Britain after Band Aid. Your ears will bleed.

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      #3
      We are the world - USA for Africa

      I really like it. I don't know why. It just works for me. I walk this path alone. Also won a pub quiz once because I was the only one in the room who knew 1) the first line, and 2) who sang it.

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        #4
        We are the world - USA for Africa

        @indysleaze

        Ah but can could you do it with the Canuck version?

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          #5
          We are the world - USA for Africa

          I'll try again

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=41mMxnj_6xg

          also this

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfdXbTRVRzc

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            #6
            We are the world - USA for Africa

            I like this one:

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              #7
              We are the world - USA for Africa

              that's pretty funny.

              I also like the original. It's fun to sing along to.

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                #8
                We are the world - USA for Africa

                I believe Prince opted out of this single. One of his smarter choices. Did he refuse based on the quality of it or the fact that Michael Jackson was in charge?

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                  #9
                  We are the world - USA for Africa

                  We've talked about this before on here, I'm sure of it. The end result was a rough consensus that Band Aid was (marginally) more preferable due to it being (slightly) less pompous and because Parfitt and Rossi turned up to the recording session with a communal bag of coke.

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                    #10
                    We are the world - USA for Africa

                    Band Aid was head and shoulders above as a song. It still makes my whole day when I first hear it each December. The sneering criticism of it pisses me off still. A bunch of people got together and made a damn good song in no time flat to raise money to save lives. When I hear someone say "Of course they don't know it's Christmas time...haw haw..." I want to punch them really hard in the face.

                    The American one was dire, though. I'm alright with the Canadian one.

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                      #11
                      We are the world - USA for Africa

                      Well Band Aid has a good natured, sing-song quality to it. Whilst the USA one sounds like vocal oneupmanship from a bunch of people who ordinarily wouldn't piss on each other if they were on fire. As for the sneering: Some years ago I came across a copy of the Live Aid NME and they were scathing, but it just came across as petty and mean spirited.

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                        #12
                        We are the world - USA for Africa

                        Yep, thirty years on, sneering at the Band Aid single feels crass and facile, not to mention misplaced. As a record, DTKIC? remains remarkably evocative - it was both well-conceived and expertly produced, especially given the time constraints; as a gesture, it is almost certainly unsurpassed.

                        US For Africa by contrast felt very much a poor man's 'copy' - despite the fact that its budget was far greater: even more so when one factors in Jacko's alleged insistence on re-shooting the promo to make himself look better. (Not sure that I approve of this suggestion that Jacko wrote little other than 'sh*t songs', however...)

                        G-Man's right that DTKIC? did thereafter unlock the door for a swathe of second-rate charity records over here. (Perhaps not the best metaphor, given that one of these was Ferry Aid, but still...) But, y'know, effective fund-raising tool for some very good causes, etc.

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                          #13
                          We are the world - USA for Africa

                          Both songs are shocking and almost unlistenable. The keyboards on the Band Aid one sound like they're held together with sellotape and a bit of string.

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                            #14
                            We are the world - USA for Africa

                            Ferry Aid had become confused in my mind with the Ferry Cross The Mersey Hillsborough record, rather inappropriately given that Ferry Aid was a creation of The Sun. Although diminishing returns in terms of participants did set in over the years for charity records, the turn out for Ferry Aid (1987) was quite impressive. This possibly reflects the paper's ability to dragoon participants with the threat of hostile or reduced coverage. Paul McCartney appeared on both ferry related singles.

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                              #15
                              We are the world - USA for Africa

                              Ditto on confusing the two ferry records.

                              There were a lot of Sun readers on the Herald of Free Enterprise, as there was a promotion on offering tickets for a quid or similar. The father of a lad in my form at school was one of these Sun readers.

                              I think DKTIC has stood the test of time, and the slightly dodgy production is part of its charm. It's raised lots of money and it's a good thing to be reminded that people in the world are starving during the orgy of consumerism and consumption.

                              After that it was diminishing returns, especially as Stock Aitken and Waterman seemed to be involved with all subsequent efforts, with the likes of Sonia on the lead vocal.

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                                #16
                                We are the world - USA for Africa

                                DTKIC has some pretty naive lyrics, to be sure. But the spirit behind it was great.

                                Geldof and the other guy who has been completely removed from the picture did a great thing.

                                Alas, within just over half a year, the whole thing turned corporate with Live Aid. I'd still argue that Live Aid did much good (and some bad), but the spirit of the artists was not uniformly admirable.

                                Damn, it'll be 30 years ago soon.....

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                                  #17
                                  We are the world - USA for Africa

                                  DTKIC has some pretty naive lyrics, to be sure. But the spirit behind it was great.
                                  Exactly - to lump it together with We Are the World is ridiculous. It's still a well-crafted pop record that has stood the test of time. Which is more than can be said for the vast majority of festive tunes.

                                  Geldof and the other guy who has been completely removed from the picture did a great thing.
                                  Midge Ure? He was sensible enough to stick with the music/artistic side of the project, while Geldof did all the public effing-and-jeffing to raise both money and his own profile. He's not forgotten.

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                                    #18
                                    We are the world - USA for Africa

                                    Jah Womble wrote: (Not sure that I approve of this suggestion that Jacko wrote little other than 'sh*t songs', however...)
                                    If you meant my opening post, not what I was suggesting. He wrote Billie Jean after all.

                                    What I meant was that compared to such dire efforts as Earth Song, Heal the world and Liberian girl it still competes as his worst.

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                                      #19
                                      We are the world - USA for Africa

                                      Black Or White is Jacko's worst. It's like a six-year-old's idea of what a rock track should be like.

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                                        #20
                                        We are the world - USA for Africa

                                        It's decreased forty percent!

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                                          #21
                                          We are the world - USA for Africa

                                          G-Man, you have to put the Canadian among your favorites. Neil Young is in it ruining another song.

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                                            #22
                                            We are the world - USA for Africa

                                            He was at his most wonderfully cadaverous there.

                                            Possibly because it includes a smaller number of 'primaries artists' than the other two videos, Tears Are Not Enough is the most eclectic and idiosyncratic bunch. Running the gamut from ex-wino-logger Gordie Lightfoot, through the make-up disaster of Dalbello and random Platinum Blonds, to Joni's Bonnie Tyler impression.

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                                              #23
                                              We are the world - USA for Africa

                                              Does anyone remember a 2-Tone collaboration charity single (post Band Aid) called Starvation/Tam Tam Pour L'Ethiopiewhich was a minor UK hit in 1985?

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                                                #24
                                                We are the world - USA for Africa

                                                Not long after WATW was released, a mate of mine wrote to Radio Moscow and asked for it to be played as a request.

                                                30 years later, I still don't know if he was taking the piss.

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                                                  #25
                                                  We are the world - USA for Africa

                                                  If we can make this into a thread about artists against whatever....

                                                  Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City which I think Steven Van Zandt of Bruce's E Street band made happened, that takes some beating.

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