Celebrity endorsed videos have been very prominent in popular social issues. During the begining of the Presidential campaign around the end of January this year, Will.I.am led one of the greatest boosting efforts to the campaign with his song "Yes We Can." He worked with director Jesse Dylan to put together and release the music video. In an article published on MTV's website, Gil Kaufman says, "The Bob Marley-like anthem turns the Illinois senator's January 8 New Hampshire primary-night address into lyrics performed by Will, as well as almost 40 other actors, celebrities and athletes, including John Legend, Kate Walsh, Aisha Tyler, Amber Valletta, Taryn Manning, Nicole Scherzinger, Common, Scarlett Johansson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Herbie Hancock and Nick Cannon." The video premiered on ABCNewsNow's "What's the Buzz" at the end of January. Inspiration for Will.i.am to do this video began after hearing Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign speech he gave after the New Hampshire primary.
Will.I.Am says:
He said Obama's speech made him think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and "all the others that have fought for what we have today ... what America is 'supposed' to be ... freedom, equality and truth."
"touched [his] inner core like nothing in a very long time," [The New Hampshire Speech]
"I produced this song to share my newfound inspiration and how I've been moved," he wrote. "I hope this song will make you feel love and think and be inspired just like the speech inspired me."
After the video's release, it had more than a million views on YouTube and 10 million on the host site, YesWeCanSong.com. Even though the election is over and the video was created and posted almost a year ago, "Yes We Can" is still humming in millions of peoples heads. I even saw Will.I.Am interviewed by popular news stations a couple days after the election. The morale for Obama is at its all time high after he won the Presidential election of the United States of America and the video is still heavy in circulation. The song is still toping the viral video charts this week at number two. Social Media is keeping it going and the message is continuing to be passed on.
1 comment:
It's amazing how much stock we put into celebrity opinions, but whether we want to believe it or not...what they think matters to us. This video is a prime example of it.
It also shows the power of the internet to inspire people. Tapping into that power is the best move someone can make.
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