What More Can I Give
Encyclopedia
"What More Can I Give" is a song written by American musician Michael Jackson
and recorded by a supergroup
of singers following the September 11 attacks in 2001. The inspiration for the song had initially come to Jackson after a meeting with the President
of South Africa
Nelson Mandela
in the late 1990s. The song was to be premiered at a Jackson concert, but the singer failed to perform it. The song also failed to gain an official release, despite the pop singer having stated that it would be issued as a charity single for the refugees of the Kosovo War
, which ended in 1999.
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Jackson rewrote "What More Can I Give". Jackson and other artists recorded the new version of the song shortly afterward; the other artists included Nick Carter
, Beyoncé
, Celine Dion
, Luther Vandross
, Mariah Carey
and Usher
. In addition, a Spanish language
version of the song was recorded. Entitled "Todo Para Ti", his lyrics were adapted into Spanish by the musician Rubén Blades
.
"What More Can I Give" was scheduled for release as a charity single, in the hope that $50 million would be raised to aid the survivors and the families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The plan, however, never came to fruition and the reasons why have varied between sources and the individuals involved. One newspaper stated that the release of the song was abandoned after it emerged that the executive producer had directed pornographic movies. The producer, Marc Schaffel, denied that he was to blame, and offered the opinion that the song was not released as part of a marketing ploy by Sony Music.
"What More Can I Give" was played on the radio for the first time in late 2002. The debut airing was made without permission by radio station WKTU
-FM in New York. The following year, on October 27, 2003, "What More Can I Give" was made available to the public by way of digital download
. Proceeds from the sale of the song went to children's charities.
originally started writing the song after the Rodney King verdict and following riots in 1992, in Los Angeles. The songs original title was, "Heal LA", and was created by Michael along with Brad Buxer. The song was a work in progress all throughout the time of the making of the History Album and the following world tour in 1996 and 1997. In late 1997, when work began on the Invincible album the song was put on hold, but it's completion was always a passion of Michael's. Michael Jackson
was additionally inspired to finish "What More Can I Give" after a meeting with anti-apartheid activist and President
of South Africa
Nelson Mandela
in 1999. The songwriter stated that during a conversation with the then-President, the concept of giving was discussed by the pair. The singer revealed that it was during this interaction that the words "what more can I give" came into his mind and he began writing. With the first version of the song completed, Jackson intended to premiere it at his Michael and Friends – What More Can I Give concerts, staged in Munich, Germany and the South Korean capital Seoul
in June 1999. Ultimately, Jackson did not perform the song at the concerts and it remained unreleased.
"What More Can I Give" was also intended to be released as a charity single to aid the Kosavor refugees who had been forced out of their home during the Kosovo War
(1998–1999). Jackson revealed his intentions for the release in an interview with the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror. The pop singer stated that television footage of the war upset him and that he wanted to go to Yugoslavia to hug every one of the suffering children. Like before, however, the song failed to gain a release as a single and was not considered good enough for inclusion on Jackson's 2001 Invincible album.
In 2001, two separate concerts
were held on September 7 and September 10 in celebration of Michael Jackson's thirtieth year as a solo entertainer (his first solo single, "Got to Be There
", was released in 1971). Held in New York City
, the shows sold out within five hours of going on sale. The concerts featured performances by artists such as Usher
, Whitney Houston
, Mýa
, Liza Minnelli
, James Ingram
, Gloria Estefan
and Marc Anthony
. They also contained solo performances by Jackson himself, and marked the onstage reunion of the pop singer and his brothers (The Jacksons).
Hours following the second concert, the attacks on the World Trade Center
in New York City, the Pentagon
outside of Washington, D.C., and a crash near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
, resulted in the loss of 2,993 lives. Following the events of September 11, Jackson rewrote "What More Can I Give" and expressed his views on the song, writing and music. "I'm not one to sit back and say, 'Oh, I feel bad for what happened to them[...] I want the whole world to sing ["What More Can I Give"], to bring us together as a world, because a song is a mantra, something you repeat over and over. And we need peace, we need giving, we need love, we need unity."
