My quixotic quest for the world anthem was inspired by learning about Michael Jackson’s ideas on this topic.
Michael Jackson believed that if we could achieve the whole world singing an anthem together, it might make war more difficult. This was based on watching his audiences unite in singing with him when he was on stage — and seeing racial/ethnic/religious/gender differences dissolve in those audiences when people sang and danced together.
Michael Jackson wrote or co-wrote at least three songs focusing on uniting the world: “Cry,” “Heal the World,” and “We are the World.” Here is a list of some videos showing people singing these songs
I’ve been writing a lot about this quest under another pseudonym. Here is a list of blogs that focus on the quixotic quest. A lot of these blogs have been inspired by my interest in Pop Music, and the incredible power that this music has to unite fans all over the world.
https://skysong263.blogspot.com/2020/01/thehuofficial-and-quixoticquest.html
2019 allegations against mj
Miss Saigon and the Quixotic Quest
Wonder Woman and the Quixotic Quest
Latest on the Quixotic Quest cc @joshgroban
World Hip-Hop Dance Competition and the Quixotic Quest
Progress on the Quixotic Quest
2019 allegations against mj
Miss Saigon and the Quixotic Quest
Wonder Woman and the Quixotic Quest
Latest on the Quixotic Quest cc @joshgroban
World Hip-Hop Dance Competition and the Quixotic Quest
Progress on the Quixotic Quest
Here are some blogs that mention the quest as an aside
Eric Whitacre at Alice Tully Hall March 2013
Josh Groban at the Beacon Theater 9/29/15
I recognize that many people now detest Michael Jackson because of the TV special with allegations that he molested children. I don't know whether he did or he didn't, but his observations of the unifying effect of music, dance, and children remain very valid. You could say many things about him, but no one could dispute that he knew his audience.
There was a great video with an interview between Ethan Bortnick and David Foster about the power of music. In this video David Foster posited that music brought the Berlin Wall down. I had an embedded youtube video of this interview here, but the link is broken now, so I had to delete it.
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Addendum 2/16/19
I've been trying to draw Josh Groban's attention to my #QuixoticQuest for a while. I don't think he accepts this concept. However, he does have a related concept, about the unifying effect of music -- see, e.g. this recording, where, near the end he talks about Bridge Over Troubled Water
https://chirb.it/OwbcHP
Sometimes, I think that YouTube is really the realization of Michael Jackson's dreams for singing around the world -- as people all over the world are listening to each other sing and singing the same songs.
Addendum 8/25/19
Here's another article about the political effect of music
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/how-k-pop-is-tempting-young-north-koreans-to-cross-the-line/2019/08/19/0f984654-839f-11e9-b585-e36b16a531aa_story.html
This article reminds me of the interview between David Foster & Ethan Bortnick that I referred to above, but which seems to have been deleted from YouTube.
Josh Groban at the Beacon Theater 9/29/15
I recognize that many people now detest Michael Jackson because of the TV special with allegations that he molested children. I don't know whether he did or he didn't, but his observations of the unifying effect of music, dance, and children remain very valid. You could say many things about him, but no one could dispute that he knew his audience.
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Addendum 7/1/15
There was a great video with an interview between Ethan Bortnick and David Foster about the power of music. In this video David Foster posited that music brought the Berlin Wall down. I had an embedded youtube video of this interview here, but the link is broken now, so I had to delete it.
This interview was particularly poignant to me, because I was an exchange student in the USSR in Leningrad in the summer of 1978. That summer there was a protest in Leningrad when a concert by a western rock band was cancelled.
The Americans in my program were suddenly given surprise tickets to the Kirov Ballet that evening, which were normally never available, so we wouldn't be out on the street when the protest, which was anticipated, occurred. When we came out, we could see water on the streets in the area of the protest, where the government had opened up fire hoses on the protestors.
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Addendum 1/3/16
The anthem of the European Union is Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." This seems like another candidate for World Anthem. I had another great embedded youtube video here, showing a flashmob relating to this song. Unfortunately, the link is now broken. BTW singing/dancing flashmobs were inspired by people impressed with the unity message of Michael Jackson.
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Addendum 7/5/18
This video shows again the power of music and dance in international communication
Addendum 11/9/18
They're still singing "We Are the World" in China!
I've been trying to draw Josh Groban's attention to my #QuixoticQuest for a while. I don't think he accepts this concept. However, he does have a related concept, about the unifying effect of music -- see, e.g. this recording, where, near the end he talks about Bridge Over Troubled Water
https://chirb.it/OwbcHP
Sometimes, I think that YouTube is really the realization of Michael Jackson's dreams for singing around the world -- as people all over the world are listening to each other sing and singing the same songs.
Addendum 8/25/19
Here's another article about the political effect of music
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/how-k-pop-is-tempting-young-north-koreans-to-cross-the-line/2019/08/19/0f984654-839f-11e9-b585-e36b16a531aa_story.html
This article reminds me of the interview between David Foster & Ethan Bortnick that I referred to above, but which seems to have been deleted from YouTube.
