upworthy

unicef

Pop Culture

Hanson's gorgeous acapella Bee Gees cover shows there's nothing like family harmony

They're so much more than the "MMMBop" band.

via William/Wikimedia Commons

Hanson, singing acapella.

In “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” the 2020 documentary about the Bee Gees, Noel Gallagher of Oasis noted that there is something special about when brothers harmonize. He should know since he founded Oasis in 1991 with his brother Liam. “When you got brothers singing, it’s like an instrument that no one else can buy,” Gallagher said. “You can’t go buy that sound in a shop. You can’t sing like the Bee Gees because when you got family members singing together, it’s unique.”

The Bee Gees’ incredible success with his songs “Stayin’ Alive” and “More Than a Woman” proved that there was something to the idea that when siblings sing together, there’s nothing like it. It's probably because brothers may have similar vocal tones and more time to practice while growing up together. Bands like The Beach Boys, The Jackson 5, The Carpenters and the Jonas Brothers all got a leg up on the competition by practicing together since they were little kids.

Another group that’s been around for decades with brothers singing incredible harmonies has been Hanson. Sure, everyone remembers their massive success in the late ‘90s with the inescapable hit “MMMBop.” Still, they’ve developed a loyal following, have three top 20 albums on the Billboard charts and a rigorous touring schedule.

The big draw at their shows is their mix of Hanson hits, incredible covers and buttery harmonies. The Hanson brothers, Isaac, Taylor and Zac, proved the brothers-sing-best theory on stage by singing an acapella version of “Too Much Heaven” by the Bee Gees. What’s even more impressive is that the brothers did it without a microphone, which is a considerable risk because there’s a big chance of being disrupted by the audience.

Here is a version from March 2019, when they performed on stage in Australia, the Bee Gees' home country.

- YouTubeyoutu.be


According to Hanson on Stage, the group has performed the song 26 times live, beginning in 2013. The performance we shared is at the Sydney Opera House, which is probably why the band decided to perform without microphones. The opera house was designed to allow orchestras to be heard without amplification.

“Too Much Heaven” was initially released by the Bee Gees in 1979 as a contribution to the "Music for UNICEF" fund. The band donated all of the proceeds from the single to the charity. It’s a lush ballad featuring nine layers of three-part harmonies by Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb. The song hit number one in the U.S. and Canada and would later make it to the band’s “Spirits Have Flown” album.

Here is the Bee Gees performing the song in 1993 on the BBC’s Pebble Mill One.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Hanson recently learned they are a big reason brother-and-sister duo Billie Eilish and FINNEAS got into the music industry. “We sat in our studio with Billie Eilish and FINNEAS when they happened to be in town, [with] their parents talking to us saying, ‘We basically decided they should make music ’cause we saw Hanson and you guys seemed like you were OK,'” Taylor told Billboard. “Like, that’s insane … and here they are, they’ve done incredible, beautiful work.”

From Your Site Articles
music
More

Get inspired by the heartwarming way David Beckham is keeping busy in retirement.

Yes, David Beckham is really good at soccer. 

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images.

And, yes, he's very easy on the eyes. 

Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images.

But it's Beckham's generosity of spirit that really makes him shine. 

For close to 11 years, Beckham has served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. In this role, he's traveled around the globe to support and raise awareness for the world's most vulnerable kids. 

Fight for the protection of children around the globe @unicef

A photo posted by David Beckham (@davidbeckham) on

Beckham has met with children in Thailand, the Phillippines, South Africa, and more. At every stop, he uses his celebrity to raise awareness about the preventable dangers affecting young people around the globe, including malnutrition, AIDS, and Ebola. 

On Jan. 12, 2016, Beckham received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award from UNICEF for his commitment to children worldwide.

Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

The honor, named for UNICEF's first celebrity ambassador, Danny Kaye, is bestowed upon individuals who take an active role to save and improve the lives of children around the globe.

Beckham attended the star-studded UNICEF Biennial Ball in Beverly Hills and accepted his award from Sir Elton John and David Furnish.

But awards like this don't signal the culmination of a life's work. In fact, they often mean just the opposite. 

Which is to say, Beckham's done a lot — but he's just getting started.

In 2015, Beckham launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund — the 7 being a reference to his jersey number.

The 7 fund differs slightly from Beckham's work as a goodwill ambassador. Instead of visiting a single destination, Beckham traveled to seven different countries to take part in seven big initiatives including education, HIV/AIDS prevention, and clean water. 

Long term, Beckham plans to serve as a fierce advocate for these children while encouraging others (especially his famous friends) to give give what they can to help meet these urgent needs. 

And Beckham even found a way to incorporate his first love, soccer, into his charitable mission. 

Beckham plays with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte in 2014. His passion for soccer lead to his next big project with UNICEF and the 7 fund. Photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images.

Beckham committed himself to playing seven soccer matches on all seven continents in 10 days. 

Instead of the the well-appointed, sold-out stadiums he was accustomed to, he traveled to rugged and remote locations where UNICEF serves, like a small village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea and a refugee camp in Djibouti.

And yes, the star and his crew even made their way to Antarctica.

The Herculean effort was filmed for the BBC documentary "For the Love of the Game," which is streaming now in the U.K. 

So next time you run into David Beckham, remember this:

Photo by Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images.

  1. Try not to faint. 
  2. Give him a high five (or long sensual hug) to thank him for all the good work he's done for kids around the globe. 

Because you don't need a cape, or even an international modeling contract, to be a hero, just a kind heart. (Though the latter certainly doesn't hurt.)