, Nick Carter
, Aaron Carter
, *NSYNC and Carlos Santana
offering to lend their voices to the track. The recording process was held in Los Angeles, California
and destinations reachable by Michael Jackson's private plane and mobile production unit. The all-star benefit followed a similar Jackson-effort: "We Are the World
", which raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. The recording of "What More Can I Give" was completed in October 2001.
In addition to the English-language version of "What More Can I Give", a Spanish version of the song was recorded. Entitled "Todo Para Ti", the track features several of the musicians on the English version, as well as Latin artists such as Alejandro Sanz
and Cristian Castro
, who only appear on the Spanish language version. The title for "Todo Para Ti" translates to "Everything for You" in English. Producer and songwriter K. C. Porter
had directly translated the title of "What More Can I Give" initially, but it was changed after Jackson expressed that he felt it was too clumsy.
United We Stand: What More Can I Give
. Held at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
in Washington, D.C.
on October 21, 2001, the eight-hour concert featured numerous artists performing to a sell-out audience of 54,000 people. Jackson performed his songs "We Are the World" and "Man in the Mirror
", before he and other singers such as Rod Stewart
, Al Green
, James Brown
, Sean Combs
and Pink
closed the show with "What More Can I Give". Joe D'Angelo of MTV
later stated that the entire performance was held together by Jackson and Billy Gilman
, who he claimed were the only two who looked like they knew the lyrics to the song. He concluded that the collective rendition of the song was altogether "choppy and disparate". Jon Pareles
also wrote negatively about the performance. He stated that it "became a shambles as [a] stageful of guests missed their cues or couldn't be heard".
Jackson's appearance during the "What More Can I Give" performance was later edited out of American Broadcasting Company
's airing of the show. The company were forced to take the action after representatives of Jackson informed them that CBS
had demanded that the singer not perform on a network show before a Jackson special being broadcast on their channel the following month. CBS executives, however, denied their insistence on Jackson's removal from the footage. They stated that if the singer had appeared in the broadcasted footage, they most probably would have been forced to delay Jackson's show, so that it would not appear too soon after the airing of United We Stand: What More Can I Give.
After the song failed to gain an official release, differing allegations arose as to who was to blame. The Los Angeles Times
reported that the "What More Can I Give" project was abandoned after it emerged that the song's executive producer, Marc Schaffel, had directed and produced gay pornography
. News of Schaffel's background supposedly became known to an entertainment television show, whose staff threatened to expose the producer's past in porn. Jackson's legal and management team subsequently sought to end the musician's business relationship with Schaffel, declaring their intentions in a letter sent to the producer's lawyers in November 2001.
Schaffel disputed that he was the cause of "What More Can I Give" remaining unreleased, and insisted that he was not terminated from the project. The producer declared that it was not possible because his company owned the rights to "What More Can I Give". (Jackson's camp rejected the claims that Schaffel owned the rights, but did admit that the producer was in possession of the master tapes as well as video footage of all of the "What More Can I Give" recording artists in the studio.) Schaffel further announced that the failed release of the song was the fault of Jackson's music label, Sony Music. He insisted that the company had delayed the release of the song so that it would not compete with the newly released Invincible album and that they had promoted the porn-based story in order to hide that fact. Schaffel further stated that he had never hid his past from Jackson or Sony.
Jackson also blamed Sony for the failed release of "What More Can I Give". In addition Jackson claimed that they had failed to promote his Invincible album and that the company's chief, Tommy Mottola
, was racist and "very, very, very devilish". Sony representatives dismissed Jackson's claims as "unfounded and unwarranted".
