SONGS I am very excited for David Archuleta, as it seems he is enjoying all the benefits of his hard work and talent. He is in the process of writing and recording a new album, and he has been the topic of discussion recently, now that the new season of American Idol is on. Many articles and comments have been written about him and his music caliber, often comparing him to this season’s contestants. Most agree that this year’s contestants just can’t match David’s voice when it comes to talent!

Recently, David Archuleta was invited to sing in the ensemble of the Spanish version of “We Are the World.” I for one am so happy that David was asked to be a part of this history making event. Since David’s mother Lupe is from Honduras, this was a wonderful opportunity for him to be able to touch upon his own Latino roots and to help the people of Haiti. I know he will be making many more fans as he captures the hearts of those in the Latino community all over the world. This, in my opinion, was a great step forward for David and his career. With that said,

The Song of the Week is…

“Somos El Mundo”

“Somos El Mundo” is the Spanish version of the popular song and charity single, “We Are the World,” which was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and co-produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. The song was originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. Recently, the song “We Are the World” was re-recorded to help raise funds to aid the people of Haiti after they suffered a catastrophic earthquake in January 2010. Many popular artists on the current music scene were asked to help out with this project. Then popular Latin artists Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio Estefan had the idea to write a Spanish version of the song to bring more aid to the people of Haiti. This endeavor was taken on after they discussed the possibility with Lionel Richie. With Lionel Richie’s help they asked many popular Latin artists, including David Archuleta, to join them in the making of the song and video of “Somos El Mundo.” “Somos El Mundo 25 Por Haiti” was recorded on February 19, 2010 and the song premiered on March 1, during the popular Hispanic El Show de Cristina television show.

The Latin people love music, and they really seem to love American singers. I learned this last spring when I went to visit my daughter while she was living in Spain. American music was everywhere, but it was a little behind the times compared to what we were listening to in the US. I heard many songs played on the radio which had been popular in America many months earlier. So even though the song “Crush” had been a big hit in the United States, it had not yet hit the Spanish airwaves. Being a huge fan of David Archuleta, I remember asking some of the people I met in Spain if they had ever heard of him. Alas, they had not. I told anyone who was interested, “Wait until you hear David Archuleta, you will really enjoy him”! I knew once these people heard his voice they would become fans for sure, especially if he were to sing something in Spanish! Well, that time has come because this week “Somos El Mundo” was released on i-Tunes for download. Now the Hispanic population will finally get the chance to learn what a great talent David Archuleta truly is.

Here is the music video of the Spanish song “Somos El Mundo.” David appears at the 2:30 mark and then a few times after. He sounds incredible!

~Lyrics to “Somos El Mundo”

Canción por Haití (Somos El Mundo)
Song for Haiti (We Are the World)

El día llegó
……..The day has come
No hay momento que perder
……..There’s not a moment to lose
Hay que buscar unir el mundo de una vez
……..We must seek to unite the world once again
Tantos necesitan un nuevo amanecer
……..So many need a new dawn
Hay que ayudar
……..We must help
Tenemos el deber
……..We have a duty

No hay que esperar
……..Do not expect
Que sea el otro el que va actuar
……..That it is the other who will act
Cuando el dolor a tu puerta pueda tocar
……..When pain may knock at your door
Al estar unidos no hay nada que temer
……..United we have nothing to fear
Para triunfar
……..In order to triumph
Tenemos que entender
……..We need to understand

Coro:
……..Chorus:
Somos Amor, Somos el Mundo
……..We are Love, We are the World
Somos la luz que alumbra con ardor, lo más oscuro
……..We are the light that ardently brightens the most dark
Llenos de esperanza
……..Filled with hope
Podemos rescatar
……..We can rescue
La fe que nos puede salvar
……..The faith that can save us
Juntos tu y yo
……..Together you and me

De Corazón
……..From the heart
Que sepan que importantes son
……..Let them know how important they are
Que su pesar sentimos todos también
……..That we all feel regret as well
Y que no están solos
……..And that they are not alone
Queremos ayudar
……..We want to help
Con compasión, firmeza y hermandad
……..With compassion, determination and brotherhood

Coro:
……..Chorus:
Somos Amor, Somos el Mundo
……..We are Love, We are the World
Somos la luz que alumbra con ardor, lo más oscuro
……..We are the light that ardently brightens the most dark
Llenos de esperanza
……..Filled with hope
Podemos rescatar
……..We can rescue
La fe que nos puede salvar
……..The faith that can save us
Juntos tu y yo
……..Together you and me

Cuando alguna vez te canses de luchar
……..When ever you tire of fighting
Es que aquí estaré a tu lado sin dudar
……..Is when I’ll be here by your side without hesitation
Te daré mi mano para juntos aprender
……..I will give you my hand so that together we can learn
La manera de poder vencer
……..The way to overcome

Original version of “We Are the World” from 1985, performed to help the people of Africa:

~Original lyrics to “We Are the World”

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can’t go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God’s great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they’ll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

When you’re down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well, let us realize
That a change will only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day
Just you and me

2010 re-make of the song and video of “We Are the World” to help the people of Haiti:

As always, I wish you all a peaceful and happy week! 😉

Take care,
Katie

Listen to Song of Last Week.

David Archuleta, the Voice