Mary J. Blige, Clinton interview clips face ridicule online

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A pair of clips teasing Mary J. Blige’s interview with Hillary Clinton on her upcoming Apple Music show “The 411” isn’t winning over social media users.

The teaser featuring the R&B singer crooning Bruce Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)” before clasping hands with Clinton was mocked online after it was released Tuesday by Apple.

The moment, and Blige’s words, are meant to be inspiring: “If an officer stops you, always be polite, and never ever run away. Promise Mama you’ll keep your hands inside. Is it a gun? Is it a knife? Is it a wallet? This is your life. It ain’t no secret. It ain’t no secret, no secret my friend. You can get killed just for living in your American skin.”

Instead, thanks to Blige’s all-in sincerity and Clinton’s miraculously straight face, the impromptu song is almost too awkward to watch.

Inae Oh of Mother Jones wrote in in a story titled “Someone Please Explain What the Hell Is Going on With This Mary J. Blige, Hillary Clinton Interview” that the clips “created far more confusion than the excitement Apple likely intended.”

Springsteen wrote “American Skin (41 Shots)” about the 1999 police shooting death of Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo.

“The 411 with Mary J. Blige” is set to debut Sept. 30.

Contributing: USA TODAY