| "Yes We Can" | |
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| Promotional single by will.i.am featuring various artists | |
| Released | February 2, 2008 |
| Recorded | Ethernet and Record Plant, Los Angeles, January 31, 2008 |
| Length | 4:05 |
| Label | will.i.am |
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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"Yes We Can" is a song produced by The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, released as promotional single on February 2, 2008.
Although the lyrics are entirely quotations from Obama's concession speech in the New Hampshire presidential primary, [1] the Obama campaign had no involvement in its production. [2] The speech was written by then-Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau. [3] The viral music video, shot in a sparse black-and-white, features Obama's image in collage fashion; the performers, among them celebrities including musicians, singers and actors, echo his words in a hip-hop, call-and-response manner as his voice plays in the background. The song was produced by will.i.am, mixed by Dylan "3-D" Dresdow, and the music video was directed by Jesse Dylan, the son of singer Bob Dylan. [4]
Since the original posting on YouTube, the video has been re-posted a number of times by other users and as of February 23, 2008, the video had been watched a combined total of more than 22 million times among all of the postings. [5] It had also been viewed more than 4 million times on Dipdive, for a combined web total of more than 26 million viewings. By July 22, 2008, the video had been watched over 21 million times on YouTube and other sites. [6] The video also won will.i.am a Webby Award for "Artist of the Year". [7] It was criticized, however, by conservative commentators for being over-the-top and worshipful. [8] [9] John Legend and will.i.am performed the song on the final day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention at INVESCO Field, Denver, Colorado. [10]
The music video was released on Dipdive.com and also on YouTube.com under the username 'WeCan08'. [11] It was honored with the first-ever Emmy Award for Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment. [12] The video is a collage-style music video inspired by Barack Obama's popularization of the slogan "Yes we can", which became a secondary slogan for his campaign. During the 2008 US presidential campaign following the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, then-Senator Barack Obama, used the similar English translation of the slogan of United Farm Workers (UFW) – "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, you can" or "Yes, it can be done") in his speech. The slogan dates back to 1972 when Cesar Chavez and the UFW's co-founder, Dolores Huerta, came up with the slogan during Chavez's 24-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona. [13] The music video premiered on television on ABC News Now's What's the Buzz on February 1, 2008. [4] On February 2, 2008, it was featured on the Obama campaign's community blog, [14] and later promoted as a viral video by the campaign on its website. [15] The clip was played prior to a February 12, 2008, campaign rally of nearly 20,000 at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The video was edited by Terence "Biff" Butler of Rock Paper Scissors, and executive producers included will.i.am, Mike Jurkovac, Fred Goldring, Jesse Dylan, Priscilla Cohen and Sheri Howell and Lilo. Associate producers included Sean Larkin, Sarah Pantera, Carol Cohen, Steve Koskie, Wendi Morris, and Scott Spanjich. The following celebrities were featured in the video: [16]
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The song inspired the spoof songs "john.he.is" and "No You Can't" satirizing the Republican candidate John McCain. [17] Another parody, created by Attack of the Show! , replaces Obama with the G.I. Joe villain Cobra Commander. [18] It inspired yet another parody on Best Week Ever , which made fun of Lindsay Lohan for an online interview in which she both allegedly called Obama "colored" and discussed her collection of leggings. [19] MADtv did a parody called "Yes I Can," about how North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il (played by Bobby Lee) has the power to eventually destroy the world.
A parody of the song was made on the July 15, 2009 episode of The Chaser's War on Everything , in which a song and video was created based on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's speeches. It also featured celebrity appearances (from the likes of Shaun Micallef, Lisa Wilkinson, Stuart MacGill, Tony Martin, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee among others). [20]
JibJab is an American digital entertainment studio based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1999 by brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, it first achieved widespread attention during the 2004 US presidential election when their video of George W. Bush and John Kerry singing This Land Is Your Land became a viral hit. Initially known for political and social satire, JibJab produced commercials and shorts for clients such as Sony, Noggin, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, Sprout, NBC, Qubo, and Disney before focusing on its now-flagship personalized eCard and messaging services. In 2016, its animated sticker-making program – which has been available since 2004 – became the top App Store app by download growth.
"Internets", also known as "The Internets", is a Bushism-turned-catchphrase used humorously to portray the speaker as ignorant about the Internet or about technology in general, or alternatively as having a provincial or folksy attitude toward technology. Former United States President George W. Bush first used the word publicly during the 2000 election campaign. The term gained cachet as an Internet humor meme following Bush's use of the term in the second 2004 presidential election debate on October 8, 2004.
Jesse Byron Dylan is an American film director and production executive. He is the founder of the media production company Wondros and Lybba, a non-profit organization. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and TED. He is the son of musician Bob Dylan and former model Sara Lownds and brother of singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan.
