Michael Stipe’s "In the Sun" Brings Hurricane Recovery Challenges to Light

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe (right) listens as Mercy Corps' Preston Browning explains the deconstruction process. Photo: David Evans/Mercy Corps

Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M. and one of alternative rock’s most innovative and respected pioneers, has released a six-song EP (mini-album) to benefit Mercy Corps’ recovery efforts for hurricane survivors along the United States Gulf Coast.

The EP features six versions of the stirring Joseph Arthur song “In the Sun.” One version, a duet between Stipe and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, premiered on the post-Super Bowl episode of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. The album is now available exclusively on Apple’s iTunes website for download.

Proceeds from sales of the EP will go directly to Mercy Corps, which is working to aid hurricane survivors across the hurricane-devastated region.

"No matter where you go in the world, people are the best agents of their own recovery in situations like this," said Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer. "Michael and everyone he mobilizes to buy the song are investing in the people of the Gulf Coast, giving them the resources they need to get back on their feet."

Much of Stipe’s drive to pursue this project comes from his concern that the headlines have faded much too quickly.

“The news cycle has moved on and I don’t want the public to forget about those who were affected by [Hurricane] Katrina or to believe that everything is fine now,” says Stipe, who hails from Georgia and has family roots in the Gulf region. “Things are not fine. The storm is still impacting people’s lives in very real ways and many have been left desperate. I want to remind each of us that as humans, and certainly as Americans, it is our responsibility to help those in need.”

Choosing an anthem

Stipe wanted to record a song that captured the way he felt while witnessing Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, as well as describing the plight and challenges of the hurricane survivors themselves. He learned about “In the Sun” through R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and contacted songwriter Joseph Arthur soon afterward to discuss it.

Stipe recruited an impressive roster of musicians to bring “In the Sun” to life. In addition to collaborations with Arthur and Martin, pop star Justin Timberlake and the Black Eyes Peas’ will.i.am pitched in with a remix of the song that will also be available for download. Other notable participants include Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger on the piano and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, who co-produced the song with Stipe and Arthur.

Getting the message out

Stipe and his colleagues are determined to bring the continuing plight of hurricane survivors to as wide of an audience as possible. “In the Sun” made its debut on one of television’s most-acclaimed and most popular new shows of the season, Grey’s Anatomy.

“We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to debut this amazing piece of music on our Super Bowl episode. It is all the more gratifying that the song’s proceeds are going to such as worthy cause,” says Betsy Beers, the Executive Producer of Grey’s Anatomy.

Stipe has also formed an organization, the In the Sun Foundation, to raise awareness of the challenges that hurricane survivors face.

The cause will also receive worldwide exposure through a short film, also entitled “In the Sun,” that will premiere on the Sundance Channel this spring. The film features interviews with Stipe, Martin, Arthur, historian James Brinkley, hurricane survivors and volunteers helping with the recovery efforts. Shot by Grammy-nominated director Danny Clinch, the film chronicles the current state of devastation along the coast.

A partnership to save “a unique place”

After visiting Mercy Corps’ Gulf Coast programs in New Orleans in mid-January, Stipe was convinced of the organization’s vision and ability to help families recover and build back. Wanting to help residents of the devastated Gulf Coast was natural for the Georgia-born Stipe, and Mercy Corps’ commitment resounded with him.

Stipe felt that recording “In the Sun” and directing its related projects to benefit Mercy Corps’ efforts would the best way for him to contribute to a massive endeavor.

“[New Orleans is] a city that has its own legend,” he says. “It’s a unique place, not only to this country but to the world. I had to do something as a Southerner. I had to do something as a public figure. The one thing I can do is sing, and it’s probably the best way to get people to pay attention.”

"Disasters like this require a long-term commitment to recovery," said Keny-Guyer, "and Michael is serving a very important need by reminding the public that this reconstruction effort is going to take years, not months."

With the generous help of Michael Stipe and his friends, Mercy Corps will ensure that the courageous people, colorful culture and unique traditions of the Gulf Coast will recover, endure and flourish.