-FM, a radio station based in New York, debuted the song without permission and played it in heavy rotation
. WKTU-FM's Program Director Frankie Blue stated at the time, "This song is a gift to the world. Michael and everyone donated their time for it, and it deserves to be heard. The song is called "What More Can I Give", and I can give the world a song they can cling onto and hopefully make them think about what they can give." It is unknown how the station acquired a copy of the song; both Jackson and Schaffel were uninvolved with it. Prior to the airing, at least 200 promo copies of the song were sent to the musicians who participated in the recording process, as well as to their representatives. Schaffel stated that he would hate to see the song not being used to raise money for charity, the intended purpose. WKTU-FM received numerous telephone calls and emails from listeners following their unauthorized playing of the song, thanking the station and asking where they could buy a copy of "What More Can I Give".
on October 27, 2003. The websites whatmorecanigive.com and musicforgiving.com sold the song at a price of $2 per download, with a portion of the proceeds from the fee going towards children's charities such as Oneness, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and the International Child Art Foundation. The charities support arts programs to eliminate racism, increase education and connect children throughout the world, respectively. The download project had been set up by Jackson with the American media company Clear Channel Communications
.
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and recorded by a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
of singers following the September 11 attacks in 2001. The inspiration for the song had initially come to Jackson after a meeting with the President
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
in the late 1990s. The song was to be premiered at a Jackson concert, but the singer failed to perform it. The song also failed to gain an official release, despite the pop singer having stated that it would be issued as a charity single for the refugees of the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, which ended in 1999.
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, Jackson rewrote "What More Can I Give". Jackson and other artists recorded the new version of the song shortly afterward; the other artists included Nick Carter
Nick Carter
-Athletes:*Nick Carter , Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908*Nick Carter , cyclist from New Zealand, who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics...
, Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
and Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
. In addition, a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of the song was recorded. Entitled "Todo Para Ti", his lyrics were adapted into Spanish by the musician Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
.
"What More Can I Give" was scheduled for release as a charity single, in the hope that $50 million would be raised to aid the survivors and the families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The plan, however, never came to fruition and the reasons why have varied between sources and the individuals involved. One newspaper stated that the release of the song was abandoned after it emerged that the executive producer had directed pornographic movies. The producer, Marc Schaffel, denied that he was to blame, and offered the opinion that the song was not released as part of a marketing ploy by Sony Music.
"What More Can I Give" was played on the radio for the first time in late 2002. The debut airing was made without permission by radio station WKTU
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
-FM in New York. The following year, on October 27, 2003, "What More Can I Give" was made available to the public by way of 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...
. Proceeds from the sale of the song went to children's charities.
Background and writing
Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
originally started writing the song after the Rodney King verdict and following riots in 1992, in Los Angeles. The songs original title was, "Heal LA", and was created by Michael along with Brad Buxer. The song was a work in progress all throughout the time of the making of the History Album and the following world tour in 1996 and 1997. In late 1997, when work began on the Invincible album the song was put on hold, but it's completion was always a passion of Michael's. Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
was additionally inspired to finish "What More Can I Give" after a meeting with anti-apartheid activist and President
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
in 1999. The songwriter stated that during a conversation with the then-President, the concept of giving was discussed by the pair. The singer revealed that it was during this interaction that the words "what more can I give" came into his mind and he began writing. With the first version of the song completed, Jackson intended to premiere it at his Michael and Friends – What More Can I Give concerts, staged in Munich, Germany and the South Korean capital Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in June 1999. Ultimately, Jackson did not perform the song at the concerts and it remained unreleased.
"What More Can I Give" was also intended to be released as a charity single to aid the Kosavor refugees who had been forced out of their home during the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
(1998–1999). Jackson revealed his intentions for the release in an interview with the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror. The pop singer stated that television footage of the war upset him and that he wanted to go to Yugoslavia to hug every one of the suffering children. Like before, however, the song failed to gain a release as a single and was not considered good enough for inclusion on Jackson's 2001 Invincible album.
In 2001, two separate concerts
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special was a 2001 New York City revue show by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. It took place on September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001...
were held on September 7 and September 10 in celebration of Michael Jackson's thirtieth year as a solo entertainer (his first solo single, "Got to Be There
Got to Be There (song)
"Got to Be There" is a 1971 single released by Michael Jackson on the Motown label. It was the singer's first solo single following his successful tenure as the lead singer of The Jackson 5. Jackson's solo career began in earnest after its success. The single, written by Elliot Willensky and...
", was released in 1971). Held in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the shows sold out within five hours of going on sale. The concerts featured performances by artists such as Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
and Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
. They also contained solo performances by Jackson himself, and marked the onstage reunion of the pop singer and his brothers (The Jacksons).
