Country Stars and More Offer Hope for Haiti Now
So many celebrities and regular folks alike have offered what support they can to the people of Haiti tonight (Jan. 22). The Hope for Haiti Now telethon has absolutely been a moving example of people, no matter their walk of life, coming together with a common goal. The wealth of music alone was evidence of that. From Bruce Springsteen's "We Shall Overcome" to Mary J. Blige's beautiful rendition of "Hard Times," there were no genre boundaries on this night. Of course, country music was well represented by Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Dave Matthews, Neil Young and even Hank Williams.
Swift offered a cover version of "Breathless," originally performed by Better Than Ezra, and her choice of song would prove to be more than appropriate. With the theme of finding a safe haven in the form of love, the lyrics included lines like "When you feel the world is crashing/All around your feet/Come running headlong into my arms/Breathless."
Later, during a group performance featuring Urban, Crow and Kid Rock, the trio echoed that sentiment with an acoustic rendition of the classic "Lean on Me." Trading heartfelt verses, they sang with passion, "Lean on me when you're not strong/And I'll be your friend/I'll help you carry on." Matthews and Young opted for an even more stripped down arrangement for their pleading duet of Williams' "Alone and Foresaken."
There were many other touching moments as well, especially Justin Timberlake's "Hallelujah" and Jennifer Hudson's version of "Let It Be," but perhaps none more so than Haitian artist Emeline Michel's optimism as she sang "Many Rivers to Cross." It reminds us that this event was really about the little things we can all do -- little things that keep optimism and hope alive. You can continue the effort to help heal Haiti by purchasing the Hope for Haiti Now full performance album or the full two-hour video telecast on iTunes.
Photo credit: Mark Davis/Hope for Haiti Now/PictureGroup
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
austin rekward says:
you guys should have a kids singing bee for the show
moopowerx says:
Kudos to all the performers. It was a amazing night of performances. The worst by far was Taylor of course. Gotta stay in that lower register dear..hitting that high note..OUCH! But Christina, Jennifer, Justin Timberlake well everyone else was just showing their best. The trio of kid rock, Sheryl and Keith was top notch too. Nice harmonies.
Veeta says:
Funny how Taylor gets bashed on CMT blogs only. It’s like people hear the name Taylor and they go…”oh she sucks!” I bet even those who didn’t watch the telethon will say her performance was bad…because it’s a common trend amongst these haters now. Haha their jealousy of Taylor’s popularity makes me laugh.
MTV named Taylor and Christina Aguilera as two artists whose performances they were “blown away by”. Wonderful job by Taylor and the fact that she was also taking calls was so sweet…she did double duty by performing AND taking calls. They even showed her taking a call and she sounded so sweet and kind…no wonder everyone loves her.
countryiscool says:
Really, EVERYone veeta? Not so much.
Jennifer says:
Now I don’t normally listen to Taylor Swift, but I found her performance quite uplifting. One of the few good vocal performances I’ve seen from her. Good for her.
bks says:
blige sang her heart out and mtv picked swift as one of the better performances of the evening, when will they see who can sing? maybe never if they picked swift, the high note kinda showed who really can’t sing.
Alex says:
The trio of Kid/Sheryl/Keith was amazing. My second favorite performance after Justin Timberlake. That seriously blew me away. Taylor’s performance was good for her. And she’s so very pretty and sweet. I guess that’s half the appeal. I could listen to her speak all day. Sing, not so much.
Veeta. says:
Again, it’s hilarious how everyone is praising Taylor for her heartfelt performance EXCEPT people posting on the CMT blogs. Surprise surprise. I wonder why that always happens…hmm maybe it’s because there is a certain group of fans here who have irrational hate for Taylor because everyone loves her. Just saying :)
Linda says:
The guy singing with JT is Matt Morris. He carried the song better during his solo part. Overall, better sound quality (than country award shows) and solid performances.
Helen says:
I dunno…I liked Taylor’s performance. She doesn’t have to hit the high notes. That’s not the kind of singer she is. She’s more of a low key singer and that’s what makes her appealing.
bleep says:
Not the biggest Swift fan, but I also thought she was doing a good thing. Pulling in the young people you know? My daughters like her so I appreciate her enough. I felt sorry for her though because my daughters were telling me some douchebags on twitter were talking about calling in and pretending to be Kanye. I’m not trying to be racist or anything, but from most of the pictures, they seemed to be African Americans…no surprise they don’t like country music (even though I myself consider her “pop-country”). That’s really disrespectful, especially at a charity event. If you’re reading this Taylor, you have my sympathies. Thanks for showing up. Continue to be a good role model.
