A Song for the Victims
为受难者献上的一首歌
Singers and bands from around the world have been gathering in London to record a charity single in aid of the victims of the Haiti earthquake disaster.
Artists like Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams and Susan Boyle have donated their time and talent in order to record a cover version of REM’s classic track Everybody Hurts.
The project has been organised by music mogul Simon Cowell, the mastermind behind recent TV talent shows such as the X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Pop Idol.
Stars like Mariah Carey have pledged their support
Cowell has assembled talent from his stable of X Factor winners alongside established acts such as Take That to record the song, the proceeds of which will be divided between a UK newspaper’s Haitian fund and the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation made up of 13 of the UK’s leading aid agencies.
Music fans who want to see their favourite artists gathered in one place for the recording of the single will be sadly disappointed however.
That’s because the performers are recording only a line or two of the song which will then be stitched together digitally to complete the track.
It’s all a far cry from the early days of charity singles when singers would huddle round a microphone, giving a live performance.
Other famous faces have also been doing their bit for the Haitian victims.
The British band Radiohead raised more than $500,000 (3m yuan) for the appeal by performing a special gig in Los Angeles.
Hollywood actor George Clooney’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon has so far raised $61m (414m yuan) thanks to celebrities like Madonna and Jay Z.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake on 12 January killed as many as 200,000 people and has left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless.
Glossary 词汇表
in aid of
为了帮助（或救济）… donated
捐赠 cover version
翻唱版本 track
歌曲 music mogul
音乐界巨头 mastermind
策划 stable
马棚，这里指同一机构下的（成员） established acts
已经有一定地位的演唱队 proceeds
收入 fund
基金 umbrella organisation
伞式组织 aid agencies
援助、救援机构 stitched together
连接在一起 far cry
差远了 huddle round
挤作一团 doing their bit
出一份力 raised
募集了 appeal
呼吁，恳求 gig
演出 telethon
马拉松式电视节目