Hours following the second concert, the attacks on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York City, the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
outside of Washington, D.C., and a crash near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Shanksville is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 245, as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area and is approximately 60 miles southeast from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, resulted in the loss of 2,993 lives. Following the events of September 11, Jackson rewrote "What More Can I Give" and expressed his views on the song, writing and music. "I'm not one to sit back and say, 'Oh, I feel bad for what happened to them[...] I want the whole world to sing ["What More Can I Give"], to bring us together as a world, because a song is a mantra, something you repeat over and over. And we need peace, we need giving, we need love, we need unity."
Recording
"What More Can I Give" was recorded in 2001 by a number of artists. The project had received an "overwhelming response from major artists all over the world", with musicians such as BeyoncéBeyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Nick Carter
Nick Carter (musician)
Nickolas Gene "Nick" Carter is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer and actor. He is best known as a member of the pop group, Backstreet Boys. He went on to release a solo album called Now Or Never during their hiatus. He has made occasional television appearances and...
, Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
, *NSYNC and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
offering to lend their voices to the track. The recording process was held in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and destinations reachable by Michael Jackson's private plane and mobile production unit. The all-star benefit followed a similar Jackson-effort: "We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
", which raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. The recording of "What More Can I Give" was completed in October 2001.
In addition to the English-language version of "What More Can I Give", a Spanish version of the song was recorded. Entitled "Todo Para Ti", the track features several of the musicians on the English version, as well as Latin artists such as Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sanz , is a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. For his work, Sanz has won a total of fifteen Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He has won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year three times, more than any other artist...
and Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro
Cristian Castro is a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. He is referred to as "Christian Castro" or "Cristian."- Biography :...
, who only appear on the Spanish language version. The title for "Todo Para Ti" translates to "Everything for You" in English. Producer and songwriter K. C. Porter
K. C. Porter
KC Porter is an American record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. For nearly three decades in the entertainment industry, Porter has earned numerous Grammy nominations and 3 Grammys and Latin Grammys...
had directly translated the title of "What More Can I Give" initially, but it was changed after Jackson expressed that he felt it was too clumsy.
Artists involved
| Artist | Appears on English version | Appears on Spanish version |
|---|---|---|
| 3LW 3LW 3LW was an American hip hop soul and R&B girl group that enjoyed a number of modest hits during the early 2000s. Its founding members were Naturi Naughton, Adrienne Bailon, and Kiely Williams. Jessica Benson later replaced Naughton after she left the group in 2002... |
Yes | No |
| Yes | No | |
| No | Yes | |
| Anastacia Anastacia Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States... |
Yes | Yes |
| Beyoncé Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child... |
Yes | No |
| Yes | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Hanson Hanson (band) Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations... |
Yes | No |
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Mýa Mya -A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code... |
Yes | Yes |
| *NSYNC | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | |
| No | Yes | |
| Yes | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |
| No | Yes | |
| Shakira Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s... |
Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | |
| Thalía Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide... |
Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | |
| Usher Usher (entertainer) Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100... |
Yes | No |
| Yes | No | |
Live performance
"What More Can I Give" was performed live at the 9/11 benefit concertBenefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
United We Stand: What More Can I Give
United We Stand: What More Can I Give
United We Stand: What More Can I Give was a benefit concert held on October 21, 2001 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. The concert was the third major concert held in tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The other two were held in New York City.-Performances:The concert was a...
. Held at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of MLS's D.C. United....
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on October 21, 2001, the eight-hour concert featured numerous artists performing to a sell-out audience of 54,000 people. Jackson performed his songs "We Are the World" and "Man in the Mirror
Man in the Mirror
"Man in the Mirror" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson and written and composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. It peaked at number one in the United States when released as a single in January 1988 off his seventh solo album, Bad. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and...
", before he and other singers such as Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
and Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
closed the show with "What More Can I Give". Joe D'Angelo of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
later stated that the entire performance was held together by Jackson and Billy Gilman
Billy Gilman
William Wendell "Billy" Gilman III is an American country music artist. In 2000, at the age of 12, he debuted with the single "One Voice," a Top 20 hit on the Billboard country music charts and became the youngest singer to a Top 40 hit on the country music charts...
