Let’s get a few things out the way first: The newly recorded version of the 1985 charity classic “We Are the World” is for an amazing cause, as all proceeds from the record will aid survivors of Haiti. Plus, for the few Kanye West apologists out there (like myself), the song marks the rapper’s first public appearance since the whole Taylor Swift debacle. Finally, Jeff Bridges is one of the 85 participants, which is totally awesome news for anyone who has had an opportunity to see Crazy Heart.
Aside from those items, it’s hard to find any more “positives” from this “We Are the World: 25”. For one, the song is completely overtaken by auto-tune midway through — you can thank Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, and T-Pain for this! That’s of course before it turns into a full-fledged hip-hop song, complete with club beats, which doesn’t make much sense when you consider that the first half of the song features Justin Bieber, Barbra Streisand, the dude from Maroon 5, a Michael Jackson montage, and a really pitchy chorus. I guess what I’m trying to say is the whole thing feels like a misguided and undefined mishmash of various solo talents that never really comes together. Oh well, it still was for a good cause…
If you feel compelled, you can download/donate via world25.org. And just for kicks, here is the original version of “We Are the World”, which is still really, really good…
