I’m not very good at PhotoShop: That screen grab of Perez Hilton is real. If that wasn’t bad enough, Eurythmics dude Dave Stewart also requested the help of Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Pamela Anderson in his quest to write “My American Prayer,” one of the most saccharine political songs to date. Sample lyrics: “When you get to the top of the mountain / Will you tell me what you see / If you get to the top of the mountain / Remember me.” Keep them in mind, you’ll hear them a number of times in this puppy. Things to note: (a) the song was originally co-written with Bono, (b) Barry Manilow can barely open his mouth due to all his plastic surgery, (c) Forest Whitaker looks like he’s going for an Oscar, (d) Joss Stone gets a lot of camera time because she’s attractive, but also because she’s one of the few participants who can actually sing (just kidding, Joan Baez), (e) Cyndi Lauper was better in this, (f) Macy Gray was better in this, and (g) Jason Alexander … really? Sweet dreams are not made of this, Dave.
There’s an official “My American Prayer” website if you want to torture yourself some more with the back story, etc. It goes without saying my American prayer is to never hear that song again. After this and “Yes We Can” you’d have to conclude Obama would rather take theme song writing into his own or Detroit Octane’s hands.
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Is this guy even eligible to vote in the US? How about Bono?
Yes, Dave Stewart is working and living in L.A. for a couple of years already and its his right to support any candidate as he wants to.
The video is a mixture of a classic music clip and a campaign ad but the song is actually really great and touching a lot of people. Forget the people in the clip a moment and just listen to the melody, it’s sparkling!!!
just forget this entire idea.
And we wonder why the terrorists hate us?
“It goes without saying my American prayer is to never hear that song again.” well done.
Is Dave Stewart even an American citizen?
That video makes me want to skip out on voting November 4th and hit up J. Crew for a new pair of khakis instead.
Do you think Joe Biden prefers Kikkoman or he Bragg’s Liquid Aminos kind of guy?
This is my pro-Obama rallying video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz-mJed_bP0
Best Obama song yet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy1MMbIh6v8
watching this on mute while listening to new Of Montreal… still terrible. Also, is Macy Gray wearing a glittery Black Sabbath t shirt? wtf?
Rosie Perez looking tight.
Awesome! But seriously… who is the Rosie Perez lookin’ one?
This song almost makes me want to vote for McCain.
I HATE it when non Americans tell us what our problems are. Fuck off!!
yeah, because we’re doing SUCH A GREAT JOB of fixing them ourselves.
if you live here and have citizenship, then you are an american.
this is obviously a joke.
obviously!
I wish that Herbie Hancock had used the computerized vocoder effect (famously used in “Rockit”) for his part in this fiasco…
So…who’s this character in the vid:
abe lincoln.
Elliott Smith?
“This is fucking stupid” is such a lame comment, but the only one worthy enough to describe the bullshit I just witnessed. I want to puke on all of them.
Fake.
So very real. I would like to watch the Forrest Whitaker only cut. Good to see that Bono knew when to get the fuck out of there before the trains collided. New album in November!
Man these celebrity Obamafests are only making it worse for him…
The Presidential election should be determined by the first person who videotapes themselves punching Meth-face Mario in the face.
FOREST WHITAKER FOR PRESIDENT!!
Amen Cygnet!
I’m surpised Paris and P. Diddy weren’t part of this crap fest!
And didn’t Mario aka Perez photograph and post pictures of himself hanging out with McCain’s daughter?
Oh, Grimmone.
You have so much to learn about Perez Hilton.
He gets in with every two bit skank who generates an iota of attention, takes a picture, and then votes for the other guy.
No, really- you don’t even make sense. All celebrities are good celebrities. Just because he took a picture with McCain’s daughters doesn’t mean he’s voting for them.
Ah okay midgetsattack! Now I get it!
This video and song makes me want to cast a write in vote for Ralph Nader!
I meant to say suprised.
oh look at all the cynical cool kids talking politics!!!
You are so right,
mixing prejudice with bad taste and false information (Dave is not a UK citizen) to make themselves feel great by bashing on something beautiful they can’t stand because their world is so rotten.
If you don’t appreciate it, kids, you don’t deserve it!
Damn this is corny. Makes the Will.i.am song sound like “Imagine”
Forest Whittaker may be the biggest nerd in hollywood.
that was beyond bad on so many levels. i mean really, no intentional parody could ever capture the all-around awfulness of that song and the video that accompanies it. maybe music and politics should only meet when they are inspired by outrage.
it’s painfully obvious why the short, fat guy from seinfeld is one of the first celebrities to be shown.
because he’s balding?