Bern says:
Wonderful performances by everyone. The song choices were “spot on” and no one was there to showcase their own music or career. I hope the telethon raises a lot of money to help the people of Haiti. I don’t think this is the time for bloggers to bicker about Taylor, CMT, etc. This was about Hope for Haiti — let’s keep the chatter about the cause!
friendly poster says:
veeta, it’s not just here. words in print by stars are always politcally correct. you should hear the real buzz around nville
Faye says:
Totally agree Bern….this was about Haiti not about who you like or dislike as an artist people! The show was amazing with ALL of the performances! The main thing is what it stood for and that was for raising funds and bringing mankind together for a greater cause. Let’s keep it at that why don’t we.
flower says:
great job taylor you sang wonderful!! and answering phones that was so sweet!!! you go girl!! just keep being yourself!!
caitlin says:
Taylor was constantly looking into the camera(almost cheesy like) as if to say..”I Love Me Some Me”.
Seth says:
They all did an amazing job. I agree with veeta and bleep. Country people are portrayed as nice people but am overwhelmed by the choice of words people use against taylor on CMT blogs. And yes to bleep because after the whole kanye thing taylor has become their target.
Neal says:
Kid Rock? Taylor Swift? Neil Young? Keith Urban? Sheryl Crow? Dave Matthews? So you actually believe country music was well represented with the people you listed? You must not know very much about country music. That’s not country music.
D Trotter says:
The CD should bring in a lot more funding. Some great and truly moving moments. As for Ms Swift — on a night filled with wonderful performances, Taylor’s was one of the most inspirational and loveliest of them all.
Can’t hit high notes? The way she sustained the word “breathless” heading into the song’s bridge was exquisite! She hit ALL the right notes, including the choice of this song and a performance that delivered just the right mix of feeling wounded yet hopeful, vulnerable yet capable of resurrection through love and support. A real Country Princess who did us all proud.
Bravo! To Miss Taylor and to all the great artists who gave their time and effort to support this cause.
Randy O says:
LOL!!!!!!! at dtrotter!!!!! Good one! Keep ‘em coming! you are a riot!!!!
friendly poster says:
Hit the high notes? LOL, i have some ocenfront property in Arizona to sell ya, since you are so gullible.
Neal says:
I like this one too, ” a real country princess who did us all proud” Hey? I know, lets throw Loretta out of the cmhof and put in Taylor! lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alex says:
The way I see it, Taylor’s not as good as the fans make her out to be(her pitch is inconsistant) but not as bad as the haters make her out to be(she does not sound like she is dying). She is not God’s gift to music, nor is she a blight on music.
moopowerx says:
I’d like to know who the CMT cyber bullies are. You try to respond and post and it won’t let you. I’ve done this 4 times now..nope won’t post.
moopowerx says:
Oh wow..now it did. So do a top 10 performances of last night around the internet..no TS around. Listen I have perfect pitch which is why I teach music. I listened to Taylor. Off and on pitches and a song that is ho hum..not the best. Yes she’s a gifted writer and nice person. That doesn’t mean that I can’t write what’s real and that my ear’s hurt when she tries to screech in the higher range.
flower says:
all of the things i have read on this says and i quote “taylor swift sang a heartfelt rendition of better than ezra’s Breathless”!!!!! that’s all I need to say!!!
Hope For Haiti Now Telethon Videos | Tech News says:
[...] Country Stars and More Offer Hope for Haiti Now | CMT Blog [...]
john says:
moopowerx…you probably listen with your American Idol brain and forgot how to listen from your heart. I thought Taylor did a good job and sung from her heart with a lot of emotion. Most of comments on youtube are real good even from people that are not Taylor fans.
D Trotter says:
I always trust comments the most when they are made by people using their real names, as opposed to those taking potshots at people behind the cover of anonymous screen names, “moopowerx”. Like the following:
“Madonna, Taylor Swift, Beyonce lead all-star performances on Hope for Haiti … Swift sang a heartfelt rendition of ‘Breathless’” — Trina Yannicos, Anaheim Examiner
“Taylor Swift: Breathless … Swift’s take on the track was breathtaking and seemed far beyond on her young age.” — Jayson Rodriquez, MTV
“8:48 Taylor Swift takes the stage for ‘Breathless’ …It’s another great performance on a night full of them.” — Kyle Anderson, Hope for Haiti Live Blog
The YouTube’s comments are overwhelmingly positive. A New York times article not only praises the performance but also the way Taylor took a song not written about a catastrophe and made it sound so appropriate.