William James Adams Jr., known professionally as will.i.am, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He rose to prominence as the founder and lead member of the hip hop musical group Black Eyed Peas, which formed in Los Angeles in 1995.
A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email. For a video to be shareable or spreadable, it must focus on the social logics and cultural practices that have enabled and popularized these new platforms.
"Sí, se puede" is the motto of the United Farm Workers of America, and has since been taken up by other activist groups. In 1972, during César Chávez's 25-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona, UFW's co-founder, Dolores Huerta, came up with the slogan. "Sí se puede" has long been a UFW guiding principle that has served to inspire accomplishment of goals. The phrase is a federally registered trademark of the UFW.
Dipdive was a social networking website created by will.i.am. It is best known as the original source site of the 'Yes We Can' music video. The site allowed users to upload images, videos and audio files, post blog entries and create playlists. Dipdive was home to a variety of creative content and information on social causes.
Yes We Can may refer to:
"Sí, Se Puede Cambiar" is a song and music video created in support of Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. However, the video has no official ties to the Obama campaign. The song was written by Andres Useche. The video, which features Useche performing, was directed by Eric Byler, Warren Fu and Andres Useche, and was released on February 22, 2008 on YouTube under the username "United For Obama".
"A More Perfect Union" is the title of a speech delivered by then-Senator Barack Obama on March 18, 2008, in the course of the contest for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination. Speaking before an audience at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Obama was responding to a spike in the attention paid to controversial remarks made by Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor and, until shortly before the speech, a participant in his campaign. Obama framed his response in terms of the broader issue of race in the United States. The speech's title was taken from the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
Jeannine Haffner is a singer and songwriter who is credited with writing the song Yes We Can, which is a folk rock song inspired by Barack Obama's speech following his win in the North Carolina primary on May 6, 2008.
Following his victory in the 2008 United States presidential election, then-President-elect Barack Obama gave his victory speech at Grant Park in his home city of Chicago, on November 4, 2008, before an estimated crowd of 240,000. Viewed on television and the Internet by millions of people around the globe, Obama's speech focused on the major issues facing the United States and the world, all echoed through his campaign slogan of change. He also mentioned his maternal grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who had died just two nights earlier.
"It's a New Day" is a song produced and organized by American rapper and producer will.i.am. It was released as promotional single on November 7, 2008, from the political compilation album Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise (2009). Will performed the song for the first time on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The song was written as a tribute to President Barack Obama's victory. It was used in an episode of the second season of Gossip Girl. A parody of the song was featured on the Boondocks episode "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman". It was titled "Dick Riding Obama", and featured will.i.am, rapper Thugnificent, Gangstalicious and a George Clooney lookalike debating whether Obama's victory was really a success. A scene from the episode was released on YouTube before the episode aired as a form of viral marketing.
Iman Crosson, better known by his stage name Alphacat, is an American actor, impressionist, and YouTube personality known for his impersonations of former U.S. President Barack Obama and his starring role in independent film Along the Roadside.
"America's Song" is a patriotic song written by will.i.am, David Foster and George Pajon, Jr. The song is performed by will.i.am, Seal, Bono, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Hill, with David Foster appearing on piano. The song's live debut, at the Kennedy Center, was broadcast live on a special edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on January 19, 2009, in honor of the next day's inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States.
"Battle Cry" is the third and final single released by Barbadian singer Shontelle from her album Shontelligence (2008). It was the third single taken from the album following "T-Shirt" and "Stuck with Each Other". The song was sent to radio as the third single in the US on June 9, 2009 and was released in the UK as a digital single bundle on August 10, 2009.
Songify the News is an American musical web series popularized by Brooklyn musician Michael Gregory, and later his band The Gregory Brothers. The Gregory Brothers digitally manipulated recorded voices of politicians, news anchors and political pundits to conform to a melody, making the figures appear to sing. The group achieved mainstream success with their "Bed Intruder Song" video which became the most watched YouTube video of 2010.
"American Prayer" is a 2002 song co-written by Bono of U2, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and Pharrell Williams.
"Double Bubble Trouble" is a song by recording artist M.I.A. from her fourth studio album, Matangi (2013). It is written by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Ruben Fernhout, Jerry Leembruggen, and produced by DJ Punish. The track references Shampoo's 1994 hit song "Trouble", and incorporates such musical styles as reggae, trap and kuduro. "Double Bubble Trouble" was released as a promotional single in the Netherlands in 2013 and Sweden, before becoming the fifth and final official single from Matangi in 2014. The song was performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers on 13 May 2014 as well as on the 2014 Matangi Tour.
