Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Beyond his well-documented contributions to the musical canon, in life and death, John Lennon remains a symbol of peace. It is apt then that a selection of some of his greatest...
To be Released
06.12.2007
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
- 01 U2 - Instant Karma (3:13)
- 02 R.E.M. - Number 9 Dream (4:38)
- 03 Christina Aguilera - Mother (4:55)
- 04 Aerosmith - Give Peace A Chance (4:35)
- 05 Lenny Kravitz - Cold Turkey (4:41)
- 06 Los Lonely Boys - Whatever Gets You Through the Night (3:35)
- 07 Corinne Bailey Rae - I'm Losing You (4:00)
- 08 Jakob Dylan - Gimme Some Truth (3:53)
- 09 Jackson Browne - Oh, My Love (2:39)
- 10 Avril Lavigne - Imagine (3:12)
- 11 Big & Rich - Nobody Told Me (3:30)
- 12 Youssou N'Dour - Jealous Guy (3:59)
- 13 Green Day - Working Class Hero (4:24)
- 14 Black Eyed Peas - Power to the People (3:33)
- 15 Jack Johnson - Imagine (3:39)
- 16 Ben Harper - Beautiful Boy (3:48)
- 17 Snow Patrol - Isolation (2:36)
- 18 Matisyahu - Watching the Wheels (3:19)
- 19 The Postal Service - Grow Old With Me (2:29)
- 20 Jaguares - Gimme Some Truth (3:08)
- 21 The Flaming Lips - (Just Like) Starting Over (3:36)
- 22 Jack's Mannequin - God (4:20)
- 23 Regina Spektor - Real Love (3:57)
Full Description
Beyond his well-documented contributions to the musical canon, in life
and death, John Lennon remains a symbol of peace. It is apt then that a
selection of some of his greatest songs are the basis for Instant
Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur, a compilation being released
June 12 to support Amnesty International's campaign to focus attention
and mobilize activism around the crisis in the Sudan: genocide at the
hands of the Janjaweed militias -- bands of fighters backed by the
Sudanese government -- a campaign of violence that began in February
2003.
The album was led by Green Day's interpretation of Lennon's "Working
Class Hero," the Samuel Bayer-directed video for which
premiered exclusively on MTV.
"We wanted to do 'Working Class Hero' because its themes of alienation,
class, and social status really resonated with us," says Green Day
singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong on Amnesty International's instantkarma.org
site. "It's such a raw, aggressive song... we felt we could really sink
our teeth into it. I hope we've done him justice.
The set also includes U2's cover of "Instant Karma," Christina
Aguilera's spin on "Mother," R.E.M.'s rendition of "#9 Dream," Snow Patrol doing "Isolation" and "Power to the
People" performed by the Black Eyed Peas.
Rounding out Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur are
Lennon covers by the likes of Aerosmith (with The Sierra Leone's
Refugee All Stars), Lenny Kravitz, Los Lonely Boys, Corinne Bailey Rae,
Jakob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Avril Lavigne, Big & Rich, Youssou N'Dour,
Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Matisyahu, Postal Service, Jaguares, Flaming
Lips, Jack's Mannequin (featuring Mick Fleetwood) and Regina Spektor.
In addition to spreading awareness of the humanitarian crisis in
Darfur, the project also encourages individuals to take a stand by
putting their name to Amnesty International's global petition,
which declares, "as a citizen of the world, I demand and end to the
killing and mass atrocities in Darfur, Sudan."
Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur is available for
purchase June 12, but can be heard here on "The Leak" on MTV.com for a
full week prior to its release. While listening to some of the most
profound music by one of the 20th Century's most revered artists
covered by a selection of superstars and up-and-coming artists, visit
mtvU's comprehensive Darfur Web site, darfurisdying.com to
learn more about the crisis and what you can do.
