This morning saw the national unveiling of Simon Cowell’s charity song for the victims of the Haiti earthquake as radio stations around the country played the cover version of the REM classic Everybody Hurts.
Despite the fact that the single features huge names such as Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Westlife and, erm, Joe McElderry, I still can’t seem to enjoy it. Okay, so I know I’m not meant to enjoy it, and I know an upbeat pop song might not have been the best way to go, but surely the lyrics in this song are just the totally wrong choice for victims of an Earthquake?
Personally I’ve always seem the single as a way of trying to prevent someone from committing suicide. That might not be the way R.E.M meant it to come across, but that’s the way I’ve always viewed it, and to think that Simon and friends have decided to tell the people Haiti not to bother committing suicide isn’t really the best way forward if you ask me, that’s possibly not the best message we could be sending out here.
What’s more, it’s not the best cover in the world is it? You all know I’m not a fan of covers, and even more so when there’s so many people singing so I don’t know who’s doing what. But it’s not even something I’d go out and buy, even if it is for a good cause. However, before you all start slating me for not ‘helping Haiti’, I would like to point out that you can donate in many other ways than buying a CD, and having a physical copy in your hands to say ‘look at me, I’m giving money to charity and all I got is this CD’ is NOT the only way forward.
You don’t need to tell the world you helped charity, and you don’t need to make Simon Cowell and all those popstars feel good about themselves, all you need to do is slip your hand in your pockets and make a donation by one of the many channels available, take the Disasters Emergency Committee for example, that way 50% of your money isn’t going to The Sun and their charity, instead everything you give will go directly to the victims.
But, for those of you who ARE going to head out and buy the cd – whether you really want a copy or are just buying it ‘because it’s for charity’ – the order of those singing is; Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole, Mika, Michael Buble, X Factor winner Joe McElderry, Miley Cyrus, James Blunt, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jon Bon Jovi. James Morrison, Alexandra Burke, Susan Boyle, Aston Merrygold and Marvin Humes from JLS, Westlife’s Shane Filan and Mark Feehily, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams.
The single will split all proceeds 50/50 between the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) and The Sun newspaper’s Helping Haiti appeal and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged to waive VAT on the song. The track will be available to download on February 7 and can be bought in shops on February 8.
The aftermath of the quake and human suffering are devastating! Millions have lost everything – homes, food, jobs! For the next 12 months, the World Food Programme says 2 million people will need critical food assistance! If you want to help and learn more about the crisis response, go to: http://wfp.org/crisis/haiti
fantastic,will be number 1 for weeks!
I will go to the site Andy Keller mentioned…thanks for that Andy.
Re the song, yes I agree Ruth that I used to think the lyrics were to help someone contemplating suicide, but they’re also reaching out to people in despair, and god knows there are so many, especially those in Haiti. Even if one person took comfort from this song then that’s good.
It’s soooo unlike you to put people down or make bitchy remarks Ruth….NOT.
what an excellent song, all praise to the people that took part and were involved with the making of the single.
thank god someone else has said what i think of the record i think the choice is wrong too … and the cover murders the origonal i shall donate and have donated but will not buy this sorry ..
Wow, Bon Jovi are absolutely incredible.