Michael Stipe & Chris Martin - "In The Sun"

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

REM's Michael Stipe has teamed up with Coldplay's Chris Martin for a charity single to continue aid for Hurricane Katrina victims.

This Sunday, following the Super Bowl (February 5) Stipe's duet with Martin on the Joseph Arthur-penned song 'In the Sun' will premiere on US television drama 'Grey's Anatomy'.

The following day it will be available for purchase solely on iTunes, with proceeds going to benefit Mercy Corps .

"The news cycle has moved on and I don't want the public to forget about those who were affected by Katrina or to believe that everything is fine now," Stipe said in a statement yesterday.

He added: "It's a unique place, not only to this country but to the world. I had to do something as a Southerner. I had to do something as a public figure. The one thing I can do is sing, and it's probably the best way to get people to pay attention."

The song features piano by Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and production by Stipe with ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha.

In addition to the duet with Martin, the single will be available in a number of formats on iTunes, including a live version recorded by Coldplay and Stipe at the Texas music festival Austin City Limits earlier this year, as well as a remix by Justin Timberlake and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am.

'In The Sun' will also be featured in a documentary film of the same name, which airs on US cable network the Sundance Channel later this year. Stipe, Martin and a number of hurricane survivors are interviewed in the picture.

The full track listing of 'In the Sun' is:

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Gulf Coast Relief) (Feat. Chris Martin)
Michael Stipe - In the Sun (JAW Breakers Remix) (Feat. Chris Martin, Mix by Justin Timberlake and will.i.am)
Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Feat. Joseph Arthur)
Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Michael Stipe)
Michael Stipe - In the Sun (w/ Coldplay) (Recorded Live at Austin City Limits)
Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Free Acoustic Couch Rehearsal) (Michael Stipe/Joseph Arthur)

www.nme.com/news/coldplay/22121

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

Here's an article from MTV:

Fourteen years after R.E.M. recorded Automatic for the People in New Orleans, singer Michael Stipe is helping out the people there by releasing a benefit EP to raise funds and awareness for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

The EP, which





will be released exclusively via the iTunes Music Store on Sunday, will feature six versions of a song called "In the Sun," including three featuring Chris Martin with one of those remixed by Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am and another recorded live with Coldplay.

"The news cycle has moved on, and I don't want the public to forget about those who were affected by Katrina or to believe that everything is fine now," Stipe said in a statement. "Things are not fine. The storm is still impacting people's lives in very real ways, and many have been left desperate. I want to remind each of us that as humans, and certainly as Americans, it is our responsibility to help those in need."

"In the Sun" was written by singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur and featured on his 2000 album, Come to Where I'm From. Arthur is featured on two of the EP's versions, including an acoustic rehearsal. (The sixth is solely Stipe.)

"The first time Joseph and I spoke, he was in New Orleans," said Stipe, who also has family roots in the Gulf Coast region. "When I saw what happened with Katrina, 'In the Sun' came to mind. He writes from a very deep, intuitive place."

With the exception of the live track, which was recorded for "Austin City Limits," the EP was produced by former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and features Fountains of Wayne singer Adam Schlesinger on piano.

The Martin duet version will premiere on "Grey's Anatomy" after the Super Bowl on Sunday, while the song will return to television in the spring as part of a short film, also titled "In the Sun," on the Sundance Channel. It features interviews with the song makers, hurricane survivors and volunteers.

Proceeds from the EP will go to Mercy Corps, a nonprofit humanitarian relief agency.

"I had to do something as a Southerner," Stipe said. "I had to do something as a public figure. The one thing I can do is sing, and it's probably the best way to get people to pay attention."

To find out what you can do to help provide relief to victims of Katrina, head to think MTV's hurricane relief page.

— Corey Moss

I can't wait to hear this one.

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

Listen to snippets!!!

www.inthesunfoundation.org/

I like it a lot.

[That Skipping Rope.]

I think I'm gonna wait til I can hear the whole thing, but thanks for the link! This is sure to be amazing.

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

This is now for sale on iTunes. I love it. I bought two of the versions, the main version featuring Chris and the will.i.am remix. Both are great, but the simplicity of the original is more powerful in my opinion.

I hope this gets some airplay.

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

The main version is #71 at iTunes. Wasn't on the chart at all this morning.

So has anyone else downloaded this?

[tozion]

If it wasn't on the chart this morning, it was yesterday. It was in the 40's.

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

Second greatest gainer at Triple A!

[tozion]

Billboard review:

In the Sun
MICHAEL STIPE FEATURING CHRIS MARTIN AND JOSEPH ARTHUR
Producer(s): not listed
Genre: POP
Label: WB Records (CD single)

Choose your version. R.E.M. frontman and Georgia native Michael Stipe leads an effort to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims six months after the catastrophe with this charity single's proceeds going to Mercy Corps. Six mixes are offered, including a truly definitive Stipe solo version. Another mix features Stipe and Coldplay lead Chris Martin (an inspired, albeit disparate alliance of octaves and generations). There are also remixes featuring folk/rock artist and songwriter Joseph Arthur, less a commercial venture than artistic expression. The song is lovely, but radio seems like a long shot. So how do Stipe and friends exactly hope to lead consumers to support the cause? That remains the million-dollar question. —Chuck Taylor

[TotallyEnormousExtinctDinosaur]

Radio does seem like a long shot... especially since it was never sent for adds.