Back in April this year, Punk icon Patti Smith and The Police drummer Stewart Copeland joined 250 Choir! Choir! Choir! members for a performance of "People Have The Power" in New York.
The crowd's respect for Patti is evident from the minute she's visible in the room. Gracefully taking her place on stage with her heart-warming smile, she joins the band who count in the opening bars of her legendary song. The choir consists of all ages and they do a stunning job of providing a moving sonic backdrop for Patti's impactful words. The recording of this triumphant moment was only uploaded to YouTube this week.
The result, just magical. And Stewart Copeland is playing a tiny frypan!
"People Have The Power" from 1988's Dream Of Life album, rings as strong today as it did on release - if not more so. Lyrically it is an empowering call to arms, a reminder that as a society we must speak up against injustice and we do have the power to make change for the better. This song was used by U2 as their entrance music for their Innocence + Experience Tour, and U2 invited the Eagles of Death Metal to perform this song with them as their first public appearance after the tragedy that happened at their Bataclan show in Paris in 2015, where several people were killed.
The original video is shot in simple black and white, and the single artwork was shot by Patti Smith's long-time collaborator, Robert Mapplethorpe.
Patti Smith will be making her way back to Australia for Byron Bay's Bluesfest in 2020, along with an incredible line-up. Check out all the details here.
Listen to Patti Smith on Spotify
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