Obama's 'Yes We Can' CD could do with more Sam Cook and less Sheryl Crowe, writes Brian Boyd
ON JANUARY 8th of this year it seemed like Barack Obama was not going to be the Democratic Party nominee for the post of president of the United States. His chief rival, Hillary Clinton, had just stormed to a poll-defying success in the key New Hampshire primary and it seemed that momentum had swung her way.
In his concession speech in New Hampshire, Obama made a 13-minute speech that electrified doubters and fence-sitters: he evoked two American heroes in JFK and Martin Luther King when he talked about "a president who chose the moon as our new frontier and a King who took us to the mountain top." Crucially, he also introduced the ubiquitous catch-cry of his campaign - "Yes, we can" - a phrase echoed repeatedly during his acceptance speech last Tuesday night.
Defeat in New Hampshire changed everything. Inspired by this particularly poignant and resonant concession speech a group of musicians edited down the speech to four minutes, put some shuffling hip-hop beats behind it and posted it on YouTube. The Emmy award-winning video was produced by Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am and Jesse Dylan (Bob Dylan's son) and featured appearances by Scarlett Johansson, John Legend and Herbie Hancock among others.
It has now been seen by over 25 million viewers on YouTube and related sites, making it the most watched political speech ever.
The content may have been rubbish (the video had Obama doing his Bob The Builder impersonation while throwing out self-help platitudes to beat the band) but it put him firmly on the popular culture map. Shortly after, Rolling Stone magazine (cognizant of the massive success of the YouTube video) put him on their front cover and quizzed him about his iPod library.
Prior to seeking the Democratic nomination, Obama, as young buck, had been scathing of the hold that the baby-boomer generation held over the US. In speeches he had constantly referred to how America needed to put all the "psychodrama" of the 1960s behind it.
His iPod library revealed classic choices: Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, but a considerable amount of eyebrows were raised by his choice of the baby-boomer deity that is Bruce Springsteen (he had never declared himself to be a fan before). Cynics pointed out that it was a shrewd choice given that he was in a dog-fight at the time with Hillary Clinton and he was struggling to get the blue-collar male vote.
He further alienated a section of his support group when he omitted the name of the "black power" hip-hop group Public Enemy (and it is known he is a fan). Public Enemy's lead singer, Chuck D, was a very vocal supporter of Obama's campaign but with album titles such as Fear Of A Black Planet and allegations of anti-Semitism surrounding the band, they weren't a politically sound choice.
Nevertheless, the musical community jumped aboard the Obama-go-around. Realising how an endorsement from a rich and famous musical figure could sway the star-struck and normally apathetic youth vote, Obama and his handlers curated a CD, Yes We Can - Voices Of A Grassroots Movement, which was available exclusively on his website for $19.99, with all proceeds going to his campaign.
The album contained some back catalogue material from Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, Jackson Brown and Sheryl Crow, as well as some new material from John Legend (an excellent cover of the U2 song Pride (In The Name Of Love)) and today's biggest hip-hop act, Kanye West. Linking the songs were snippets from Obama's speeches.
Next Tuesday the Yes We Can CD goes on public release and given the "happy-days-are-here-again" honeymoon the president-elect is enjoying, it is expected to top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Will.i.am is back in the frame also. He has just quickly recorded a new song called It's A New Day featuring video testimonials from celebrities responding to Obama's victory. Currently available on dipdive.com, the song will get a traditional physical release shortly.
While it can only be a positive thing that the man with the most powerful political job in the world displays a real awareness of music's pre-eminent place in popular culture, it's a tragedy that he allows such musical detritus to be released in his name.
The Yes We Can CD is an insipid day-time radio affair (Lionel Richie in place of Public Enemy?) that will greatly disappoint all those who buy it in the mistaken belief that it is a commemorative release of an historic political moment. As for will.i.am's It's A New Day? Run for the hills - it's mawkishly banal.
The worst thing about all of this is you suspect Obama knows his CD is rubbish. During his acceptance speech he moved many by referencing one of the best popular music songs ever recorded and sung by the best male vocalist who has ever lived. In the sublime A Change Is Gonna Come, written and recorded by Sam Cooke in 1964, Cooke sings "Its been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come". Last Tuesday night, Obama said "It's been a long time coming, but tonight change has come to America".
Sam Cooke wrote the song after hearing Dylan's Blowin In The Wind for the first time before performing a concert in then segregated Louisiana. After the show, Cooke and his band tried to book into a motel. They were told that the motel was "whites only". When they protested the police were called and Cooke and his band were arrested for disturbing the peace.
Lionel Richie and Sheryl Crowe do not musically represent Barack Obama. Sam Cooke does. Put A Change Is Gonna Come on your CD Mr President. Yes you can.