Story of the Yes We Can Video

an excerpt for the UK telegraph

Granted, it was a rousing address, but it has been made considerably more palatable by the addition of light hip-hop beats, a softly strummed acoustic guitar, and a chorus line of celebrities singing out the rallying cry, "Yes, we can." Artfully shot in black and white, faces and voices layered one on top of the other, this is the political speech as pop video.

Cut from the speech's original 13 minutes to a concise and uplifting four and a half, the video achieves things politicians can usually only dream about, but which pop takes for granted: it puts emotion at the centre of the message, it never bores, and it is effortlessly cool. It is a party political broadcast for a generation who would never watch a party political broadcast.

The song was conceived by Will.i.am of superstar hip-hop trio Black Eyed Peas, and the video was shot by Jesse Dylan, son of rock's original protest superstar, Bob Dylan. The pair claim that it took just a few days from conception to completion. Will.i.am had the idea while watching a televised political debate on January 29, and by Feb 2 it was online, in time for the Super Tuesday polls.

yes we can video
yes we can lyrics

Yes We Can Lyrics

the song that starts with obama's brilliant words:

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can. Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shoresand pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can. Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized;women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountain-top and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.(yes we can, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can…)

yes we can