Rihanna covers Bob Marley hit for Haiti
The singer, 21, said she felt compelled to act after watching the devastation of the Caribbean island on the news following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12. Appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday, Rihanna performed an acoustic version of the song. Her cover of the 1980 Marley track is available to download from […]
The singer, 21, said she felt compelled to act after watching the devastation of the Caribbean island on the news following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12. Appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday, Rihanna performed an acoustic version of the song. Her cover of the 1980 Marley track is available to download from iTunes now, with proceeds going to the Haiti Relief Fund.
Urging fans to download the track, Rihanna said she had chosen the song because she had always found it comforting during difficult times in her life. She said: ‘This song, for me, any time there was a difficult situation, I always listened to this song. It’s so liberating. Even now, I listen to it when my back is up against the wall. I feel the people of Haiti need to hear something inspiring.’
The song, written by a cancer-stricken Marley in 1979 and released the following year, used lyrics inspired by a speech given by civil-rights campaigner Marcus Garvey in 1937. It includes the lyrics: ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our mind.’
Rihanna performed the song after host Oprah Winfrey spoke about to Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean about the horrors he had witnessed in Haiti. On the show, he also showed home video footage he had taken of the destroyed home and desperate islanders. The Fugees rapper said he had already visited the ravaged island and was preparing to return this weekend. He said: ‘It’s just like the seventh hell. ‘The best I can explain it is for you to walk into a city and the entire city feels like walking into a morgue. For every two blocks, [there are] 15, 16 bodies on the floor – no plastic.’
Jean and Rihanna will both be taking part in the Hope For Haiti Now telethon on Friday night, which will be broadcast simultaneously over 30 U.S. TV networks. Rihanna will be performing with Jay-Z, Bono and The Edge live from London. Other stars performing or presenting on the two hour show include Justin TImberlake, Robert Pattinson, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, George Clooney, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Sting, Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift and Stevie Wonder.
Confidential.com