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Post by MattyJam on Feb 1, 2024 11:34:32 GMT
I think slagging off WATW has always been another way of playing the cool kid. Billie Jean or Wanna Be Starting Something are obviously superior songs, but they wouldn't work for such a project. You have to have a certain type of song for such a project: melodic, anthem-like, easy to sing along and accessible to a wide range of people from kids to grandmothers. I think WATW is perfect for what it is. I have seen Prince fans say 4 the Tears in Your Eyes is a better song, but I don't think so. It also wouldn't work for what WATW was intended for. Another line of slagging off the song is "Do They Know it's Christmas" is better. Again, I disagree and I especially "like" it when the same people who bash WATW as cheesy and self indulgent don't find the same faults in Do They Know. Again, I feel a lot of the WATW slander is just snobbery. Over the years there have been a lot of similar projects, but can anyone show me any other charity song that stuck in the minds and hearts of people the same way as WATW? Me neither. 4 The Tears In Your Eyes is a very average Prince song. I do enjoy DTKIC a lot, but in terms of the cheese factor, it's just as bad as WATW, I agree. My only gripe with WATW is that it goes on too long. Oh, and Springsteen sounds like he's squeezing out the most painful shit of his life. Musically though, it's a well-written song. But that's coming from a man who loves The Lost Children, so what do I know? 😄
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Post by SoCav on Feb 1, 2024 12:32:48 GMT
4 The Tears In Your Eyes is a very average Prince song. Agreed, but the hoopla about him not partaking did give us 'Hello', which I think is fantastic.
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Post by MattyJam on Feb 1, 2024 13:17:24 GMT
4 The Tears In Your Eyes is a very average Prince song. Agreed, but the hoopla about him not partaking did give us 'Hello', which I think is fantastic. I love Hello. February 1st, 2024, the day MattyJam and SoCav found something about music to agree on.
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Post by SoCav on Feb 1, 2024 14:22:32 GMT
Agreed, but the hoopla about him not partaking did give us 'Hello', which I think is fantastic. I love Hello. February 1st, 2024, the day MattyJam and SoCav found something about music to agree on. And I didn't even tell you yet that I'm considering buying the Emancipation LP set!
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Post by respect77 on Feb 1, 2024 18:09:27 GMT
I took a look around for reactions on Facebook in my country and it's completely positive. The general public really loves this and has great respect for the artists involved.
I have seen an interview with the director who noted that in these complicated times people are looking back at the 80s for escapism. He also mentioned the success of the Wham documentary in this regard.
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Post by aazzaabb on Feb 1, 2024 20:02:26 GMT
I think slagging off WATW has always been another way of playing the cool kid. Billie Jean or Wanna Be Starting Something are obviously superior songs, but they wouldn't work for such a project. You have to have a certain type of song for such a project: melodic, anthem-like, easy to sing along and accessible to a wide range of people from kids to grandmothers. I think WATW is perfect for what it is. I have seen Prince fans say 4 the Tears in Your Eyes is a better song, but I don't think so. It also wouldn't work for what WATW was intended for. Another line of slagging off the song is "Do They Know it's Christmas" is better. Again, I disagree and I especially "like" it when the same people who bash WATW as cheesy and self indulgent don't find the same faults in Do They Know. Again, I feel a lot of the WATW slander is just snobbery. Over the years there have been a lot of similar projects, but can anyone show me any other charity song that stuck in the minds and hearts of people the same way as WATW? Me neither.Yes! Yes! Yes! This song can actually bring a tear to my eye. The melody is just wonderful, the key change really drives the message home. MJ was a master of the key change and really understood how to get the absolute most dramatic effect and meaning out of a piece of music. He used the same technique on Heal The World and also tripled down on the lyrics “there are people dying” to get the absolute most out of the meaning of the message. I’ve actually used WATW as a form of therapy to allow my emotions out if I’ve had a particularly difficult week. It’s incredibly spiritual and reminds me of what’s important in life. The people who are cynical of it are deeply insecure and ultimately irrelevant. Play WATW for most people and they will be emotionally moved by it. It was created with that intention in mind.
