Chris de Burgh: People of the World Stand Up for Freedom

This is one of the rare more private posts on this blog and this time has nothing to do with security at all.

Since ages one singer was always part of my wife’s and my live: Chris de Burgh. And even if it is uncool in our kid’s world, they love him and his songs – and it is a very good way for learning English as a side effect.

Yesterday he was live in Zürich. As always it was a mixture of old songs like the Spaceman or Spanish Train and new ones from his latest album called Moonfleet. As most often, he uses a few of his songs to make you think about the consequences of war – normally focused on World War II.

This time however, one of the probably most impressive songs was “People of the World Stand Up for Freedom”. He introduces this song this way:

On June 20th 2009, during a demonstration in Tehran against what many felt was a fraudulent election result, a young woman called Neda Agha-Soltan was targeted and shot to death by a sniper. An innocent bystander, and some distance away from the protest, her dying moments were filmed and seen by millions around the world.
In Persian, her name means "voice", "calling" and "divine message", and she has become a powerful and iconic symbol for those who struggle against brutality and repression, seeking only freedom and truth. Neda, this song is for you.

And it is just impressive to see thousands of people standing up in such a concert immediately after the first time he sings this…

On YouTube you find a video of his concert in Georgia:

People of the World Stand Up for Freedom – something easy to say from where I live but important to do from what I learned over time

Roger

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 06, 2013
  Live long in our hearts, Neda, and in the voice of Chris de Burgh.

I am proud that I am a 2000s kid who knows and loves this man. Thank you, Chris.