Everyone is
different. The way they treat, use or view something will differ. Music is not
an exception. Some people may use music as a source of entertainment, others
may use it as a way to inspire, and some may even use it for health purposes.
But have you ever heard of individuals using music as a medium for politics?
Will.i.am, a rapper
from an American hip-hop group, Black-Eyed Peas, "changed the face of
politics online with his Barack Obama YouTube video Yes We Can." Will.i.am took the script of Barack Obama's
concession speech in New Hampshire during his first election in 2008, and made
it into a song. The song was then sung by various American artists, uploaded on
YouTube, and received more than 22 million views as of February 23, 2008.
The purpose of the
video of Yes We Can was to furthermore
inspire other Americans, to "affect and touch their inner core" as it
had struck Will.i.am. The speech, turned into music, gave out an even more
powerful sense of new hope and change for the Americans. Listening to the
speech that was made into a catchy song carried out Obama's message a lot
stronger, perhaps even more than when it was said by Obama himself. I believe
it is safe to say that this song has helped Obama in many ways to lead to his
success of being elected as the United States of America's new star.
8 years before
Barack Obama was elected to be the President, America was under the rule of
George W. Bush. Bush, however, did not receive many musical 'praises'. Neil
Young, a Canadian singer and songwriter, who moved to California to continue
his music career.
Young wrote many
political-related songs, one of which was used to express "his problems
with the Bush administration." The Grammy Award-nominated protest song Let's Impeach the President, which
contains lyrics of many reasons why ex-President of the United States should be
criticized. Some of the accusations included that Bush misled their country
into war, played a part in the hijacking on 9/11, abusing the power his people
gave him, and dividing the country into colors.
This song was very
well favored because Young successfully voiced out all Americans' concerns
towards the parliament and their government at that time. Young said what many
Americans were afraid to speak because protest was considered a crime. Instead,
all complaints were written into a song, drew the attention of millions and
eventually, gathered American citizens together and fight against Bush, and to
furthermore secure the position of President for Barack Obama after Bush
resigned.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william/why-i-recorded-yes-we-can_b_84655.html
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/letsimpeachthepresident.html
http://www.pastemagazine.com/high_gravity/2008/09/5-biggest-democratic-musicians-and-5-biggest-repub.html
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william/why-i-recorded-yes-we-can_b_84655.html
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/letsimpeachthepresident.html
http://www.pastemagazine.com/high_gravity/2008/09/5-biggest-democratic-musicians-and-5-biggest-repub.html
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