John Legend Talks Lending Songs for Education Reform
‘We’re starting to see great experiments that are working,’ says the singer, who, with the Roots, contributes two tracks to the soundtrack for ‘Waiting for Superman,’ a new documentary on schools
Sep 21, 2010 12:47 PM EDT
Today John Legend and the Roots release Wake Up, a covers album focused on political songs of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Two of those tracks — first single “Wake Up Everybody,” featuring Common and Melanie Fiona (first recorded in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) and the album’s one original, a ballad called “Shine” — will be used to advance an actual political cause: Education reform. Both will appear in the soundtrack to Waiting for Superman, the new documentary from An Inconvenient Truthdirector Davis Guggenheim.
“I think [the public education system] needs to be better,” Legend tells Rolling Stone. “We’re