Like they say, Moopower, those who can, DO, and those who can’t, teach (and apparently like to criticize those who can!)
vera says:
Gosh!! Am proud of taylor! Just read reviews on the Haiti performance and taylor was ranked very high. I mean above other people like bee, jhud, christina, john legend, alicia keys. Thought I was the only one that felt the emotion, passion and message of that song.
vera says:
D Trotter,
Have been reading the reviews from New York times and others and am blown away. Didn’t know people will pick lyrical depth over vocals!!! Better than Ezra rocks!
D Trotter says:
Neal, I think Neil Young has earned the right to be respected by Country Music. He’s teamed up with Willie to raise millions for the nation’s farmers through Farm Aid.
He’s written and sung great country songs, including one –”This Old House” — that may well be ONE OF THE TOP 10 COUNTRY SONGS EVER.
And his duet with Dave Matthews (another guy who gives his time and effort for Farm Aid) was not only poignant, it unearthed a little-known Hank Williams song that was JUST PERFECT FOR THIS EVENT.
Robin says:
Really??? Was this really about how well Taylor can or cannot sing? Is that what this was really about?
Claire. says:
I noticed on this blog that the main person being discussed is Taylor. While she’s a lovely girl, to discuss her and ONLY her is a bit telling. You people bashing her and the people defending her are doing the others a disservice. The show wasn’t about her or the other individual celebrities that were on. All the performances were very appropriate for the occasion.
8charlotte says:
The night was about raising money for Haiti,not about whether Taylor can sing or if she hit the high notes.I am not a Taylor fan,but I think all this negative talk about the song she sang and whether she sang well is not what this topic is about and clearly not what the show was about last night.All you people should be ashamed of yourselves,who cares who sang what and how well they sang,the fact that they took their time to offer entertainment to raise money is outstanding to me.And another thing who cares who represented what type of music.I do not care who was country,pop,rap,rock or any other type of music.I enjoyed every performance for what the message was all about hope for Haiti.So all you negative people need to keep those ugly remarks to yourselves and put money where your remarks are for the people of Haiti.
shouldabeenacowgirl says:
Yea Taylor! No hair flipping.
MTV says one of two best performance? MTV? LOL. I rest my case.
moopowerx says:
Yes I judged by not with an American Idol brain, but with a Masters in Music Education brain. When you listen to fine music for a living (getting instruments/voices in tune), you cannot turn that skill off. I’m not knocking Taylor. She sang it the best she could and because she’s nice, pretty and a good writer, she is loved by many. In fact, I know “Fearless” will win Grammy’s Album of the Year for it is the best written album and the mega sales don’t hurt. But they arranged those songs in a lower range so that she had the best chance of staying in tune. Last night, she screeched for a high note and lost. Oh and check out Entertainment Weekly’s top 10 performances of last night..they too know good music.
K says:
This telethon was about raising money for the poor peope who were victims of this awful diasaster. It’s not about who sang best or who you think cannot sing. Put aside your jugement for one night. This was a charity show; not American Idol or the country music awards.
I think it’s beautiful that so many fortunate individuals came together to help the people of Hati. All of the performances were outstanding, emotional, and moving.
Taylor, Beyonce, Justin, Jenifer, Christina, Mary J, Keith, Bruce, and all of others had beautiful, heartfelt performances. They truly showed what coming together is all about.
They all deserve praise for helping raise money for others. Bravo to all the performers.
john says:
I’m sorry but I forgot to say to moopowerx that your ears must be bad, Taylor is more on pitch on her high registers than her lower.
sue says:
Boy sure are alot of people on here claiming to have a Masters in Music Education.Makes me wonder gee are they all the same person. hmmmmmm
friendly poster says:
john, she has pitch problems on both registers. THIS from a music teacher of 30 years, with perfect pitch.
Wanda says:
58 million plus has been raised to date that is what is important
D Trotter says:
Agreeing with Wanda and K and 8charlotte 100% on their points. Kudos to everyone who gave and to all the artists and organizers of this extraordinary outpouring of love and compassion for the people of Haiti. With money still pouring in from iTunes and other sources, the $58M is going to grow much larger.
As for the Taylor discussion, I am very impressed that some of the people who criticize Taylor as a vocalist or artist put aside those type of comments because of the importance of this event for the people of Haiti. Some of them even liked Taylor in this performance which shows an open mind and fairness that some of Taylor’s fans should respect in future debates.
Unfortunately, you also have persons who could care less about the tragedy in Haiti. They seem to come on because it is another opportunity to rip Taylor, irregardless of the blog topic.
Finally, “friendly poster”, watch out! You may be developing multiple identity confusion! (See the Moopowerx comment on 1/23/2010 comment at 3:25 PM. Sound familiar?) Maybe you should settle on ONE name, like “unFRIENDLY imPOSTERx”.
