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Michael Been, at left, and other members of The Call, circa 1986.
Courtesy the-call-band.com.
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Remember The Call, the 1980s modern rock band with songs like "The Walls Came Down"? Michael Been, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Northern California group, has died. Among other claims to fame, his song "Let the Day Begin" was the anthem for Al Gore's 2000 presidential bid. Been (pronounced "bean") was 60.
Been died on Thursday of a heart attack at the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt, Belgium, according to the L.A. Times. He was working as a sound engineer for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, his son Robert's band.
The L.A. Times notes that The Call was known for "epic anthems showcasing a ringing guitar sound and socially conscious, spiritually aware lyrics written by Been and sung in his earnest, emotive style."
Been said in a 1987 interview that his music was about personal politics, rather than major political issues.
"If it's talking about war, it's more a symbolic reference to wars that are going on inside individual people than on a grand scale confrontation," he said.
"I think that our most political songs, like 'Walls' and 'Blood Red,' are very personal because they're trying to provoke a passionate response in the listener—a very personal reaction to a universal situation."
The Call released 10 albums from 1980-2000, with other hits including "I Still Believe." Big-name fans of the band include Peter Gabriel and Bono; the latter lent vocals to a song on The Call's 1990 release, Red Moon.
As for the Al Gore connection, The Call's "Let the Day Begin" was used by Gore to close out the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. The 2000 election, if you'll remember, was the one where Vice President Gore won the popular vote, but lost the electoral vote to Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
