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Peace Songs is not War Child’s first attempt to leverage the personal convictions of popular artists for its causes. |
When Avril Lavigne’s album Let Go debuted in 2002, critics immediately hailed her as a breath of fresh air blowing in from Canada’s cold northern climes. She was dubbed the “anti-Britney”, a welcomed diversion from the sugary, overly sexualized female teen pop music that had previously dominated radio play. Avril’s music is a mix of skater-punk vibe, teen angst and heartfelt personal sentiment that melds into something unique. Critics even dare to call her substantive.
In her latest effort, Avril proves her critics right, showing that she is not only substantive, but socially conscious as well. In her cover of the Bob Dylan classic, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, Avril tackles the issue of the plight of Iraqi children in the wake of a decade of sanctions and a war that has left more questions than answers concerning their future.
The song was recorded as part of a collaborative effort spearheaded in March 2002 by the humanitarian organization War Child Canada, a national affiliate of the international organization War Child, which focuses on the health and welfare of children living in war-torn areas of the world.
The album, entitled Peace Songs, features some of the biggest names from music’s past and present, including Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Paul McCartney, Moby, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, ColdPlay, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and Our Lady Peace. To date, Peace Songs has yielded $100,000 for War Child Canada.
Released by Dylan in 1973, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” obviously has no direct applicability to the current situation in Iraq. It is, however, a poignant peace statement that was written in the crucible of the Vietnam War era, thus giving it the emotional weight War Child Canada was looking for.
Avril’s video for the song, however, takes it to another level with strong documentary imagery of Iraqi children and scenes of their war-torn nation.
There are pictures of distraught parents carrying the lifeless bodies of their children away from the rubble produced by American bombing during the war. Sick children who have bore the brunt of the sanctions-induced breakdown in Iraqi healthcare and sanitation are shown languishing in rundown hospitals.
All the while, at script scrolls across the bottom of the video detailing statistics related to the condition of Iraqi children including the results of recent study in which 40 percent of the Iraqi children surveyed felt that life was no longer worth living.
But as much as the video stands as a testament to the dire conditions facing young people in Iraq today, it also provides a glimmer of hope, with Iraqi children shown in school uniforms and sitting in classrooms making every effort to educate themselves.
Peace Songs is not War Child’s first attempt to leverage the personal convictions of popular artists for its causes. In 2002, the organization produced a similar album entitled 1 Love, in 2001 and 2000 War Child Canada put on special concert fundraisers as well, and in years gone by world renowned operatic singer Luciano Pavarotti has generously contributed his vocal stylings to two other War Child albums. |
