Monday has arrived – and you know what that means… music! For the month of June, our Spotlight Dancer is Michelle from Musings & Merriment with Michelle! She has chosen the theme for this week, which is “Songs to honor World Music Day (21st), music around the world” – let’s get this musical travel started!
Let’s start with a timeless classic song that everyone loves. Artists from around the world performed this song in 2018 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic song by legend Otis Redding. They joined forces with the Otis Redding Foundation and Princess Cruises to bring this special Song Around The World version.
Featuring artists Jack Johnson, Corinne Bailey Rae, Aloe Blacc, Otis Redding III, Dexter Redding, Otis Redding Foundation Students, and more; this video takes you from the San Francisco Bay to the streets of Barcelona to the seas of Jamaica and beyond. I love it!
Here’s a great version of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”:
I shared this one before, but it’s worth sharing again, especially since the artist illustrates the song’s message of global unity by recording five “multi-language duet versions” featuring singers from around the world. For the French version, the artist is joined by singer Zaz, while she teams up with Blas Canto for the Spanish “Te Reto A Amar.” Canadian-Moroccan singer Faouzia offers an Arabic interpretation; Maya Buskila sings a Hebrew rendition, and the German duo Galsperlenspiel recorded a German take.
The artist grew up singing opera in different languages, which gave her the idea for the multi-language single.
Here’s the inimitable Kelly Clarkson, joined by singers around the world with “I Dare You”:
Next up is another one of my favorite songs, this time performed by singers around the world for Playing for Change 2015. This was for The Art of Saving a Life campaign.
About The Art of Saving a Life:
Despite great progress, one in five children today do not have access to the life-saving vaccines they need. The Art of Saving a Life, a project commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a collection of stories about how vaccines continue to change the course of history. It offers an opportunity to hear, see and feel the tremendous impact of immunization, and to energize us in the global effort to protect every child from life-threatening disease. These stories are told by more than 30 world-renowned photographers, painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, and musicians to impress urgency on the global community to reach all children with the life-saving vaccines they need. Visit to learn more!
Here’s a great version of “Lean On Me”:
Last, but certainly not least, another great song in honor of Turnaround Arts | Playing for Change 2016 – pay attention to the awesome artists showing support for local schools.
Turnaround Arts infuses struggling schools with arts as a strategy for reform. The program was founded by President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and is now run by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Turnaround Arts currently works in 73 schools, 38 districts, and 17 states and the District of Columbia.
“Everyday People” features Turnaround Arts students alongside their Turnaround Artists including Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Paula Abdul, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Banks, Keb’ Mo, Forest Whitaker, and many more performing this timely song by Sly and the Family Stone.
This video was created to inspire the idea that all children deserve access to the arts in school and that the arts have the power to create change.
Here’s a heartwarming version of “Everyday People”:
That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday and see you on the dance floor! Please stay safe and healthy!
Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:
I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, Callie of JAmerican Spice, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!
Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!
Simply awesome playlist. The Kelly Clarkson song is new to me, but the others are a pieces near and dear to my heart. Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay came out while I was in Vietnam. Bill Withers expressed a thought that we all need someone to lean on from time to time. God provides us with friends and family to help us through difficult days, but when the going gets toughest, the Creator is there with the biggest heart and greatest shoulders for our strength and comfort. All of us are Everyday People and we make up the essence of the fabric of the human race. We can learn so much from one another if we would only put aside the differences that don’t matter and celebrate the joy of life together. Have a blessed week.
Very nice. As you know, I am a huge fan of Playing for Change and have been since I first heard of them about 12 years ago when they were first starting up.
In the song Everyday People, the Tim Robbins part was shot in my city of Hayward and that school Burbank is close to where I grew up.
Thanks for the dance.
Nice playlist
These were all very nicely done!
Awesome pickins’ my friend. I haven’t heard Everyday people in a long, long time. Great job honey you definitely rocked the house for sure! Hope you had a great Father’s Day & that you & your family are doing well. Praying for you & yours, stay healthy, and well and of course I wish you and yours well! Sending MANY hugs for sure! Wear your mask, stay healthy and most of all stay safe. It’s a dam jungle out there! HUGS
That was a great compilation this week, and you did your research on the artists and the different foundations. I feel like I need to start doing that with my own 4M posts. Maybe one of these days!
Enjoyed your interpretation of the theme, with these compilation videos. I’ve actually run across all of these in one place or another (and I do remember you featuring Kelly Clarkson’s before – nothing wrong with reruns!) but it was a joy listening to them again. I also enjoy (like another reviewer) the research you do on the songs you feature, something I’m lazy at myself.
This article is really amazing, Enjoyed your interpretation of the theme, with these compilation videos.
…Stacy, I am a huge fan of the Playing for Change Band, their videos are pure genius. For thirty years I have spent the winters in Maui and the Hawaiian one is fabulous. I hope that you enjoy my playlist that I will link on Monday. Thanks for visiting my blog.