Simon Cowell’s Everybody Hurts for Haiti

Just want to share this new song with you on this fine Wednesday morning. It’s a day before my big trip (or series of trips), so I’ve got lots to do today!

Last night, I encountered this YouTube clip via a friend on Facebook. I had read somewhere that Simon Cowell was going to produce a single in aid of Haiti. Well, he’s done it.

Picture above sourced from Flickr under the Creative Common License.

In fact, Simon managed to pull together about 20 stars to feature on the song, which is the remake of REM’s famed Everybody Hurts. Reuters reports:

The cover version of REM’s famous ballad “Everybody Hurts” was hastily put together by TV personality and music producer Simon Cowell, who gathered more than 20 stars to raise funds for survivors of the earthquake that killed up to 200,000 people.

The song will be available for download on Sunday and hit the shops the following day, according to the Sun newspaper, which teamed up with Cowell to promote the record.

Among the performers featured in the song include the old and the young, the has-beens and the currents. This include: Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle (but of course), Michael Buble, Take That’s Gary Barlow and Mark Owen (remember them?), Westlife’s Shane Filan and Mark Feehily, Robbie Williams and more.

The song has been airing already in the UK although it is not yet available for sale. Listen to it below:

Truth be told, I don’t like it very much. The song’s great but I think it’s too many singers and too few lines. But hey, this isn’t only about good music, it’s about doing their bit for Haiti. So I will buy the single when it is out – I hope to get a copy of the physical CD but I leave London on the day of the release and not sure if the stores will be open by the time I leave. Might just have to settle for the digital version.

Oh, and I can’t wait for this version of We Are The World as well. Quincy Jones brought in tons of other stars to remake Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson’s masterpiece – also for Haiti.

8.41am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Tags: charity single, cheryl cole, everybody hurts, Gary Barlow, haiti, james blunt, james morrison, joe mcelderry, jon bon jovi, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, lionel richie, mariah carey, Mark Feehily, Mark Owen, michael buble, Michael Jackson, mika, miley cyrus, quincy jones, rem, Robbie Williams, Shane Filan, simon cowell, susan boyle, Take That, We Are The World, Westlife