# Yes we can - Will.I.Am Obama speech song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017 "2008-02-02T20:25:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Juggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/juggler/32/3194_2.png) [@Juggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juggler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/1 "2008-02-02T20:25:25Z")
Will.I.am from Black Eyed Peas made an inspirational song from a speech by Barack Obama. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqTRuZDwm2M](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqTRuZDwm2M) or [http://www.yeswecansong.com](http://www.yeswecansong.com) I find that it amazingly enough doesn’t cross the line into sappiness a la We are the world. Can you help me list the celebrities in the video? I haven’t found a list on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/2 "2008-02-02T22:22:34Z")
Very nice! Thanks for sharing that. I think it was well done - I like how he used words from Barak’s speeches. This is at the end of the YouTube clip’s description: Celebrities featured include: Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Adam Rodriquez, Amber Valetta and Nick Cannon I think I also saw Harold Perrineu (sp?) from _Lost_. Was the bald white dude with the goatee Ed Kowalczyk from Live? ---
**Author:** ![Juggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/juggler/32/3194_2.png) [@Juggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juggler)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/3 "2008-02-03T11:23:21Z")
Should have checked my own links. The song now has an entry on Wikipedia and they mention both Ed and Harold, well done **ZipperJJ** > **[Yes We Can](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_We_Can)** > > Yes We Can may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/4 "2008-02-03T16:43:26Z")
Man, are all those people really famous or am I getting old? I “recognized” Tatyana Ali in that I knew I knew her but couldn’t place her - because I hadn’t seen her since she was a teen on _Fresh Prince_. I didn’t recognize Herbie Hancock…he must be getting old too. And I feel old for recognizing Ed Kowalczyk because I assume Live hasn’t done anything worth noting since _I_ was a teen. And…I couldn’t recognize Scarlett Johannson if she punched me in the face. I feel bad not being able to recognize the figures who support the “young people’s candidate” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/5 "2008-02-03T17:35:47Z")
Is it worth noting that the person that started this thread is from Sweden? If so, what exactly does that say? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-we-can-will-i-am-obama-speech-song/436017/6 "2008-02-03T19:51:44Z")
Swedish pop music is getting stranger and stranger?