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Star-studded music video for George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' explores the song's meaning

Maybe what we’re searching for has been right in front of us the whole time.

George Harrison/YouTube

George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" has been a beloved pop hymn for 50 years.

If someone were to ask which member of the Beatles was first to chart a No. 1 hit on the charts after the band's break-up, would you guess George Harrison? He was, with his song "My Sweet Lord" from his 1970 album "All Things Must Pass." It would be his biggest hit as a solo artist.

The song is a pop hymn of sorts, with two mantras from different religious traditions—"Hallelujah" from Christianity and "Hare Krishna" from Hinduism—alternating throughout. According to songfacts.com, Harrison wanted to convey that the two phrases were essentially the same, both calling out to God.

As Harrison explained in the documentary "The Material World": "First, it's simple. The thing about a mantra, you see... mantras are, well, they call it a mystical sound vibration encased in a syllable. It has this power within it. It's just hypnotic."

The song is simple, sweet and spiritual, hitting on some of the most fundamental elements of being human, which may explain its popularity. In 2022, a star-studded music video for the song prompted a newfound reflection about the song's meaning.

Directed by Lance Bangs and executive produced by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine, the video stars Fred Armisen and Vanessa Bayer as agents who have been asked by their superior, played by Mark Hamill, to “search for that which can’t be seen.” Patton Oswalt, Taika Waititi, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Rosanna Arquette, Jon Hamm and others—including Ringo Starr—make cameo appearances in the video.

Harrison’s wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani, also appear in the video, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Watch:

People are loving the video, both for the reminder of what a good song it is and for the interpretation of how we can find what we're seeking—God or truth or enlightenment—in the simple things that are right in front of us.

"The search never ends," wrote one commenter. "Sometimes we look but we never see. Sometimes we see but we don't understand. We hear, but do we listen? Life is up for grabs."

"I think the spirit in which the video is made is George's philosphy," wrote another. "People with high tech looking for answers. But they're constantly in the dark. The answer is not in a book. Turn on the light. Stop wandering around the world. The answers are in front of you but you're not paying attention. You just need to tune in the message."

"George has been gone 20 years, this song is 50 years old, and yet here we are watching a new music video for it featuring a ton of people famous actors and musicians," wrote one person. "It just goes to show you the power of George’s music and the depth to which it is a part of us."

Thousands of comments have poured in from people who are moved by "My Sweet Lord" and the message of the video five decades after the song was released, showing the true timelessness of Harrison's mark on the world.


This article originally appeared two years ago.


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Last year, Sia's manager did something really brave. It inspired her new video.

On June 8, Sia released the video for "Feel Me," an emotional new song with a powerful message in support of a great cause.

Sia is known for unique, visually captivating music videos. Her latest, for a new song called "Feel Me" is all that and important too.

Starring Zoe Saldana with narration by Julianne Moore, the video follows the impassioned journey of a mother-to-be who's just found out that she's HIV-positive.

The video — which was choreographed by Ryan Heffington (who also choreographed videos for "Chandelier," "Cheap Thrills," and "The Greatest") — is the stunning work of art the world has come to expect from Sia. But "Feel Me," and the cause it was made to support, has an important backstory.

The song was inspired by Sia's manager, David Russell, who came out publicly as HIV-positive in a 2016 interview.

Russell's diagnosis in 2002 inspired Sia to become more engaged in HIV-related activism. Over the course of the past 12 years, the two have worked together as manager and client — both watching the other grow in their own ways.

"I've been thrilled to witness Sia's reach grow further and further, all the while using her status as a person of influence for good," Russell writes in an email. "'Feel Me' is a gorgeous record and I'm so happy and proud to work with an artist as generous and open hearted as she is. She makes a difference."

Sia wrote in Billboard that Russell's "transformation of his shame into self acceptance has been magic to watch."

Photo courtesy of David Russell.

A lot has changed for the better since Russell first got his HIV-positive diagnosis.

That's due, in part, to efforts designed to fight HIV stigma — and messages like the one in Sia's "Feel Me" video.

GIF from "Feel Me" by Sia/YouTube.