Heroes

How a year of storms and drought has changed one child's education.

Many kids in Pacific countries lack access to one of our most basic necessities: clean water.

True
Gates Foundation

When I think of the third grade, I think of a classroom. Chairs, desks ... a blackboard, of course. A backpack, pencils, paper.

John's in the third grade too, and he's got all that — plus a bunch of classmates, what seems to be a pretty nice teacher, and access to his natural world.


All GIFs from UNICEF/YouTube.


But there's one school supply that's missing: water.

"We can't get enough water at school," John says in a new video from UNICEF. "I feel like I have more energy when there is water."

Why does John lack access to the most basic of human needs?

His country, Vanuatu, is facing a bad water shortage. Vanuatu normally gets plenty of water from rainfall, but this year a big El Niño — warm ocean waters than can affect global weather — meant that July, August, and September were much drier than usual.

That big spike of warm water off South America means less rain for Vanuatu. Image from Maulucioni/Wikimedia Commons.

The island depends on that rain to recharge its water supply. Now there isn't enough drinking water to go around.

This has caused a lot of kids to become malnourished or sick. Many can't go to school. There have even been cases of children fainting during lessons.

But it's a hard problem to fix when you're still rebuilding after a cyclone.

In March 2015, Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu, killing about a dozen people and devastating local infrastructure. Two-thirds of the country's rainwater harvesters were destroyed.

The aftermath of Cyclone Pam. Image from Julie Lyn/Flickr.

"Many community members are now being forced to walk long distances to reach dwindling alternative water supplies,"said Sune Gudnitz, who coordinates humanitarian affairs for the UN in the Pacific.

Children like John are the ones who suffer most during crises.

"I am very afraid," he says, "that food and water will not be enough for me and my family." John has to use a cup whenever he wants a drink — he can't afford to spill any.

Malnutrition hits kids especially hard, compared to adults. Disease and overheating too. They need food and clean drinking water in order to stay healthy and grow.

Kids across the Pacific are in similar situations.

Many other island nations, such as Kiribati, are also facing water crises. Climate change is predicted to increase sea levels and cause more severe storms, which can damage fragile infrastructure and pollute limited freshwater supplies.

Though the link is still being studied, there is evidence that climate change can also cause more intense episodes of El Niño, which could starve more Pacific nations like Vanuatu of rainfall.

This all spells danger for kids in the future.

"We are hurtling towards a future where the gains being made for the world's children are threatened and their health, wellbeing, livelihoods and survival are compromised ... despite being the least responsible for the causes,"said David Bull, UNICEF's U.K. executive director. "We need to listen to them."

We get to decide the future for John and kids like him.

How will the kids living there now see the world that we're leaving them? John's picture of the future is a lot different than mine was at his age.


"When I grow up, I want to be rich," John says. "I want to be rich so that I can buy food and I will still have some money left."

We can still help. Disaster aid and planning can help head off the worst of climate change's effects, and we can reduce climate change itself through smarter, dedicated action.

Watch John's full video from UNICEF below.

If you want to help change the future but aren't sure how to start, you can help spread the word about health and poverty issues affecting children worldwide by checking out UNICEF's #FightUnfair campaign.

Heroes

Watch Katy Perry pretend to be a meteorologist to fight global warming.

She's helping UNICEF stop global warming.

True
Unilever and the United Nations

Katy Perry is a proud California girl. So when it comes to climate change, she gets it.

After all, she can see the effects of global warming in her own backyard. If you hadn't heard, climate change has made the drought in the Golden State much, much worse.

To highlight how important it is that we act now, Perry swapped her stage costumes for a pantsuit and got real about global warming.

She hasn't quit her day job, but Perry — a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013 — did successfully pull off the role of "meteorologist" in a short video for the humanitarian group, seen below.

Her goal? To point out how climate change will affect families and children around the world.

Because, beyond California, increasingly warmer temperatures have wreaked havoc in poorer countries — areas that studies have shown will be hit hardest by a warming planet.

Areas like the Pacific Islands, where hurricanes have gotten worse.

And in South Asia where horrible floods have dispersed millions.

Not to mention hotter temperatures in East Africa mean increased risk of malaria (which kills 800 children every day).

And unfortunately, even if we act now, these places won't see relief overnight.

Our reliance on fossil fuels means, at least in the near future, the forecast looks bleak.

“It's always children who are first to suffer from [global warming's] impact," Perry warns in the video.

But ... why does climate change generally affect people in, say, the Philippines, more severely than in the U.S.?

Well, for one, underdeveloped regions happen to be in areas that are expected to see "stronger cyclones, warmer days and nights, more unpredictable rains, and larger and longer heatwaves," as The Guardian reported, citing a 2013 study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

But beyond simply getting hit hardest, poor countries also lack the infrastructure to successfully handle increasingly severe storms, disastrous floods, and rising sea levels.

They'll need to invest billions of dollars more to prepare for the worst of what climate change has in-store.

But here's the thing: We can avoid the worst of it. And there are plenty of reasons to believe we will.

World leaders are coming together to cut way back on carbon emissions, President Obama's administration is aiming to prioritize clean power over dirty energy, and organizations like UNICEF (with a little help from Ms. Perry) are helping those most impacted by a changing climate.

I'm very hopeful my grandkids will live in a green world, and you should be, too.

You can make sure your voice is heard by signing this petition to demand climate action at the Paris Climate Summit.

Check out Perry's video for UNICEF below:

Trending Stories