Songfacts®:

• Will.i.am assembled this song after hearing US presidential candidate Barack Obama's speech after the New Hampshire primary election on January 8, 2008, which he lost to Hilary Clinton. Will.i.am was so moved by the speech that he created a song using Obama's audio mixed with celebrities who interpreted the words as well. Appearing in the song and the video are John Legend, Ed Kowalczyk, Nicole Scherzinger, Herbie Hancock, Common, Scarlett Johansson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The video was directed by Jesse Dylan, who is the son of Bob Dylan. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• The video was released on February 1, 2008, shortly ahead of "Super Tuesday" where many states held their elections. There was no clear winner on that day, but Obama gained a great deal of momentum later in February and surged ahead of Clinton. "Yes We Can" became a rallying cry for his supporters, and over 1 million of them gave money to his campaign. Hillary Clinton claimed that Obama lacked substance, and criticized him for making big speeches without the experience to back up his words. At one point, she started using the phrase "Yes We Will" at her events.
• Herbie Hancock, who appears on this song, won the Grammy Award in 2008 for Album Of The Year. It was the last award given out that night, and at the ceremony, Hancock didn't mention Obama specifically, but said in his speech: "This is a new day. It proves that the impossible can be made possible. Yes we can."
• This was available only as a video until November 11, 2008, when it was released on the compilation Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement, which also featured contributions from Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott and John Legend. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France