"Stand By Me"

Sorry for the delay on this post....

I interviewed Mark Johnson, co-director and producer of the video "Stand By Me," a re-make of the Ben E. King song.
Johnson began the Playing for Change foundation. Him and his crew travel the world re-making classic songs by compiling voices from around the world together for one song.
I spoke to Johnson via phone. He said his objective when he started Playing for Change was to help people connect through music and "create a collective understanding."
Music strikes a chord in people’s hearts that can’t be reach with oral communication.
Music is used in religious services to help the orator's message sink-in to the minds of the congregation and impact them on a deeper and more profound level.
Music transcends cultures and languages. Even in melodies without words, the listener can abstract the message of the song based on the tune.
My family rented a condo on an island off of Mexico where my grandpa lived on his boat for 20 years. The condo had a small TV that only picked-up several stations from the main land. We tuned-in to a music video channel in the morning while we ate breakfast and got dressed. Although we couldn’t understand the words it was pleasant to listen to. The melodies and the beats in the songs conveyed enough emotions that words were not essential to understand the intended message. “Stand By Me” is in English, the meaning would be clear even without words. Music possesses an incredible power to move people beyond words. Some people are moved by music more than others. Sometimes it’s the melody, the message or both that can move a person to tears.Some people pay top dollar to see operas in Italian even if they don’t speak the language. "Country Road" by John Denver is a popular song in German bars, even though many people don’t know the words. The wedding jingle strikes a chord in the hearts of many people when they hear it.
Recently, I have heard some wonderful music. First Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent blew audiences away with her powerful and emotional voice. That song from Les Misérables is now one of my favorites.
What I liked about this video was two parts: the music and the message.
People featured in this video vary from street musicians to world famous performers. Vusi Mahlasela is also featured in this video. I had the chance to interview him during college. He came to Chico State to play music and talk about his life. I interviewed him after his show in the Performing Arts Center. He was one of the most kind and calm people I’ve ever met. He was an advocate for freedom during the Apartheid in South Africa. He sang with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I was blown away by his humble and calm presence. He seemed unfazed by his fame. Maybe after seeing and experiencing so much in his life, he had a more well rounded perspective of what issues are cause for excitement or worry.

Here is the inspiring video with musicians from all around the world singing, "Stand By Me." This song is definitely going under my “Favorites.”
http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes/2/Stand_by_Me