We Are the Ones

"We Are the Ones"
Single by will.i.am featuring Various Artists
from the album Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise
Released	February 29, 2008
Format	Digital download
Recorded	Ethernet and Record Plant, Los Angeles, January 31, 2008
Genre	R&B
Length	3:05
Label	Will.i.am Music Group
Writer(s)	will.i.am, Barack Obama
Producer	will.i.am
will.i.am singles chronology
"Yes We Can" (2008) "We Are The Ones" (2008) "Heartbreaker" (2008)

We Are The Ones is the second single from Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise, a compilation album organised and produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am. The song was released on February 29, 2008 to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Like "Yes We Can", the music video also features famous celebrities, but is based on their opinions of Obama, with one line spoken by Obama near the end.

Production

Although the lyrics are entirely quotations from Obama's concession speech in the New Hampshire presidential primary, the Obama campaign had no involvement in its production. The viral music video, shot in a sparse black-and-white, features Obama's image in collage fashion; the performers, which include celebrities including musicians, singers and actors, echo his words in a hip-hop, call-and-response manner as his voice plays in the background. The song was produced by will.i.am; the music video was directed by Jesse Dylan, the son of singer Bob Dylan.

Music video

The music video was released Dipdive.com and also on YouTube.com under the username 'AreTheOnes08'. The video is a collage-style music video inspired by people's personal opinions of Obama. The music video premiered on television on ABC News Now's What's the Buzz entertainment program on February 28, 2008. On February 29, 2008, it was featured on the Obama campaign's community blog, and later promoted as a viral video by the campaign on its website. The clip was played prior to a February 12, 2008 campaign rally of nearly 20,000 at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The video was edited by Terence "Biff" Butler of Rock Paper Scissors, and executive producers included will.i.am, Mike Jurkovac, Fred Goldring, Jesse Dylan, Priscilla Cohen and Sheri Howell and Lilo. Associate poducers included Sean Larkin, Sarah Pantera, Carol Cohen, Steve Koskie, Wendi Morris and Scott Spanjich. The following celebrities were featured in the video:

• Zoe Kravitz - 0:09
• Jessica Alba - 0:22, 1:25
• Adrianne Palicki - 0:31
• Andres Levin- 0:32
• Ryan Phillippe - 0:34
• Susanna Hoffs - 0:38
• Jackson Roach - 0:38
• Regina King - 0:39, 0:42
• Kate Del Castillo - 0:45
• Kerry Washington - 0:49
• Will.i.am - 0:49
• Tichina Arnold - 0:50
• Taboo - 0:51
• Macy Gray - 0:56, 1:13
• Ryan Key of Yellowcard - 0:57
• Malcolm Jamal Warner - 0:59
• Troy Garity - 1:03
• Freddy Rodriguez - 1:05
• John Leguizamo - 1:09, 1:10, 1:53
• Nate Parker - 1:10
• Jesse Plemons - 1:11, 1:13
• Troy Garity- 1:16, 1:19
• Kerry Washington - 1:30
• Cheryl James - 1:33
• Tyrese Gibson - 1:50
• Eric Mabius - 2:00
• George Lopez - 2:04
• Luis Guzmán - 2:08
• Ryan Key - 2:26, 2:29, 2:32
• Regina King - 2:33
• Anna David - 2:40
• Noah Segan - 2:42
• Omar Benson Miller - 2:43
• Benjamin McKenzie
• Leonor Varela - 2:40