across the universe live grammy recording

does anyone know where i can get a copy of the song 'across
the universe' that was recorded live at the 2005 grammy's
and according to my top 40 book was only available as a
digital download running 4:30?.....i can't locate the song
on either amazon or itunes....it only peaked at number 22
in 2005.....any direction would be helpful....thx edtop40

It is my recollection that this Grammy performance was released as a digital single to raise money for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. It was available only on iTunes (in all its 128 kbps glory) and for only about a month. It has not been available anywhere since. I'm almost positive that it was never promoted to radio and that it therefore was never issued on any promo CD. It charted for one week, in the March 5, 2005, issue, only three weeks after Billboard had started to count paid downloads in compiling the Hot 100 (and songs started to appear on the Hot 100 that were receiving zero airplay). I timed it at (4:33) including the opening and closing 'crowd' noises. The Hot 100 credited it to 'Various Artists', but iTunes credited it to every artist on the recording.

Three weeks later, another live performance from the same broadcast, the Melissa Etheridge / Joss Stone duet of a medley of "Cry Baby / Piece Of My Heart" was similarly released to raise money for cancer research. It was also available only on iTunes for about a month and has not been available anywhere since.

To my knowledge, it was never released anywhere but iTunes, as a lossly (and copy-protected) download. Never on a promo CD or anything, as far as I know.

edtop40 wrote: was this song originally recorded in mono?.....because i rec'd a file from jeff and it's a mono recording....very odd for 2005...

The iTunes version is definitely stereo.

Todd Ireland wrote: Wow, so if one didn't immediately act and purchase digital single downloads of "Across the Universe" or "Cry Baby / Piece Of My Heart" during their extremely limited period of availability, then you're basically out of luck?? It's more than a little disconcerting to learn that these digital-only single releases, once deleted, are basically lost to the dustbin of history unless you can find someone with an audio file copy to pirate from. At least when a CD, cassette, or vinyl single release goes out of print, one can still try to track down a used copy. And unfortunately as the decline of physical music media like the compact disc continues to accelerate, these extremely-limited-time-only digital single occurrences only seem increasingly likely to become more common place.

It wasn't just those two songs. There were a handful of
American Idol songs and other live recordings that met the same fate.
Here is a (perhaps incomplete) list with as much info as my memory can
muster:

1) Across the Universe-- Various Artists (47th Grammys)

2) Cry Baby/Piece of My Heart-- Stone/Etheridge (47th Grammys)

3) The World I Know-- David Cook (Live Performance-- AI Top 2)

4) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For-- David Cook (Live
Performance-- AI Top 2)

5) Dream Big-- David Cook (Live Performance-- AI Top 2)

6) Permanent (American Idol Charity Song)-- David Cook
The hit version is the live version titled "American Idol Charity Song." It
was only available for a limited time. It runs about 3:23 and (I believe) is a
live recording (I do not have it). This song was later released on his album
in a different 2:57 studio version. That album version was not the version
that charted Billboard.

7) Imagine-- David Archuleta (Live Performance-- AI Top 2)

8) I'll Stand By You (Idol Gives Back Performance)-- Carrie Underwood
This is a studio version. Runs approx. 3:32. It was played on AI over a
charity clip, released to iTunes for charity, then quickly pulled.

9) Praying For Time (Idol Gives Back Performance)-- Carrie Underwood
This is a live performance.

10) What About Now (Idol Gives Back Performance)-- Daughtry
This one is under the radar because people assume the album version as
the hit. It's not. The hit was the acoustic version that was played on
American Idol (Idol Gives Back). It is not a live version, but is a special
acoustic version (and therefore different than the album version). like "I'll
Stand By You," I think it was played on IGB over a montage a clips.    The
acoustic version was released to iTunes, people bought it, and the song
charted Billboard the next week based on the IGB performance. I believe
the album version charted in a completely different year.

11) You Give Love a Bad Name (American Idol Performance)-- Blake Lewis
I believe a studio version.

12) We Belong Together (From "Tristan & Isolde")-- Gavin DeGraw
Another under the radar one. There is a 5:26 album version still available
on iTunes. This is not the hit. The hit runs 4:33. I honestly don't know
why this song is no longer available; it wasn't part of a live performance
and I don't think it was released for charity. I'm speculating a bit, but I
think this song got a lot of run due to its appearance in trailers for
"Tristan & Isolde" (or maybe One Tree Hill or Dawson's Creek or one of
those shows?) so the record company quickly released a version (which
became the hit version) then quickly pulled it when the album was
released? That's speculation, but the hit version is long gone in favor of
the longer and IMO not as good album version. I'd actually love to hear
the real story on this song.

13) Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)-- Jay Z, et al.
This was from the Hope For Haiti Now special. There was a live version
and a studio version and I'm not sure which was the hit. Neither is
available any longer.

14) Hallelujah-- Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris feat. Charlie Sexton
If you've never heard this, you're missing out. Also from Hope For Haiti
Now, there was only one version. There is no crowd noise, but I'm not
entirely sure it's a studio recording. Runs 4:16 and was a top 40 hit for
one week. One of my favorite recordings.

15) Mad World (American Idol Performance)-- Adam Lambert
Studio Recording

16) Heartless (American Idol Performance)-- Kris Allen
Studio Recording

17?) Ain't No Sunshine (American Idol Performance)-- Kris Allen
Studio Recording. Throwing this one on here because I'm not sure. The
hit was a studio recording and a 2:13 studio recording was later released
on a five song EP called "American Idol Season 8: The 5 Song EP." Not
sure if that's the same version because I never bought the song when it
was released after AI.

I used to have a list of these, but damn if I can't find it. So, this is largely
pieced together from memory, so there may be others that I'm forgetting
(something from the CMAs perhaps?).

Edited by JL328