"When I was diagnosed, it was only five or six years after the first round of anti-retrovirals were introduced so concepts like 'undetectable = non-transmission' or regimens like PrEP were either unavailable or not common knowledge," Russel writes. "I’d say the first five years of my living with HIV were at the tail end of the 'panic' years, and as a result I experienced a lot of negativity about my positive status."

Over the past five years or so, preventative treatments like PrEP and a fuller understanding of how and when the virus can be transmitted began making their way into common knowledge. As a result, HIV stigma has started to decline.

Sia during a 2016 concert. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images.

Proceeds from "Feel Me" sales and streams will go toward the #endHIV Campaign's efforts to develop an HIV vaccine.

While HIV isn't anywhere near the death sentence it was in the '80s and '90s, it's still a serious issue without a cure. Nearly 40,000 Americans were diagnosed with HIV in 2015, adding to the more than 1.1 million living with it in the U.S.

"While this is a diagnosis nobody looks forward to it can also be a blessing in disguise," Russell writes when asked what advice he'd offer someone newly diagnosed with the virus. And that's really what the video is about — the scary moment of diagnosis and the flood of emotions that come after.

"Finding out I’m positive led me to look closer at my relationships, my health — both physically and mentally — and challenged me to live my life in the present.  We’ve made such enormous advances medically that anyone diagnosed in 2017 can expect to live a normal life with regular check-ups and adherence to medication."

"Feel Me" is now available on all major streaming and digital platforms. For more information about the #endHIV Campaign, visit the group's website.

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Singer-songwriter Andrew Bird's latest music video tackles a tough topic.

Andrew Bird's latest music video shines a light on an important issue.

By the time September rolled around, the city of Chicago was on the verge of its 500th murder in 2016.

In just over nine months, nearly 3,000 people in the city were shot, roughly matching the total for all of 2015. While the root cause of this violence can be debated, one thing people from around the political spectrum should be able to agree on is that something needs to be done.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Musician Andrew Bird wanted to do something about gun violence, especially as it concerned his hometown of Chicago.

That's why he teamed up with Everytown for Gun Safety last fall. Together, Bird and the Everytown movement found a way to make gun safety a key theme in both his latest album ("Are You Serious?") and its ensuing tour.

Andrew Bird performs at Coachella. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella.

"The rhetoric around gun violence has gotten so reactionary that it seems no one is talking sense," says Bird in a press release. "Everytown is an organization that is talking sense, making points that no one can argue with."

What started as a plan to donate $1 from every ticket on his U.S. tour and sell special edition T-shirts in support of Everytown's cause quickly turned into something much more ambitious.

Bird and Everytown joined forces with director Natalie Morales to create a music video meant to highlight not just the body count, but as Bird says, "the psychic toll that gun violence is taking on our citizens."

In this latest endeavor, a music video for Bird's 2013 song, "Pulaski at Night," Bird, Morales, and Everytown take a look at the new reality of what it means to be a kid in America — specifically, one in Chicago.

The "day in the life" style video centers around a single student as he navigates his way through disruptive lockdown drills during class and as he passes pop-up memorials for gun victims between home and school. It's a reminder that the world isn't as safe or as innocent as we'd like it to be for our children.

Image by Andrew Bird/YouTube.

"I used to throw up my hands and say, ‘What can we do? It's complicated,’ but that’s lame," adds Bird. "There’s so much we can do and Everytown is out there doing it."

Will this music video single-handedly put an end to gun violence? Of course not. Will it spark conversation about what we, as a society, can do to address this problem? Absolutely.

Everytown is pretty thrilled to have artists like Bird and Morales on board in their mission to promote gun safety through common sense solutions.

Jason Rzepka, director of cultural engagement at Everytown, stresses the importance of using a variety of strategies in bringing attention to this important issue, saying, "Eradicating gun violence from our communities will require all of us, using every tool at our disposal."

You can watch the brand new music video for Andrew Bird's "Pulaski at Night" below.

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This bold girl is ushering in a new wave of media representation for Latinos.

Seeing ourselves represented in the media in a fun and fearless way is a wonderful thing for the Latino community.

The second I saw the spark of self-confidence in the little girl's eyes, I knew Bomba Estéreo's music video "Soy Yo" would be different.

