.K’naan Re-Records “Wavin’ Flag” for Coca-Cola

When K’naan comes to the Harmony Festival for two nights in Santa Rosa, tonight and tomorrow, he’ll be fresh from re-recording his song “Wavin’ Flag” for . . . Coke?!

Um, really?
Forget for a while about Coca-Cola’s storied history with Somalia, or the fact that Somalian English teachers say they want to destroy the Coca-Cola plant in Mogadishu for “generating hard currency for our worst enemy.”
See, for me, one of the production letdowns of Troubadour was K’naan’s recording of “Wavin’ Flag,” complete with a melodramatic string arrangement. Listen to what it sounded like last year, live at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francsico:
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Pretty basic, stripped-down hip hop. Unlike the syrupy album version, it doesn’t sound like the soundtrack for an uplifting Bette Midler film. It also doesn’t sound like “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” nor does it bear likeness to a certain Beatles song:

Admittedly, all things considered, this is a pretty minor concern. At least K’naan hasn’t completely lost his mind. I’ll see you there this weekend.