Heal The World - Michael jackson

"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson's hit album, Dangerous, released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest, especially Burundi. It is also one of only a handful of Michael Jackson's videos not to feature Jackson himself, the others being "Cry", "HIStory" and "Man in the Mirror". (The clips for "HIStory" and "Man in the Mirror" only feature Michael Jackson in archival footage). The version of the video included on the box-set "Michael Jackson's Vision" contains an introductory video that features a speech from Jackson taken from the special "spoken word" version of the track. This version was not included on an previous DVD featuring the music video. Jackson performed the song in the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with a 35,000 person flash card performance.

In a 2001 Internet chat with fans, Jackson said "Heal the World" is the song he was most proud to have created. He also created the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization which was designed to improve the lives of children. The organization was also meant to teach children how to help others. This concept of 'betterment for all' would become a centerpiece for the Dangerous World Tour. In the documentary Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson said he created the song in his "Giving Tree" at Neverland Ranch.

An ensemble performance of "We Are the World" and "Heal the World" closed Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. The song was performed as rehearsed by Jackson at the venue just days earlier, in preparation for his planned "This Is It" tour in London along with "Dirty Diana". R&B singer Ciara sung the song as a tribute to Jackson at the 2009 BET Awards. Jennette McCurdy is performing this duet with Brittany Hargest of Jump5 for her new album.

The song was played at the funeral of James Bulger, and Jackson also donated the song to be used as the anthem for the charity the James Bulger Red Balloon Center, a school for children to go if they are being bullied or have learning difficulties.

The theme seems to have been inspired by the Soundtrack of Jaws where it can be heard in the Main Title at 1'23.

Source : Wikipedia

Never Say Never - Justin Bieber

"Never Say Never" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song serves as the theme song for The Karate Kid (2010), and features rap interludes from the film's star, Jaden Smith. It was originally a risque demo with sexual lyrics performed by American singer Travis Garland, it was written and produced by The Messengers, and Omarr Rambert. However, for unknown reasons, Bieber was tapped to record the song for the film. He re-wrote the song with The Messengers, Rambert, Smith, and his vocal producer Kuk Harrell, to feature inspirational lyrics to foil the film's theme. The song contains R&B and pop elements while merging hip-hop. The song was released for digital download in the United States on June 8, 2010. The song was later included as a track on the remix album My Worlds Acoustic (2010). On December 16, 2010, it was reported that the song had made the shortlist for the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Original Song. To promote Bieber's 3D concert film of the same name, the song was released as the lead single from Bieber's second remix album, Never Say Never – The Remixes.

"Never Say Never" peaked within the top twenty in Canada, Norway, and New Zealand, while reaching the top forty in the Australia, as well as charting in other international markets. After it was re-released as the lead single from – The Remixes, promoting his film, the peaked at eight on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bieber second top-ten single in the United States. Its accompanying music video, directed by Honey, features Smith and Bieber in a recording studio playing around and dancing, and is intercut with scenes from the film. He has notably performed the song on Today and on his My World Tour. Smith joined Bieber during the tour's stop at Madison Square Garden to perform the song for scenes in Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

Background
A demo of the song, "Sexy Together" was originally recorded by Travis Garland. Reportedly Bieber re-wrote the song with its original writers Adam Messinger, Nasri, Omarr Rambert, and his vocal producer Kuk Harrell, while Smith added lines. Carina Adly MacKenzie of Zap2it preferred Bieber and Smith's version, commenting, "No wonder Bieb skipped this version -- it's a total snoozer. You'd think that a song about sex would be more interesting than a song about little kids doing karate... but no." Bieber hinted at the collaboration by posting a promo photo of he and Smith on his Twitter, and also posting that a video of his would premiere before "Somebody to Love," the second single from his studio album debut, My World 2.0. The song was confirmed when the track listing for the soundtrack was revealed. It was released on iTunes in the United States on June 8, 2010

Composition

Never Say Never" is a pop-R&B which includes hip hop. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Never Say Never" is set in common time with a metronome of 96 beats per minute, which is described as "steady, not too fast."It is composed in the key of A minor with vocals spanning from the low-note of G3 to the high-note of C6. The song follows in the chord progression of Am–C–G–D Bieber provides lead vocals in the song while Smith provides the backing with rap interludes. The song is a "motivational track," containing inspirational lyrics, such as Bieber singing about a life filled with adversity, through lines like, "I never thought that I could walk through fire / I never thought that I could take the burn". Idolator thought the song as a tween-friendly version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself." Smith's lines reference his father, and puns in the phrase, "raised by the power of Will". He also makes reference to his lineage by saying "Born from two stars so the moon's where I land.", as he is the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, who are both Hollywood stars. Smith also makes references to Luke Skywalker and Kobe Bryant in his lines.