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Post by aazzaabb on Feb 1, 2024 20:10:25 GMT
Kinda irksome seeing all the comments on X slagging off the song. We Are The World is such an easy target, but I don't care what anyone says, it's a beautiful composition. No other artist at that time could've pulled off such a feat, uniting artists from across multiple genres and styles the way MJ and Quincy did. It's a testament to his starpower and the respect both he and Q had in the industry at the time that such a feat was pulled off in the first place. Those people are deeply concerned about how they’re perceived by others. 99% of social media is made up of people portraying a fake image and lifestyle. Ultimately it’s meaningless. This song has touched millions of people all over the world and we’re on the third documentary to be made about it. It’s number 1 in many countries around the world. The stats tell another story.
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Post by aazzaabb on Feb 1, 2024 20:15:17 GMT
I took a look around for reactions on Facebook in my country and it's completely positive. The general public really loves this and has great respect for the artists involved. I have seen an interview with the director who noted that in these complicated times people are looking back at the 80s for escapism. He also mentioned the success of the Wham documentary in this regard. This is what matters and what counts.
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Post by respect77 on Feb 3, 2024 7:31:50 GMT
I have seen nothing but positive reactions on this documentary on the part of the general public. This is a big account with 1.2 million followers. I usually see him comment on politics.
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Post by pg13 on Feb 3, 2024 7:37:20 GMT
Just watched it last night.
At this point, I don't really care if a lot of the story is not new to me as I want to see Michael's legacy framed very positively in terms of his musical contributions.
And I think it did that here. Its clear that Michael was the most interesting person that night with the most remarkable voice and the most painstakingly professional one that night.
Quincy's man management skills that night was second to none and we got a good idea how challenging it was.
Lionel was so funny throughout, especially when he was talking about early songwriting sessions with Michael at Hayvenhurst. Imitating the dog and Ricky the Mynah bird having an argument, the sound of Muscles slithering around and so on.
I thought it all really humanised Michael Jackson and you had a lot of opportunities to see his beaming smile. I might be a bit biased, but the best smile I've ever seen!
A lot of the stars were humanised, especially Bob Dylan clearly so uncomfortable singing in front of everyone else that the room had to be cleared. Poor Sheila E! The to-do with Prince was really the least interesting part of the whole thing, really. Zzzz. Everyone else was interesting in different ways.
Like I said, none of the information was new, but it was still entertaining, engaging and funny in places when it needed to be.
The "In memory of" section is longer than you might first think. Wow.
Nice to see the whole thing ends on a photo of Michael & Lionel holding an award for WATW. Truly, it would have been the biggest artistic mistake of Michael's career if he had decided not to sing on it. Quincy was right! Just....wow, the ramifications of that and Michael not being there that night.
Michael's talent truly does shine above all the shit that was thrown at him for half his lifetime. The single biggest star we've ever seen.
Recommended viewing!
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Post by pg13 on Feb 3, 2024 7:42:27 GMT
As for those who scoff at the song, if the Boss actually likes it and can see the musical merits....those idiots can GTF!
It's a really good song, excellent lyrics and some brilliant vocals. My favourites are Michael and Dione Warwick.
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Post by respect77 on Feb 3, 2024 8:41:43 GMT
Just watched it last night. At this point, I don't really care if a lot of the story is not new to me as I want to see Michael's legacy framed very positively in terms of his musical contributions. Yeah, same. We might have most of these stories and more already on the WATW DVD, but who has that? Only fans. It's important that such projects go out to big platforms. Even if it's nothing new to fans, it is to a lot of other people. Especially the younger generations. So it's worth repeating these stories. And on big platforms. Thriller 40 too might have had more buzz if it was on Netflix rather than Paramount. Platform is important.
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Post by pg13 on Feb 3, 2024 13:47:27 GMT
Just a wee tiny criticism....I think they should have shown more footage of Michael singing and layering his part while everyone was at the AMAs.
But it's nothing major. We got a feel of what Michael was doing and how he was the consummate professional.
Only celebrity I see these days at Michael's level of professionalism in any field is Cristiano Ronaldo. Its very rare.
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Post by respect77 on Feb 3, 2024 14:09:36 GMT
Yeah, I love this part on the DVD, but I can understand why they couldn't have all this 10 minutes in this documentary.
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Post by SoCav on Feb 3, 2024 15:06:20 GMT
Yeah, I love this part on the DVD, but I can understand why they couldn't have all this 10 minutes in this documentary. The way they cut it was great though, juxtaposing it with footage of the American Music Awards that were going on at the same time. Resulted in MJ coming across as a really dedicated pro. And by showing what was going in different places at the same time it also really transported you to that night.
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