That "We Are the World" remake is dreadful! I'm sorry, but I cannot take it seriously at all. It's pale as death in comparison to the original. There really was no need to make a "modern" version of it.
The original was emotive--it touched its listeners with the unity and emotion the singers displayed through their singing. They sounded like they really meant it. It is powerful stuff. It brings tears to my eyes whenever I give it a listen, and inspires me to want to make a difference in the world.
The second version, by contrast, had to rely on heavy visuals to deliver its message because pretty much all the singers' voices were weak and emotionless. I think P!nk was one of the only ones whose voice actually delivered some emotion. The bulk of them were just stiff, though.
I laughed hysterically when Miley Cyrus shrieked like a bloody banshee during her part of the video--man, she cannot sing to save her life (no surprise there). See, there's something really wrong when one's charity song makes people laugh, and not think about the message one intended to deliver. The whole sorry effort was just not enjoyable in the least. I agree in that the rap part was creative--I don't like rap music, but that was the sole "new" and "fresh" attribute of the song. Everything else was just a lousy try at re-creating something which most of the people present didn't really seem to care for, if we are to judge by the emotion in their voice.
With that said, other remakes I dislike are:
"Oops...I Did It Again" —Children of Bodom, although that one was originally supposed to be a joke. Actually, make that any metal cover of a song which is supposed to be pop. It's just meant to be bad--imagine how dreadful it would be if Britney Spears started covering metal songs...
uke: It'd be ill-suited as well.
I can't think of any other remakes I dislike.