You may have heard of Bomba Estéreo — they're a Colombian band that's seen some heightened success recently. Will Smith teamed up with them on the song "Fiesta," and "Soy Yo" plays in a badass recent Target commercial starring Rita Moreno. The Spanish phrase "bomba estéreo" is a term used in Colombia for a really cool, awesome, badass party ... and I can definitely imagine being at one of those, dancing the night away with "Soy Yo" playing on repeat.

The song's title means "I'm Me" in Spanish, and the video proudly showcases a curious and modern little girl roaming a neighborhood. Throughout the song, she comes upon a series of things that could be considered obstacles to anyone who may not be sure of themselves, but she knocks each one down with pure gold bravado.

This little girl may very well be my spirit animal.

I was so transfixed by the protagonist's delightfully confident swagger that after I watched it, I immediately called my sister to have her watch too.

We both instantly fell in love with the pint-sized star and agreed the little girl has a striking resemblance to my sister when she was that age — actions and all, which made it that much cooler. Watch the video for yourself:

So, yeah, this is a well-made music video, and the song is pretty catchy. But for the Latino community, this video is a really big deal even beyond all that.

Why? Because I almost never saw myself represented in the media when I was a kid.

I didn't have a Latina version of a Winnie Cooper character from "The Wonder Years" on television when I was growing up. Sure, we had the hilarious La Chilindrina, a bonafide crybaby and drama queen, from the hugely popular television show "El Chavo del Ocho," which I adore. But she wasn't exactly the picture of self-confidence. And she also doesn't depict what I consider an accurate representation of little girls in the Latino community.

So this video matters A LOT. Young Latino girls now will have someone like this video's protagonist on screen, and they can relate to her. She looks like them, and she's fearless and bold in a music video from a band that's getting a big break in America. That's amazing. Where have girls like her on TV been all my life?

The video opens with our heroine spinning around in her salon chair.

She absolutely loves the way she looks — no fancy curls or updo needed. This scene screams, "I love myself!" It's an awesome display of self-confidence.

Sure, her look may not fit the stereotypical mold of what some people consider attractive, but she loves it and that's all that matters. Get it, girl! If all of us could look in the mirror and be as confident as she is, that would be a wonderful thing.

Then comes a face-off with a pair of girls, where our protagonist unapologetically toot-toots their negativity away.

Just when we expect our little starlet to feel intimidated, powerless, or embarrassed over the sneers of her peers, like in most tween movies and old after-school specials, she busts out her flute and plays with unapologetic originality.  

This scene is proof that you don't always have to fight when you feel threatened or intimidated: You can diffuse the situation by just being your goofy self too.

The music video also tackles fearlessness in the most delightful way possible when our main character jumps into a basketball game.

Sure, she may not have the skills of the others playing in the pickup basketball game ... but that's not going to stop her from trying anyway. She doesn't need the b-ball skills to impress. She's got the confidence and the courage to just go for it, and that speaks volumes.

On her last stop, the girl encounters a trio of breakdancing boys and adds her own funky fresh moves.

OK, so she doesn't dance exactly like them, but she has her own impressive moves that she's happy to bust out, and they showcase her unshakeable confidence in herself and her originality. Yassss! Here's a tiny sample:

And a little something like this...

Or even this classic move...

I. Love. This.

Watching a young Latina girl walk around like the world is her oyster is mind-blowingly awesome.

This video makes a powerful statement for the next generation of girls about what they can do. It's a massive cultural shift.Can I get a heck yeah for this awesome representation of pride and self-confidence for Latina girls everywhere?

Director Torben Kjelstrup says his inspiration for the video came from an old photo of his girlfriend from the '90s. "She was looking so overly confident that she totally pulled it off, and I felt it resonated perfectly with the theme of 'Soy Yo.'" He said Sarai, the lead actress in the video, took it to the next level with her performance. Hell yes, she did.

This video makes me feel elated (and not just because I can't stop dancing while listening to the song). It makes me excited about the new direction Latino representation is taking that includes more self-awareness, more self-worth, and a great desire to show it all off.

Get. It. Girl.

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