This YouTube with the "Yes We Can Song" (video also here) is spreading like wildfire. On the YouTube, you will see a number of stars (including Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Adam Rodriquez, Amber Valetta, and Nick Cannon) who have gotten together to create this music video based on a song by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas. The song was inspired by the Obama speech after the New Hampshire primary. Excerpt from the lyrics:
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountain-top and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Click for the rest of the "Yes We Can Song" lyrics. Also at that link is an ABC interview (more about the interview here) with Will.I.Am and director and filmmaker Jesse Dylan (son of Bob). They say they are not a part of the campaign but were moved by the speech to create this video. The speech caused Will.I.Am to "reflect on the reedoms" that he's had in his life. It's "an inspirational song about change," said Dylan. They hope "everybody votes" but did not say your vote should be for Obama.
I agree voting is extremely important. And I am grateful that we can vote; yes, we can. Please know that I definitely am not endorsing any candidate in this post but I am kinda moved by the song. It is a bit corny but it reminds me of a younger day. I have a very strong intuition this video is going to get bigger and bigger as the weekend passes.
Note: Looks like the Grateful Dead are jumping on the Obama bandwagon. From a Washington Post blog entry:
And on Monday night comes the Obama campaign's boldest cultural outreach effort to date: the first ever Deadheads for Obama concert, sure to draw attention from a slightly older audience than the will.i.am video. According to PhilLesh.net, "Members of the Grateful Dead will host a get out the vote concert in support of...Obama on Monday, February 4th at The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco."
Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir will be joined by Jackie Greene, John Molo and Steve Molitz at the concert, which will be simulcast live onto the internet on iclips.net. This will be the first time that the members of the band have performed together since 2004, Lesh says on his web site, adding, "They have agreed to reunite for this one-time-only event in order to lend support to Senator Obama leading into the crucial "Super-Tuesday" series of primaries."
Note (added February 11, 2008, 12:10 PM Mountain): And now the McCain video in response by Obama supporters, it appears.
Note (added February 13, 2008, 7:10 PM Mountain): And the Hillary supporters have a video now. Click to see Hillary4U&Me. Oh, dear. Is that for real? This Hillary video [added February 17] is not quite as bad. At least you can tell it is not a parody (I think).
Note (added February 15, 2008, 9:30 PM Mountain): Click to read a post worth reading by Annie Gottlieb about Obamamania.
Note (added February 15, 2008, 9:40 PM Mountain): In conversations, I have been characterizing the Obama video as a lovely Hallmark card. Seems I am not the only one who sees it that way: "Barack Obama: A Human Hallmark Card For President?"
And "LETTER FROM A YOUNG, HIP, CYNICAL FORMER OBAMAMANIAC."
Note (added November 3, 2008, 6:30 PM Mountain): I am very much looking forward to having this election over. And I am a bit mystified as to how a two-dimensional candidate such as Obama can have gotten as far as he as.
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