Original thought officially no longer exisits

If you read my movie blog, then you know that I detest remakes of movies (this also goes for TV shows). Well, apparently, this is not seeping into music. Now, this is no new fad. Artists are always doing their own version of someone else's song. Sometimes they improve on the original, and other times you wonder what were they thinking.

Having said this, though, the news came across a couple weeks ago that they were going to remake one of the greatest parts of the 80s, a song that united artists from all genres, and brought the world together in an effort to aid Africa, "We Are the World" (this week's Musical Monday selection, btw).

There are about a gazillion different issues I have with this, but I put those aside when I found out that they were doing this for Haiti and not just randomly remaking it, though I do wonder if they're using Haiti as an excuse, the same way Michael Jackson's brothers are using his death to get that reality show.

Even though this thing will be produced by the master, Quincy Jones (he did the original, as well), it just won't be the same. Not just because many of the artists from 20 or so years ago are aged (or have passed on), but because the musical landscape now is so much different now. You just now that if they do this, there has to be some kind of rap up in there. I don't know about you, but some gangsta rapper "spitting rhymes" just doesn't scream help to me.

Needless to say, I will keep an open mind ,but am not crazy about this idea. Personally, I think they need to come up with a new song. Whatever happened to original though? Is it truly dead?