Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)
Encyclopedia
"Stranded" is a song performed by Jay-Z
, Bono
, The Edge
, and Rihanna
. It is a charity single for the Hope for Haiti Now campaign and was released on 23 January 2010, in the wake of the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake
.
sending simultaneous text messages to Jay-Z and Bono. They agreed to collaborate on a single, and Bono wrote the hook for "Stranded" while on the phone with Beatz. The latter said, "The idea of the song is 'We're not gonna leave you stranded' and that's what the chorus is. So me and Bono started going back and forth with ideas, and he was like, 'You know this word stranded keeps standing out to me' and I asked him to sing it, and he put me on hold 'cause he's recording the ideas on a Dictaphone — so he did it there and then on the phone." Bono and The Edge then did further writing work on it together.
The recording was done over diverse geographic locations and melded together, with The Edge helping out with extra production
work. Beatz then added Rihanna into the effort, later saying, "I knew that Jay would be able to tell a story, and that Bono would be able to sing and bring it home. The last component that I added was Rihanna, and she's kinda like the angel that's on the track, softening it up and giving it that caring feeling, because this hook is so powerful." The final recording was produced by Beatz and Declan Gaffney.
In the song, Jay-Z narrates the tale, invoking questions of religion and government while urging action and resolve:
Bono and Rihanna sing the vocal hook, with Rihanna taking the lead.
on 22 January 2010, and was shown hours later as part of the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon. The performance also featured The Edge on guitar and was one of the more upbeat ones of the event.
"Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" was released to the UK iTunes
Store on 23 January 2010. All profits from the sales will go towards the Hope For Haiti Now campaign. It is Rihanna's second charity single for the Haiti campaign (a take on "Redemption Song" being the first). Also, an album Hope for Haiti Now
, including the live performance and the studio version, was released to iTunes
on the same date.
A hybrid mix of the song was also included on the U2 Duals
compilation album in 2011.
felt that the artists behind "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" deserved credit for creating an original song for the occasion but that the results were of mixed quality: "The sound was muddy, and the concept undercooked, but it was an implicit acknowledgment that a situation this dire demanded something more than squeezing meaning out of a pre-existing song that lacks it." Ann Powers
of the Los Angeles Times
said the song's performance was the most newsworthy of the event, and described its musical flavoring as partly derived from the 1995 U2
side project Passengers and partly derived from modern rap. The Hartford Courant
described it as the most high-powered combination of the telethon, but said that Bono did not seem fully integrated into the performance.
chart, and Number 6 on the Canadian Hot 100
. On 28 January 2010, 'Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)' debuted on the Irish Singles Chart
at Number 3. The following day, the song made yet another appearance, this time on the Swedish Singles Chart at Number 3. On 31 January 2010, the song entered the UK Singles Chart
at Number 41 and UK Indie Chart
at Number 3. It has also made appearances on the Belgian Singles Charts
, Danish Singles Chart, Finnish Singles Chart and Spanish Singles Chart with all of the positions currently peaking within the top 40.
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
, and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
. It is a charity single for the Hope for Haiti Now campaign and was released on 23 January 2010, in the wake of the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
Background
The genesis of the song came with Jay-Z collaborator Swizz BeatzSwizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
sending simultaneous text messages to Jay-Z and Bono. They agreed to collaborate on a single, and Bono wrote the hook for "Stranded" while on the phone with Beatz. The latter said, "The idea of the song is 'We're not gonna leave you stranded' and that's what the chorus is. So me and Bono started going back and forth with ideas, and he was like, 'You know this word stranded keeps standing out to me' and I asked him to sing it, and he put me on hold 'cause he's recording the ideas on a Dictaphone — so he did it there and then on the phone." Bono and The Edge then did further writing work on it together.
The recording was done over diverse geographic locations and melded together, with The Edge helping out with extra production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
work. Beatz then added Rihanna into the effort, later saying, "I knew that Jay would be able to tell a story, and that Bono would be able to sing and bring it home. The last component that I added was Rihanna, and she's kinda like the angel that's on the track, softening it up and giving it that caring feeling, because this hook is so powerful." The final recording was produced by Beatz and Declan Gaffney.
In the song, Jay-Z narrates the tale, invoking questions of religion and government while urging action and resolve:
- When the sky falls and the earth quakes
- We gonna put this back together
- We won't break.
Bono and Rihanna sing the vocal hook, with Rihanna taking the lead.
Promotion and release
"Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" was debuted and first performed live in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 22 January 2010, and was shown hours later as part of the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon. The performance also featured The Edge on guitar and was one of the more upbeat ones of the event.
"Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" was released to the UK iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Store on 23 January 2010. All profits from the sales will go towards the Hope For Haiti Now campaign. It is Rihanna's second charity single for the Haiti campaign (a take on "Redemption Song" being the first). Also, an album Hope for Haiti Now
Hope for Haiti Now (album)
Hope for Haiti Now is a live album by various artists to benefit Hope for Haiti Now's campaign to alleviate the 2010 Haiti earthquake. All benefits from the album sales go to Haiti relief organizations, including the Red Cross and Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti foundation...
, including the live performance and the studio version, was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on the same date.
A hybrid mix of the song was also included on the U2 Duals
U2 Duals
U2 Duals is a compilation album released by the Irish rock band U2 in April 2011 only available to u2.com subscribers.-Track listing:...
compilation album in 2011.
Reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
felt that the artists behind "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" deserved credit for creating an original song for the occasion but that the results were of mixed quality: "The sound was muddy, and the concept undercooked, but it was an implicit acknowledgment that a situation this dire demanded something more than squeezing meaning out of a pre-existing song that lacks it." Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said the song's performance was the most newsworthy of the event, and described its musical flavoring as partly derived from the 1995 U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
side project Passengers and partly derived from modern rap. The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is a morning newspaper for most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury...
described it as the most high-powered combination of the telethon, but said that Bono did not seem fully integrated into the performance.
Chart performance
On 27 January 2010, the song debuted on the Norwegian Singles Chart at Number 6. It also debuted at Number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, and Number 6 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. On 28 January 2010, 'Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)' debuted on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
at Number 3. The following day, the song made yet another appearance, this time on the Swedish Singles Chart at Number 3. On 31 January 2010, the song entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at Number 41 and UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
at Number 3. It has also made appearances on the Belgian Singles Charts
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...
, Danish Singles Chart, Finnish Singles Chart and Spanish Singles Chart with all of the positions currently peaking within the top 40.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 23 January 2010 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |