This blog entry will not be very subtle. So for all Bono and Alicia Keys fans out there:

Stop Reading. I mean it!

Normally I have a live and let live philosophy. But after hearing what Bono and Alicia Keys did to the song “Don’t Give Up” I felt the urge to write a blog.

After hearing the song I came to a simple conclusion: Bono is not able to put emotion into his voice if he is not screaming and Alicia Keys is all bling-bling. And by bling-bling I mean that it is shiny but worthless. She cannot hold a note and always has to ad-lib in between. But to me ad-libbing (can I say that?) is a sign of being a singer of limited capability (unless done by a singer of great capability, ofcourse). The combination of the two sounds really bad compared to the original.

My idea of a cover is always: if you cannot improve on the original then do not cover a song.

A small suggestion to Bono and Alicia Keys: Remove this single from the market and donate the money it would generate from your own pockets. It can’t be that much since no one in their right mind would buy this. So remove it and donate. It is a win-win situation. The charity wins and we win (and you have learned never ever to do this again).