Simon Cowell Vs. Quincy Jones: Battle Of The Haiti Charity Singles?

Is Simon Cowell hoping that the “We are the World” remake benefiting the victims of the Haitian earthquake is a failure? Although he’s not wishing ill to the people of Haiti, he has his own charity single coming out, and he’s not about to let Quincy Jones beat him on the pop charts if he has his way.

This is the word from a friend of the pop music mogul who told PopEater’s Rob Shuter that, while Cowell does have a genuine interest in doing his part to help alleviate the tragedy, “he is determined that his single to benefit Haiti has to outsell Quincy Jones record.” It may be for a good cause, but business is still business, says the “friend.” Whether or not Cowell has such ambitions and the audacity to say them aloud is not exactly a hard fact considering the sources, but there may be some method behind the anonymously-tipped madness.

On one hand, it seems contradictory that someone would put so much effort into such a positive project – the single, a cover of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts,” features a transatlantic cast that includes Susan Boyle, Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Jon Bon Jovi, and Rod Stewart, among many others – only for the pride of having the most successful Haiti relief single to their name. On the other hand, it fits Cowell’s American Idol/X Factor personality so well that one wonders whether spreading a rumor to start a rivalry with Quincy Jones is all a publicity stunt in the name of a good cause.

Simon Cowell having a heart simply doesn’t fit in with “Simon Cowell”‘s personality and would be bad for business elsewhere (who would watch his upcoming American version of X Factor?). “Simon Cowell” caring enough to organize a charity project is already letting the audience in on a little too much.

The dueling charity singles are not unprecedented in their similar timeliness and organization. The first release of “We are the World” – celebrating its 25th anniversary – under the name USA for Africa was actually inspired by an earlier British counterpart, Band Aid, which, under the leadership of Bob Geldof, released the single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – cowritten by Geldof and songwriter Midge Ure – to benefit victims of the famine in Ethiopia. Rather than compete to see who could raise the most money for the cause, the groups maintained a healthy relationship, with Geldof becoming involved in USA for Africa and “We Are the World” closing the American wing of Geldof’s Live Aid charity concert.

After the Hope for Haiti telethon and the competitive rumors on Cowell’s side, chances are history will not repeat itself and we won’t see a mega-group uniting the two efforts the way we did a quarter-century ago, but how much help the people of Haiti will continue to need and how much demand there is for that kind of show remains to be seen. If the rumors are true, Simon Cowell’s personality is both completely genuine and refreshingly one-dimensional. If they aren’t, they will probably be another step on the ladder to success for both Cowell’s philanthropic venture and the “We are the World” remake, not to mention yet another reason to watch any talent show Cowell appears on.

Listen to the “Everybody Hurts” remake below:

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