But I’ll tell you what would be real helpful from such a “pair” of obviously brilliant music minds: Print out the lyrics to “Breathless” (they’re on the web), then go to Taylor’s performance (it’s right here on CMT), and list the EXACT line and word of EVERY time you say she’s flat, misses high notes, or whatever throughout the song, then come back and tell us. I would be REAL interested in seeing some specifics from you.
friendly poster says:
That’s easy…she cant stay in tune at all!!!!
D Trotter says:
Uh huh, that’s pretty much what I expected.
So now anybody who cares can go listen to the performance of “Breathless” on CMT to see if Taylor is out of tune on every single note in the song, as you claim. Then they can decide for themselves if your boast of having “perfect pitch” and “30 years of music teaching experience” rings true, or if you’re just another anonymous hater embellishing your background so someone will take you seriously.
I know I sure don’t.
john says:
I am a educated perfect pitched master of music or whatever too. Thank God there are people like Taylor that do what ever they can do to help. Why do people have a need to put her down? There were artists on the show I dont normally listen to but I will buy all the songs on itunes when it comes out just to help a little. I know its not much but I have been out of work for awhile, but if we all did that it would help. Just for that one night can we just say “good job, everybody” and leave it at that?
friendly poster says:
that would be a lot easier to do john if swifter wasnnt in our face all the time. there are others that are oh so much more talented that are being overlooked. miranda is a prime example. miranda has more talent in her pinky finger than swifter has in her whole body.
john says:
friendly poster…I wish there was something I could say to help you understand why I appreciate her. I know you have your mind made up and there is nothing I can say to change the way you feel. I feel sorry for you if you really think that if there was no Taylor the artists you like would be bigger than they are. I have been in the music business all my life and like they say your only as good as your next record, so if you are right and she has no talent then this time next year people will be saying Taylor who? I would not count on that happening.
friendly poster says:
john as long as she is producing music that appeals to the young, unencumbered demographic…those without jobs, families or responsibilities, she will continue to sell. She appeals to the dem. with the most disposable income. I too have been in the music biz all my life, studying voice and hers is far from adequate. You like her, fine. So do millions, but that is because of her gimmick, not her talent.
John Waugh says:
You said “even”??? Hank Williams.
A couple of articles on Hank’s song here:
http://ahankwilliamsjournal.wordpress.com/
Thanks
John W
S says:
I didn’t watch the show live but watched Taylor’s performance on YouTube so that I could comment here. I just don’t get what people see in her. She sang completely flat and off-key throughout the entire song. She was TERRIBLE!!!
Robin says:
WHO CARES IF TAYLOR CAN OR CAN’T SING!!!!!!!!
Can we for one blog, just one - I won’t ask for any more than one not discuss how well she sings? I have an opinion on the topic and it really doesn’t matter on this particular blog. This reminds me of the people on the cruise ship that got off the ship in Haiti at a resort about 50 miles from the disaster and sun bathed and drank and partied on the beach - close enough to say they were dancing on people’s graves.
It doesn’t matter if Taylor can’t sing in regards to this topic! She’s doing what she can do to help raise money to pull people’s whose lives have been devastated out of a nightmare. GOOD FOR HER! If you don’t want to buy her song on I-tunes for this cause, buy someone else’s. Maybe you could put a little cash in the in the offering plate in church if they are sending money for that cause.
Today you can do something. Be something more. We can go back to arguing about Taylor later. I’m sure there will be a million more blogs about her that we can take the good fight back up in.
S says:
Just for the record, I don’t have to buy music from someone who I feel can’t sing and doesn’t deserve being where she is. I gave money for Haiti through the Red Cross. Have you given anything???
Peacock Queen says:
So many nasty, negative comments about a night that was meant for us to do exactly what good God-fearing country folk would normally do: take care of each other during times of great need. These nasty comments are exactly why this site really got to me the other night to the point that I couldn’t stand it any more. Just came back here today, and the same old nonsense is still going on. Go figure. No, I don’t intend to buy the itunes either because I don’t want some of these performances. I donated through the Red Cross. But I appreciate the effort on the part of all the artists, not just the ones whose music I prefer.
Peacock Queen says:
I am not a Taylor fan, but I just watched her performance on YouTube, and while I usually cannot listen to her sing, I believe her performance of this song is not bad. I could actually listen to this on the radio and enjoy it. Taylor sounds so much better on this song because it is far more mature and relevant than her kicking and screaming teenage “boy did me wrong” songs. I don’t like those. But this one is not bad. Not bad at all.
The Gospel says:
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the stor. I cant believe youre not even more popular than you are because you definitely have a gift.