, who he claimed were the only two who looked like they knew the lyrics to the song. He concluded that the collective rendition of the song was altogether "choppy and disparate". Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
also wrote negatively about the performance. He stated that it "became a shambles as [a] stageful of guests missed their cues or couldn't be heard".
Jackson's appearance during the "What More Can I Give" performance was later edited out of American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's airing of the show. The company were forced to take the action after representatives of Jackson informed them that CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
had demanded that the singer not perform on a network show before a Jackson special being broadcast on their channel the following month. CBS executives, however, denied their insistence on Jackson's removal from the footage. They stated that if the singer had appeared in the broadcasted footage, they most probably would have been forced to delay Jackson's show, so that it would not appear too soon after the airing of United We Stand: What More Can I Give.
Planned release as a physical single
"What More Can I Give" had been planned for release as a charity single to aid survivors and families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. At the time of the attacks, Jackson stated that he hoped to raise $50 million for those affected. It was also proclaimed by Jackson's spokesman that the recording would be released as soon as possible, with further reports revealing that it could be made available in music stores within that month.After the song failed to gain an official release, differing allegations arose as to who was to blame. 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....
reported that the "What More Can I Give" project was abandoned after it emerged that the song's executive producer, Marc Schaffel, had directed and produced gay pornography
Gay pornography
Gay pornography is the representation of sexual intercourse between men with the primary goal of sexual arousal in its audience. There is also a tradition, and continuing considerable output, of lesbian pornography....
. News of Schaffel's background supposedly became known to an entertainment television show, whose staff threatened to expose the producer's past in porn. Jackson's legal and management team subsequently sought to end the musician's business relationship with Schaffel, declaring their intentions in a letter sent to the producer's lawyers in November 2001.
Schaffel disputed that he was the cause of "What More Can I Give" remaining unreleased, and insisted that he was not terminated from the project. The producer declared that it was not possible because his company owned the rights to "What More Can I Give". (Jackson's camp rejected the claims that Schaffel owned the rights, but did admit that the producer was in possession of the master tapes as well as video footage of all of the "What More Can I Give" recording artists in the studio.) Schaffel further announced that the failed release of the song was the fault of Jackson's music label, Sony Music. He insisted that the company had delayed the release of the song so that it would not compete with the newly released Invincible album and that they had promoted the porn-based story in order to hide that fact. Schaffel further stated that he had never hid his past from Jackson or Sony.
Jackson also blamed Sony for the failed release of "What More Can I Give". In addition Jackson claimed that they had failed to promote his Invincible album and that the company's chief, Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
, was racist and "very, very, very devilish". Sony representatives dismissed Jackson's claims as "unfounded and unwarranted".
Airplay
One year after the all-star recording of "What More Can I Give", it was played for the first time on radio. WKTUWKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
-FM, a radio station based in New York, debuted the song without permission and played it in heavy rotation
Heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time, however they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too...
. WKTU-FM's Program Director Frankie Blue stated at the time, "This song is a gift to the world. Michael and everyone donated their time for it, and it deserves to be heard. The song is called "What More Can I Give", and I can give the world a song they can cling onto and hopefully make them think about what they can give." It is unknown how the station acquired a copy of the song; both Jackson and Schaffel were uninvolved with it. Prior to the airing, at least 200 promo copies of the song were sent to the musicians who participated in the recording process, as well as to their representatives. Schaffel stated that he would hate to see the song not being used to raise money for charity, the intended purpose. WKTU-FM received numerous telephone calls and emails from listeners following their unauthorized playing of the song, thanking the station and asking where they could buy a copy of "What More Can I Give".
Release as a digital single
"What More Can I Give" was eventually made available as a digital downloadMusic 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...
on October 27, 2003. The websites whatmorecanigive.com and musicforgiving.com sold the song at a price of $2 per download, with a portion of the proceeds from the fee going towards children's charities such as Oneness, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and the International Child Art Foundation. The charities support arts programs to eliminate racism, increase education and connect children throughout the world, respectively. The download project had been set up by Jackson with the American media company Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
.