Earth Day: David Bowie featuring Mother Nature - What is Sounds Right?

It’s Earth Day today, and legendary English musician Brian Eno has given David Bowie’s 1995 deep cut 'Get Real' a twist by using environmental sounds.

Eno has remixed the track to incorporate the cries of hyenas, rooks, and wild pigs.

The Piggy Who Sold The World, anyone?

“In the nature remix of ‘Get Real’, a track I co-wrote with David Bowie 30 years ago, the animals are invading the song – it’s like it has sprung leaks everywhere and these animals are coming in through every window and crack between the doors. They’re sort of threatening – suddenly Nature has crept into the art.”

It has been released as part of a global music initiative called Sounds Right.

Launched by The Museum for the United Nations, Sounds Right is developed to spark a global conversation about the value of nature. It has made Nature an official artist on streaming platforms to raise money for earth conservation.

A share of royalties from any song that credits Nature as an artist will go to EarthPercent, a charity founded by Eno. The organization will then distribute that money to conservation and restoration projects in the world’s “most precious and precarious ecosystems” under the guidance of the Sounds Right Expert Advisory Panel, a group of world-leading biologists, environmental activists, Indigenous People’s representatives, and experts in conservation funding.

The initiative also comes “at a critical time” as wildlife populations have declined by an average of nearly 70 per cent in the past 50 years and at least 1.2million plant and animal species are estimated to be at threat of extinction.

“Throughout my life I’ve wondered — how I can return something to the places I’ve taken ideas from?” Eno said in a statement. “Music started out as the sounds of the natural world, and Sounds Right creates a system to give back to nature, helping to preserve the planet so that it can continue to inspire us for years to come.”

Alongside the 'Get Real' remix, Sound Right has released a compilation featuring new versions of songs by Aurora, Ellie Goulding, V of BTS, and London Grammar — all crediting Nature as a featured artist.

Katja Iversen, CEO for Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, said: “Popular culture, like music, has the power to engage millions and millions of people, ignite positive global change at scale, and get us all on a more sustainable path.”

“In a world where empathy is declining and many people often feel that their actions hardly matter, Sounds Right and UN Live meet people where they already are – on their screens and in their earbuds – with stories and formats they can relate to, and actions that matter to them,” added Iversen.

“Recognising nature as the valuable artist it truly is will be a game changer.”