Yeah, why not show just Calvin Kline models with full hear, slim and full of muscles?
Isn’t THAT the real America?
Aren’t YOU all looking like that???
(In case you don’t get it and from what I read here I can assume some here don’t: that was irony, look it up!)
I made it through 3 minutes American Praying that Tom Petty wouldn’t show up. But I couldn’t finish it.
LOL at Barry Manilow.
If Obama loses this election, I’m totally blaming stereogum for posting this awful fucking video, and thus swaying the hipster vote toward McCain.
so, other than to frighten us terribly, why exactly IS barry manilow in this video?
Oh, God, like Obama hasn’t had a bad enough month. Losing in key polls, made to look foolish in that church debate, picking Joe “Listen to me talk!” Biden out of all the Democrats in the world, the Hillary people are about to revolt in Denver… and now this. This is a million times worse than all of them put together.
I’m in favor of partial-birth aborting this video.
I am an issue voter. Like abortion is to some people, bad music is to me. I vote against bad music. When I heard the Black Eyed Peas were performing at the DNC, I was heavily swayed toward McCain. Now I see this, and the GOP has my vote for sure. Wow. Do these celebrities actually think they are helping? Honestly, they alienate the mainstream. The NPR/PBS/Prius driving set was already voting for Obama.
Im alittle unnerved…. concerned that maybe the people in the video thought this was a good song that made an important political statement. wow.
They’d be better off just using George Costanza’s answering machine song. That would win my vote.
I think this signifies desperation more than anything else– Obama’s poll numbers will continue to sink as individuals in the heartland learn more about him — the news outletts can’t keep a steady revenue stream if they continue to embarrass themselves oogling over him. So who will reinvigorate ObamAmerica? Song and dance men and women! Men and women dangerously out of touch with the values of most Americans, and they don’t even see it. That’s what’s embarrassing; these guys think they’re speaking for the average Joe.
McCain’s camp is really playing it sharp — this is their best attack on Obama yet.
Lameasssssss
this blog is filled with the most pathetetic bunch of middle of the road tools i’ve ever come across. and a hearty FUCK YOU to any of you assholes honestly thinking of voting for a man who would perpetuate the Iraq war, a veritable crime against humanity. damn, i thought this blog was cool.
i doubt that this will seriously sway anyone’s vote even though it’s fun to talk shit about it. however, it really is awful. you really would think that folks who speak of this presidential hopeful in such an educated fashion would actually appply the effort to conceive a statement with a bit more sophistication.
Someday someone will have to explain how getting rid of Saddam Hussein was a “crime against humanity.” Unless you were a big fan of rape and stuff.
It might not have been worth it to the US in the end, but it did free 25 million people. Anyway, giving people who disagree with you a big F.U. is a bit childish, isn’t it?
that was embarrassing to watch… and for all those that support Obama you should be offended – the guy may be black but that doesn’t make him Martin Luther King…
thats it. i’m voting for harvey dent
Unbelievably stupid and superficial! Look at how subtle Joss Stone depicts the picture of ground for us when she’s singing “this is the ground…”. Forrest Whitaker changes his own scene looking to the sky but hell there’s no sky it was only Joss Stone’s vagina he’s staring at with smile!
Thank you Dave Stewart for composing this great song. Obama for president!
As an artist, I would NEVER appear in a video or song promoting a candidate for presidency in which i wasnt a citizen of that country. Not only is it morally wrong, its also stupid and irresponsible.
By the way, Forest Whitakker is a giant douche.
You’re right, Patrick. MLK Jr. was a REPUBLICAN.
Pretty sure this is a new flight of the conchords song!
sucks not to believe
I just realized what this reminded me of: “sending our love down the well” by Sting and the Simpsons cast, sans irony
Yeah how dare those hundreds of thousands dead resent dying for their freedom. Ditto for the millions displaced. The war in Iraq was based on a selfish Neocon agenda, which resulted in the spectacular decimation of a country. Saddam was a horrible dictator. But our occupation only made it (much) worse. The invasion was bellicose and conducted with shameful disregard for human life. That’s a fair definition of a crime against humanity, n’est pas?
Why is it when people become famous and rich they lose touch with REALITY?
I didn’t know it was our prayer to have a socialist president.
stereogum + politics = FAIL
Going political Stereogum? do your thing people, stay out of that crap. Please!