Over the past few months on VH1 over here in the UK I have seen a video called A Beautiful Day which features such artists as Lou Reed, EmmyLou Harris, Bono, David Bowie, Tom Jones, etc. which came out at around 1997. Anyway during that time we lived in the USA and I dont ever recall seeing this video on VH1 over there. The thing is, I have 2 questions about this video project:

1. Was one of the artists featured Michael Hutchence?? One of the performers in this video sure looks like him!!! The video only shows a couple of seconds of this performer so I couldnt really make this person out!!

2. Can anyone tell me what the cause was behind this video?? What charity or event spurred these artists 2 record this song and make this video??

Thanks guys!!
[Edited 10/14/04 22:54pm]

the closest thing to that i can remember was a video for lou reed's "a perfect day" that had a bunch of well known faces in the video...my memory of it is kinda hazy, but i seem to recall that it was produced in tandem with a documentary on lou reed's career, and maybe in connection with a lou reed best-of anthology album.

this may not be what you're referring to at all, but i seem to remember this lou reed video being released around the time you're saying, and i know a lot of the names you listed were in the reed documentary that came out around that time.

I knew I got the title wrong!!!

The song was released for BBC children in need.

Thanks to a posting which originally appeared on alt.fan.david-bowie, here are the artists and the lines which they sing:
Lou Reed - Just a perfect day, Drink Sangria in the park...
Bono - ...And then later, when it gets dark...
Morcheeba - ...We go home....
David Bowie - ...Just a perfect day...
Suzanne Vega - ...Feed animals in the zoo...
Elton John - ...Then later, a movie, too, And then home...
Boyzone - ...Oh it's such a perfect day...
Lesley Garrett - ...I'm glad I spent it with you...
Burning Spear - ...Oh! such a perfect day...
Bono - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Thomas Allen - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Brodsky Quartet - Instrumental
Heather Small - ...Just a perfect day...
Emmylou Harris - ...Problems all left alone...
Tammy Wynette - ...Weekenders on our own...
Shane McGowan - ...It's such fun...
Sheona White - Instrumental
Dr. John - ...Just a perfect day...
David Bowie - ...You made me forget myself...
Robert Cray - ...I thought I was someone else...
Huey - ...Someone good...
Ian Broudie - ...Oh! it's such a perfect day...
Gabrielle - ...I'm glad I spent it with you...
Dr. John - ...Oh such a perfect day...
Evan Dando - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Emmylou Harris - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Courtney Pine - Instrumental
Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra - Instrumental
Brett Anderson - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Visual Ministry Choir - ...Reap, reap reap...
Joan Armatrading - ...You're going to reap...
Laurie Anderson - ...Just what you sow...
Heather Small - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Tom Jones - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Visual Ministry Choir - ...Reap, reap reap what you sow...
Lou Reed - ...Oh! What a perfect day...
[Edited 10/15/04 1:27am]

DAMN!! Why would such prolific artists as these become involved in a charity like BBC Children In Need????

I can understand charities like Amnesty International or UNICEF or The Red Cross, etc, but BBCs Children In Need!!!!!
[Edited 10/15/04 2:08am]

Gold319 said:

Yeah cos "Children in Need" is such a monumental waste of time, right. I mean who the hell cares...

adoreme said:

I remember when that charity first started, in the 80s a DJ on a Radio Station here called Capitol Radio by the name of Kenny Everett(who a few years ago died of AIDS) said that he would sure like 2 meet this child who was in need!!!

I am not decrying helping children in need and I agree with u that children around the whole world need helping in many ways, what I was shocked at was these artists helping the BBC!!!

Gold319 said:

Huh?

The BBC are one of the biggest worldwide broadcasting corporations in the world. You can tune into the BBC anywhere... they are the perfect organisation to front a charity campaign.

Actually, the BBC is heavily into charity.

Their long running kid's show Blue Peter always seems to have a fundraiser, but also raises awareness amongst youngsters, which is great.

And every year they have an entire evening of what they call Red Nose Day, basically an evening of fundraising by documentaries spliced up by comical sketches.

French & Saunders have a yearly program in which they spoof the hit of the year, last year I think they spoofed Lord Of The Rings.

BBC is a highly profile broadcaster in the UK. There is nothing strange for these people giving their support to a good cause if the organizer is trustworthy.