Source: Wikipedia

Die Another Day (song)

"Die Another Day" is the theme to the James Bond film of the same name recorded by Madonna. The single was released in late 2002, marking Madonna's 20th career anniversary, and peaked at number eight in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom, selling 167,863 copies - making it the most successful Bond theme since Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill." The song was later included on her 2003 studio album, American Life, and her 2009 compilation album, Celebration. Stylus Magazine called it "a great slice-and-dice hit of fucked-up electroclash".


Song Information
The song was co-written and co-produced by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzaï in the key of C minor[5] with string arrangements written by Michel Colombier. The single spent 11 weeks at number one on the United States Billboard Singles Sales Charts and is her most successful title on the sales chart to date. It became the fifth best-selling dance single of the 2000s decade in the United States. Die Another Day was the most successful Bond theme-song since the 1980s. Critical opinion of the song widely varies as evidenced by the fact that it was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song as well as for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song in 2002. In an official MORI poll in the UK for the Channel 4 program James Bond's Greatest Hits, the song was voted 9th most popular James Bond theme by the general public. Those polled aged 24 and under voted it their number 1 favorite Bond song. Incidentally, while Die Another Day, the film, marked the 40th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, "Die Another Day", the single, marked Madonna's 20th anniversary in the music business; Madonna's first single, "Everybody", had been released in October 1982.

The song peaked #1 in 12 different countries, including an 8 week stint at #1 on the World Music Charts and a then-record 11 week stay at #1 for Madonna on the US Hot 100 Single Sales. The song became Madonna's 35th Top 10 hit, becoming second in career Top 10 singles behind Elvis Presley (who has thirty eight) .

None of Die Another Day's melody was employed by David Arnold in the development of the motion picture score. Instead, the instrumentals of the song's Dirty Vegas Mix can be heard during one scene of the film. Some of the remixes of the song feature bonus spoken word vocals by Madonna. She performed "Die Another Day" as part of her 2004 Re-Invention Tour and used it as a video interlude in the Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008). A live performance of the song is included on Madonna's live CD I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005). According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 175,000 copies there.

Music video

The music video was directed by Traktor, a Swedish directing team, and filmed from August 22–27, 2002 at Hollywood Center Studios in Hollywood, California. The video features references to Honey Ryder (from 1962's Dr No), Rosa Klebb and Blofeld's white Persian cat (from 1963's From Russia With Love), Oddjob and Jill Masterson (from 1964's Goldfinger), Tee Hee's metal arm from the 1973 Live and Let Die, Francisco Scaramanga's golden gun from 1974's The Man With The Golden Gun, as well as a spacesuit, a fencing battle in a Venetian glass factory, and a Jaws-like man with metal teeth, all referencing 1979's Moonraker, and even contains a reference to Luke Skywalker's lightsaber battle with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. And from the film of the same name, the opening titles torture scene with General Moon, a portrait of the then-Bond Pierce Brosnan from a fight scene with Gustav Graves, and the dual role (in black and white fencing costumes) played by double agent Miranda Frost, herself a protege of Verity, played in the film by Madonna herself. The very end of the video has sparked some discussion as Madonna appears to escape Houdini-like from the electric chair, leaving behind only a smouldering chair with a Hebrew expression לאו, a phrase that can be interpreted as "great escape" or "freedom," one of the "72 Names of God," used in the Kabbalah.[12] The video ends with the gun barrel sequence, as Madonna throws open the doors of the torture facility in her escape. The total production costs for the video were over $6,000,000, making it the second most expensive music video ever made, after "Scream" by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.[13]
Director: Traktor (Mats Lindberg, Pontus Löwenhielm, Ole Sanders)
Producer: Jim Bouvet
Director of Photography: Harris Savides
Editor: Rick Russell
Production Company: Traktor Films

Source: Wikipedia

Like a G6 - Far East Movement

"Like a G6" is a song from Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features female vocals by Devin Star Tailes and male vocals by The Cataracs. It was written and produced by The Cataracs. It was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks ending November 6, 2010, and then again for the week of November 27 of the same year. It is one of only eight singles in Billboard history to return to #1 after two or more other singles had succeeded it in that position. The song has also topped the charts in New Zealand and South Korea and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Thailand, Sweden, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Many questions surround the meaning of "G6." Some believed it to be a reference to the Pontiac G6,[1] however, Kev Nish clarified that the G6 reference is to an airplane, a Gulfstream IV (G4) hyperbole. "A G6 is not a Gatorade flavour. It's not a car, convertible, four-door. It's not a watch," group member Kev Nish told MTV News. "But Drake, Drake talks about having G4 pilots on deck, so we said, 'What's flyer than a G4?' Of course, it would be a G6." Writer and producer Niles Hollowell-Dhar revealed that the reference to G6 was created primarily in order to rhyme.[2] It samples Dev's single "Booty Bounce" as the hook/chorus.

