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On the heels of the 24th Winter Olympics closing ceremonies in Beijing, now with the unfolding tragedy in Eastern Europe, I felt compelled to feature this playlist this week in my music blog. The playlist was originally titled “London Calling” highlighting songs with world cities and countries in their title or prominently featured in the song. But in light of the current world state of affairs, I changed the name to “We Are The World” as the theme seemed to better highlight what I feel we need badly right now, perhaps more than ever.
I don’t pretend to have the answers, but while the advent, rise, and prominence of the internet has unfortunately promoted much of our focus and attention to the media and a digital world and life, drawing us away from humanity, it has the potential to make the world a much smaller place, allowing us to bring those of different countries, continents, cultures, races, religions, and beliefs into our homes and lives, breaking down barriers and helping us see our similarities rather than our differences.
On Facebook yesterday I saw a post about the Human Library, an international organization that lends people rather than books with the aim of addressing people's prejudices by helping people talk to those they would not normally meet. These people, who have often experienced prejudice, social exclusion, stigma, or other difficulties and challenges in life, lend themselves to break down the barriers that divide us. What a great initiative to restore our humanity.
Music has the ability to do this as well, to bring us to different genres, cultures, and perspectives. The playlist include songs such as “Marrakesh Express,” “Katmandu,” “Kashmir,” “China Girl,” “Still In Saigon,” “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” “London Calling,” “Vienna,” “April In Paris,” “Mexcio,” “Kokomo,” “Panama,” and “Only A Dream In Rio” among others.
And there are people in this world who choose to follow a difficult path to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk, dedicating their life to making a difference in the lives of many people, people they don’t even know, and may outwardly seem to have nothing in common with, apart from the humanity they share. One such person is my friend Sean Forrest, who had the compassion, vision, and courage to open a mission in Haiti, to serve the poorest of the poor.
So I hope you not only enjoy the music, but feel inspired to get out of your comfort zone to find ways to care about those around you, to try to make a difference in the world, bringing us all closer together.
https://listentothemusicblog.com/we-are-the-world-international-city-country-songs/
The rock community is, and has always been, one of caring and love for those in need around the world, as well as all creatures great and small. They do so much to support charitable cause, and many have established their own foundations to support the causes most dear to them. It’s a beautiful thing!
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