You will find that 'these artists' are often involved in these good causes, often spearheaded by Bono, who this year released What's Going On by Marvin Gaye with the singer of Coldplay and some others, I think.

Keep doing the right thing, I say!

Gold319 said:

Why do you continuously make yourself look like a complete f**kwit

The BBC are one of the most respected broadcasting corporations in the world.....DUR DUR DUR DUR DUR DUR DUR DUR DUR

The thing is the BBC has enough money in its collective corporate pockets, from our TV Licence fees, 2 help all these charities,without sponging off us 2 help them more!!

Gold319 said:

Yada yada?
Anyone?

Gold319 said:

The licence fee is actually used to fund the programmes that you watch on the BBC. The BBC also funds itself through enterprises such at BBC merchandise and BBC Publishing.

They don't actually have money to splash around - and certainly not the amount that Children in Need raises with every drive.

You really don't know what you're talking about.

The thing is, why doesnt the BBC become like PBS in the USA?? Once or twice a year PBS holds nationwide localized telethons where they show reruns of all the programs they have shown throughout the past year and they dont show them until the public have phoned in with pledges, then in return whoever has pledged the most money gets a very nice gift appertaining 2 the program this person has pledged for!!

PBS runs very nicely due 2 public pledging without sending a bill out and FORCING people 2 pay and if they dont a TV Detector van comes round and disconnects your TV and takes it away!!!! The thing is people can pledge what THEY can afford!!! Then the channel becomes PUBLICLY owned, hence its name The Public Broadcasting System!!

Also PBS shows programs that are relevant 2 each area, like one year PBS in Minneapolis, showed that BBC Omnibus Special The Prince Of Paisley Park around the time of the Emancipation promotion!!

Gold319 said:

Because they don't need to?

And erm... D'OH!

GooeyTheHamster said:

Precisely.

We do things differently here in Blighty.... thank God.

Gold319 said:

oh goodness me.

adoreme said:

So u REALLY LOVE paying the TV Licence then instead of having an extra £116 in your pockets 2 spend on what u REALLY want?????

Hehehe.
This level of thickness is impenetrable...

Word.

Gold319 said:

My mind goes into overdrive thinking of how many CDs or DVDs I can buy with an extra £116!!!

If I remember correctly, whilst the song and video were indeed used for Children In Need, they were also used prior to that for a self-promoting ad campaign on BBC television. Those of you outside the UK may or may not know this, but the BBC does not feature advertisements of any sort and broadcasts 24 hours a day with no commercials, EXCEPT commercials for itself and its own products. This particular ad was used to promote the idea that the compulsory licence fee is used to make unique programmes which are unlike those found elsewhere. That was the idea, at least...

A number of versions were made: the one that was widely used, featuring male and female artists, as well as a "male only" version and a "female only" version (i.e. either the men sang the whole song or the women did - I guess they got each artist to sing the whole song and used more or less of them as needed)

Gold319 said:

in summary, yes.

go and enjoy your adverts every ten minutes and no requirements to show quality programming.

or guess what? don't pay the licence fee and read a book instead!

TheFrog said:[quote]

Gold319 said:

What...you mean, it's possile to pass the time AWAY from a TV, WITHOUT a tube of Pringles in one hand and a remote control in the other, constantly flicking from one shite channel to the next.....?

RocknRollDave said:[quote]

TheFrog said:

you know what, i barely watch the damn tv. but i CANNOT do without Pringles.

TheFrog said:

WOW!! Do Brits ACTUALLY READ books????

I thought the only thing Brits read was football and cricket scores!!!

Or The Sun or Daily Mirror or The Daily Star!!!
[Edited 10/15/04 4:15am]

Gold319 said:

99% literacy compared to 97% literacy in the US.

just for your info.

TheFrog said:

WOW!! U could have fooled me the way people behave here!!

TheFrog said:

Amen, brother, amen. When are they gonna make the damn tubes bigger, though...?! I saw a yard of Jaffa Cakes for sale in the Christmas stuff at Co-op the other day, when they gonna do, like, a Mile of Pringles or such like....?!?!?!

Gold319 said:

You are the person that got a warning for flaming, aren't you?

For now the only person not behaving is YOU. We KNOOOOOW about your bad UK trip. Grow up.

RocknRollDave said:

A box of Pringle tubes + Froggie + Davey + Gooey = PARTYYYYY!