Bob Dylan originally recorded “All Along the Watchtower” in 1967 and later performed it in concerts more than any of his other songs.
Jimi Hendrix released his version six months after Dylan’s original recording came out, and Hendrix’s version was a huge hit!
But what if a talented musician took the same song and blended it with a Native American sound?
As it turns out, the Playing For Change movement united musicians came together to do just that—and the results were truly incredible. The video begins with a motivating quote:
“If there is something to be changed in this world then it can only happen with music.”
The video begins with Hendrix’s famous quote about the power of music, and it’s followed by the opening acoustic guitar part of “All Along the Watchtower.”
The beginning is played by Coco Soares from Argentina. The scene then moves on to Hawaii, where we can hear familiar Lopaka drumming. It wouldn’t all be complete without Lakota singers and dancers.
Billy Branch also graces this cover and plays his harmonica on the Chicago coast.
Other participants include Claudio Mola and Roberto Luti from Italy, John Cruz from Hawaii, Louis Mhlanga from Zimbabwe and so many more. In all, the performance united musicians from all over the world!
We’re guessing that these people truly listened to the advice Hendrix gave—and the result is they made a real change in the world with this beautiful collaboration.
The entire organization was created to inspire and connect the world through music.
Playing For Change (PFC) is a movement that emerged from the shared belief that music has the power to break down boundaries.
It’s all about filming musicians performing in their natural environments. Their talent and cultural power are later combined in an innovative video with the already mentioned, self-explanatory title “Song Around The World.” Playing For Change is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building music and art schools for children around the world. PFC’s main goal is to create hope and inspiration for future generations, and they appear to be doing a great job so far.
These musicians across the globe brought the famous song back to life in an unusual, brilliant way.
It all begins in black and white and slowly gets the colors of life and beauty from all across our planet.
The way it is edited and put together will have you stunned. From the beautiful greenery to the pastel colors of the desert, the entire video embraces the beauty of music and we get to enjoy the result. All the musicians are relaxed, and it’s clear they’re playing in a familiar environment and are having a lot of fun in the process. What begins with a guitar solo ends with a native drum on the downbeat—and the addition of Lakota voices to the arrangement is unbelievable. The Native American contribution to the video is powerful and is sure to give you goosebumps.
Since the clip was posted, the video got over five million views.
If you want to learn more about the PFC Foundation or their partners, you can visit their official website and get all the information. The video gives shivers and Lakota singers’ powerful performance added a lot of magic to the mix, and give the feeling of connecting with our ancestors.
Be sure to watch the entire performance in the link below:
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