Does everybody else remember the great "Imagine" incident of 2020, when Gal Gadot among other random celebrities sang a cover of John Lennon's song with no single key to speak of?
Well, a resurfaced video loaded on YouTube in 2011 by Lars Mikalsen of yet another Beatle-led anthem may have dethroned the awkwardness of that. The video is from October of 2010.
The video features some of the MOST random 80s and 90s celebrities greenscreened onto a beach.
You can see the video here:
The video—a "lipdub version of Ferry Aid's cover of 'Let it Be'"—is a promo from a Norwegian talk show called Gylne Tider (Golden Times) which aired on Norwegian TV2.
It features the most unrealistic beach you've ever seen in your entire life, on which are swaying an assortment of celebrities so completely random it could be the fight card of MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch.
According to the video description, the full lineup included:
Roger Moore, Huey Lewis, Jason Alexander, Ricky Lake, Josie Bissett, Alberto Tomba, John Nettles, Corbin Bernsen, George Wendt, Paul McKenna, Philip Michael Thomas, Steve Guttenberg, Katarina Witt, Tonya Harding, Glenn Close, David Faustino, Gorden Kaye...
Alfonso Ribeiero, Pamela Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Rourke, Sheryl Lee, Jamie Walters, Larry Drake, Dolph Lundgren, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Judd Nelson, Ana Alicia, Peter Falk, Kelly McGillis, Sherilyn Fenn, Rick Schroder, Bud Spencer, Robert Englund...
Roy Marsden, Boyzone, Dan Jansen, Kathleen Turner, Maggie Reilly, Harpo, Maria McKee, Meja, Fab Morvan, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Dr. Alban, Right Said Fred, Daryl Hannah, Rednex, Michael Connor Humphreys, Michael Learns To Rock, Ten Sharp, Lou Ferrigno, Berlin and Style
Eclectic is a massive understatement.
Rediscovering Freddy Krueger and Carlton appearing in the same video with Tonya Harding was certainly not on anybody's "2022 bingo card" so to speak.
The original Ferry Aid version of the song was recorded by a British-American supergroup for charity—much like prior 80s efforts that recorded "We Are The World" and "Do They Know It's Christmas" for African famine relief.
An almost equally eclectic group of musicians got together to record the song "Let It Be" in 1987. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster of 6 March 1987 when the ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized, killing 193 passengers and crew.
This explains why that is Sir Paul McCartney you hear when Huey Lewis and Jason Alexander "sing."
The first frame of the 2010 starstudded lip-sync reads in Norwegian:
"Golden Times is finally back. Premiers tomorrow at 9:45pm."
People's reactions to the lip-synched 2010 version ranged from joy, to confusion, to horror, to awe.
According to Gylne Tider host Øyvind Mund who spoke to Vulture about the video in 2010:
"The aim of [Gylne Tider] is to track down 'old heroes' from the eighties and nineties. Celebrities we maybe haven’t seen for a while, but who meant a lot to us back in the day."
"The celebrities are chosen from a Norwegian point of view, based on TV series, movies, artists, sports legends that made a big impact in Norway."
"Not all of the participants were big stars worldwide, but in Norway they were household names — for a shorter or longer period of time. They will all be featured in our show."
Apparently, some of the celebrities involved were not really clued in on what was going on. David Faustino from Married With Children, claimed he was told it was being done for charity.
Gylne Tider's host disputed his claim.
According to Mund:
“After a long and enjoyable interview with each celebrity, we asked them if they would participate in a fun music video of 'Let It Be'."
"Almost everyone was happy to be a part of it, as the final result shows."
"It was a charity version of the song, and maybe someone might have misunderstood this.”
However this was made, it exists, and it is now in your life for you to enjoy.
