American Prayer - Dave Stewart (Barack Obama Music Video)

Get the latest Flash player

DaveStewartOfficial
August 21, 2008

AMERICAN PRAYER SONG on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/Web... RINGTONE http://www.myxer.com/CHANGE or text "CHANGE" to 69937 to get your "American Prayer" ringtone FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT SONG...

AMERICAN PRAYER SONG on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZ...

RINGTONE
http://www.myxer.com/CHANGE or text "CHANGE" to 69937 to get your "American Prayer" ringtone

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT SONG
http://www.myamericanprayer.com

Earlier this year when I was recording American Prayer, a song I originally co-wrote with Bono, the phrase, "When you get to the top of the mountain, remember me" seemed to take on a whole new resonance, given the inspirational candidacy of Barack Obama. The song always contained one of my favorite passages from Dr. King, which was hauntingly delivered the night before he was assassinated. King says: "I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!" People long for a connection— whether it is to music, to their country, or to a big idea. Regardless of what happens in November, Senator Obama has reminded millions of people that they have the power to connect to bigger ideas. He is, in essence, the embodiment of a new anthem for change. He has continued King's narrative from what was once thought of as a dream to a reality. I find it especially relevant that Barack Obama will accept the Democratic Party Nomination for President 45 years to the day of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
When we were originally writing the song, Bono was crafting the words in a way that would make people think about the fact that 'America' as a concept was a truly great idea, based on the bedrock of equality. I find it more pertinent than ever to release it now; to the moment America finds itself in, daring to re-imagine itself and its place in the world.
When I set out to make a video for the new version of this song, I wanted to honor all of those millions of people, especially young people, who are, for the first time, feeling empowered to voice their beliefs. I wanted to capture how Obama's message of change has echoed across the broad fabric of what is America. To do that, we've cast the film with an eclectic array of personalities, including Forest Whitaker, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper, Barry Manilow, Joan Baez, Macy Gray and Joss Stone. They appear alongside veterans, teachers and everyday citizens— all of whom have been touched by this simple idea of change. As an Englishman, I'm not an expert in all the intricate details of American politics. But as an artist, I understand how rare it is to inspire a connection to a bigger idea or purpose. This video isn't so much an endorsement of Barack Obama as much as it is a celebration of all those who have picked up a sign, who have registered to vote and are working to make the world a better place. So as Senator Barack Obama ascends to the mountain top, let us not forget all of the others who for the past 40 years have sung anthems of change to make this moment possible.

LYRICS

This is my American Prayer
This is my American Prayer

This is the time to finish what you started
And this is no time to dream
This is the room
We can turn off the dark tonight
Maybe then we might see

American Prayer
American Prayer

And this is the ground
That keeps our feet from getting wet
And this is the sky over our head
And what you see depends on where you stand
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land

American Prayer
American Prayer

My oh my
Couldn't get much higher
Lets not kick out the darkness
Make the light brighter

And these are the hands
What are we gonna build with them?
This is the church you can't see
Give me your tired, your poor and huddled masses
You know they're yearning to breathe free
This is my American Prayer
American Prayer
American Prayer

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

LIST OF GUESTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
Dave Stewart
Forest Whitaker
Amy Keys
Macy Gray
Jason Alexander
Colbie Caillat
Whoopi Goldberg
Joss Stone
Buju Banton
Ann Marie Calhoun
Barry Manilow
Linda Perry
Cyndi Lauper
Sergio Mendes
Herbie Hancock
Mike Bradford
Margaret Cho
Cindy Gomez
Speech
Joan Baez
Daedelus
Pamela Anderson
Peter & Gordon
Sierra Swan
Nadirah X
Perez Hilton

http://davestewart.com/

Category: Music

More From: DaveStewartOfficial

Play All Stop Autoplaying | Play Next

QuickList(0)

Clear | Save

3,128 ratings

981,901 views

Favorite

Playlists

Flag

Want to add to Favorites? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to add to Playlists? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Want to flag a video? Sign In or Sign Up now!

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (28)

ebayredux

Santiago...

CoCoRue62

SFreakLe...

pitchcon...

onevoice...

obamacd

daktari9

soulesma...

doenutz37

brettray76

oneUSAfo...

VoteForUSA

MagnumSt...

gstockton

baefta

DavidPac...

optimumf...

afleishman

lestat1124

View All - Play All

Text Comments (4,122) Options

Comment(s) marked as spam Show

BOINKINU (22 hours ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Psalms 109.8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Comment(s) marked as spam Show

sheilamuhammad (2 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

free buju

szary999 (3 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

AMERICAN BULL SHIT

lagundafire (2 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

not really, but ok. whatever you say you ignorant prick.

szary999 (3 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Ludzie w jakich czasach przyszło życ, ręce opadają jak widze to amerykanskie rozczulanie

yeemike50135 (3 days ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Didn't See The This is it Movie Yet ??? Then Just Go Its Online Visit : moviewatcher(DOT)us

jtubebx1 (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

Buju Banton faces drug conspiracy charges
Miami Herald 12/13/09

Buju Banton, the Jamaican reggae star whose anti-gay lyrics have drawn international criticism, is in a federal lockup in Miami,facing drug conspiracy charges.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents say Banton, real name Mark Anthony Myrie, has been in custody since Thurs and will soon be transferred to Tampa,where the U.S. Attorney is charging him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine.

jtubebx1 (2 weeks ago) Show Hide

Marked as spam

I don't really understand why Buju Banton is included in this video. Does he share any of the values of Barack Obama or of America? Does he believe in inclusion?

Buju Banton meet Joan Baez. Buju Banton meet Cindi Lauper. Buju Banton meet Whoopi Goldberg.

To find out about Buju Banton, search on "rasta got hate"

Showing 10 of 4,122 comments

Show More Comments

View All 4,122 comments

Would you like to comment?

Join YouTube for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.

YouTube	Programs	Help	Policy	Discover
Contact Us	Advertising	Get Help	Privacy Policy	YouTube on Your Phone
YouTube Store	Developers	YouTube Handbook	Terms of Service	YouTube on Your Site
Press Room	Partnerships	Community Help Forums	Copyright Notices	YouTube on Your TV
Business Blog	Content Management	Safety Center	Community Guidelines	YouTube RSS Feeds
YouTube Blog		Creator's Corner		TestTube

Add YouTube to your Google homepage

Current Location: Japan Show locations

American Prayer - Dave Stewart (Barack Obama Music Video)

More From: DaveStewartOfficial

QuickList(0)

Related Videos

Statistics & Data

Video Responses (28)

Text Comments (4,122) Options

Would you like to comment?