Source: Wikipedia

Musik Pompang Bertahan di Antara Hip Hop

POLEWALI MANDAR, KOMPAS.com — Musik pompang atau yang akrab dikenal masyarakat Mamasa, Sulawesi Barat, sebagai musik bambu ini ternyata bisa lestari di tengah gempuran beragam aliran musik modern, sebut saja aliran musik jazz, pop, blus, dan rock kontemporer atau musik hip hop yang notabene adalah aliran musik dari luar negeri, yang banyak digandrungi anak-anak muda.

Hubungan mutualisme seniman dan masyarakat penikmatnya menjadikan musik khas ini tetap menjadi hiburan rakyat. Yang menarik, musik ini berkembang menjadi sarana hiburan rakyat justru tidak digerakkan oleh tokoh sentral atau figur seniman besar yang biasanya ditokohkan.

Semua seniman merasa tokoh sekaligus penikmat musik pompang. Beragam aliran musik modern, yang gemerlap dan memengaruhi masyarakat dan anak-anak muda, tidak membuat musik pompang yang sudah menjadi musik rakyat Mamasa ini terpinggirkan dan kehilangan penggemar.

Musik pompang bahkan tetap menjadi pilihan hiburan bagi masyarakat. Wajar jika musik bambu ini selalu hadir mewarnai setiap acara pesta kemasyarakatan atau pesta formal pejabat lainnya.

Berbagai kegiatan atau hajatan masyarakat, yang sudah lekat dengan musik bambu, seolah tak afdol rasanya tanpa musik pompang sebagai suguhan hiburan.

Utuk menyambut pejabat ternama atau perayaan ulang tahun kabupaten/musik khas Mamasa ini selalui jadi suguhan hiburan istimewa di tengah hiburan musik lainnya.

Edwin, penikmat dan penggiat musik pompang, tak menapikan adanya aliran musik-musik baru yang tumbuh di masyarakat. Namun, musik pompang tetap menjadi salah satu hiburan yang naris wajib untuk setiap kegiatan apa pun.

"Musik pompang tetap lestari dan tidak kehilangan penggemarnya meski ada beragam musik modern yang muncul" ujar Edwin bangga.

Instrumen musik pompang yang dirakit dari batang bambu dari tangan-tangan terampil pembuatnya mampu menghasilkan irama musik yang merdu dan menyejukkan hati para penikmatnya.

Musik khas Mamasa ini biasanya dimainkan dengan seruling bambu dan rebab yang konon asal-usul alat kesenian rebab tradisonal ini berasal dari arab. Musik pompang sendiri tumbuh secara natural di tengah masyarakat.

Di setiap kecamatan di Mamasa, grup atau kelompok-kelompok musik pompang dengan mudah kita jumpai. Setiap group musik pompang eksis dan membawa warna tersendiri.

Uniknya, musik khas ini tumbuh dan berkembang menjadi sarana hiburan di tengah masyarakat justru tidak didorong atau digerakkan oleh tokoh sentral atau figur seniman besar yang ditokohkan.

Semua seniman merasa tokoh sekaligus penikmat musik pompang. Musik pompang tetap tumbuh di masyarakat menjadi salah satu industri hiburan yang dikelola secara tradisonal oleh kelompok-kelompok seniman.

Imbalan jasa yang cukup menggiurkan menjadi faktor lain yang mendukung para seniman untuk tetap eskis dan percaya diri menekuni musik khas ini.

Mengapa musik pompang bisa lestari di tengah percaturan beragam aliran musik modern? Tiga komponen yang saling memengaruhi, seniman, kesenian itu sendiri, dan masyarakat sebagai penikmat seni menjadi satu komponen yang saling membutuhkan.

Seniman bangga karena karya seni mereka diapresiasi secara luas, sedangkan masyarakat merasa terhibur dan hajatannhya sukses dengan hiburan yang sudah lekat di masyarakat secara turun-temurun ini.

Universalitas musik seperti halnya musik pompang mungkin bisa menjadi lebih luas penikmatnya. Jika para seniman pompang bisa membangun kerja sama dengan beragam aliran musik lain yang notabene juga punya komunitas penggemar. Dengan cara ini, musik pompang bisa tetap eksis dan penggemarnya makin meluas sejalan dengan universalitas musik itu sendiri sebagai hiburan.


Sumber: kompas