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The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
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![Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (6) Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (6)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/lionel-richie-and-all-the-singers-from-the-we-are-the-world-session.jpg)
Summary
- "We Are The World" was created in response to the African famine epidemic and was inspired by the success of Band Aid.
- The song brought together an impressive lineup of American recording artists, including Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen.
- "We Are The World" became one of the best-selling songs of all time, winning four Grammy Awards and raising over $63 million for charity.
The new Netflix music documentary The Greatest Night in Pop features behind-the-scenes footage and details of the historic "We Are The World" song's creation. Released back in 1985, "We Are The World" brought together the biggest names in the music industry from all types of genres, including pop, country, folk, rock, and more. The song was assembled by producers Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian and was originated by musician and activist Harry Belafonte and manager Ken Kragen.
The Greatest Night in Pop features new present-day interviews from Lionel Richie, who was a songwriter on "We Are The World" along with pop star Michael Jackson. Richie and Jackson had become acquaintances while their immensely successful music careers were just taking off as the lead singers of The Commodores and The Jackson Five, respectively. "We Are The World" remains to be one of the best-selling songs of all time, selling over 20 million physical copies during the mid-1980s.
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All Of The Singers On 1985's "We Are The World"
Lionel Richie Helped Assemble The Huge Group Of Performers
As discussed in The Greatest Night in Pop, "We Are The World" was developed in response to the African famine epidemic that resulted in thousands of Africans dying from starvation. It was also inspired by the success of the UK group Band Aid, which featured Bono from U2 and Phil Collins of Genesis, who released a charity song titled "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The result was the American supergroup USA For Africa, which consisted of many of the biggest musical artists alive at the time.
Among the most notable American recording artists in USA For Africa are Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Cyndi Lauper, and Ray Charles. Many of the biggest names involved were given solo parts in the famous 7-minute song, which can be found on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and in the Netflix documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop.
Composer | Quincy Jones |
Soloists | Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles. |
Chorus | Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Smokey Robinson. |
Instruments | John Barnes (keyboards), David Paich (synthesizers), Michael Boddicker (synthesizers), Ian Underwood (synthesizers), Steve Porcaro (synthesizers), Paulinho da Costa (percussion), Louis Johnson (synth bass), Michael Omartian (keyboards), Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), John Robinson (drums). |
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What "We Are The World" Achieved After The Song Was Released
The Single Made Millions Of Dollars For Charity
![Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (9) Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (9)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/lionel-richie-in-the-greatest-night-in-pop.jpg)
"We Are The World" raised more than $63 million, which is approximately $227 million today adjusting for inflation...
"We Are The World" remains the ninth best-selling physical single of all time and became the fastest-selling single in United States history. It became Quadruple Platinum after topping several charts around the world, marking the first-ever multi-platinum single. "We Are The World" also won four Grammy Awards including Best Record of the Year and Best Song of The Year in 1986. The merchandise sold from "We Are The World" raised more than $63 million, which is approximately $227 million today adjusting for inflation, far surpassing its fundraising goal of $50 million (~$140 million today).
What About We Are The World 25?
The New Version Was Not As Successful
![Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (10) Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (10)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/artists-including-nicole-serzinger-and-miley-cyrus-participate-in-the-chorus-for-we-are-the-world-25-for-haiti.jpg)
25 years after “We Are The World” was released, a new version of the song, with a new group of artists, was created. The project was officially named We Are The World 25 For Haiti. In 2009 Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones had considered releasing a new cut of the original track, but a devastating earthquake in Haiti in early 2010 led to a different decision.
A new group of artists were brought together to create a new version of the charity single to benefit rebuilding in Haiti. The idea was that a group of modern artists could bring the idea of unity to a younger generation. More than 80 artists participated in the recording of the song and multiple versions of the song were released.
In addition to a short version of the single that ran for 3 minutes and 25 seconds, there was also a long version of the song that ran for 6 minutes and 57 seconds. The new version of “We Are The World” also included a rap section. A Spanish language version of the track was also recorded.
Conductors | Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Mervyn Warren |
Soloists (In Order of Appearance) | Justin Bieber, Nicole Sherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Nettles, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson (through archival recordings), Janet Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, Jamie Foxx, Wyclef Jean, Adam Levine, Pink, BeBe Winans, Usher, Celine Dion, Fergie, Nick Jonas, Mary Mary, T.I., Isaac Slade, Lil Wayne, Akon, T-Pain, LL Cool J, will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Iyazz, Mann, Kanye West |
Guitarists | Orianthi, Carlos Santana |
Chorus Members | Patti Austen, Philip Bailey, Il Volo, Fonzworth Bentley, Bizzy Bone, El DeBarge, Ethan Bortnick, Brandy, Jeff Bridges, Zac Brown, Kristian Bush, Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Nikka Costa, Larry Dvoskin, Faith Evans, Melanie Fiona, Sean Garrett, Tyrese Gibson, Anthony Hamilton, Keri Hilson, Kid Cudi, John Legend, Julianne Hough, India Arie, Randy Jackson, 3T, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jardine, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ralph Johnson, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Rashida Jones, Gladys Knight, Benji Madden, Joel Madden, Katharine McPhee, Jason Mraz, Mya, Freda Payne, A. R. Rahman, RedOne, Nicole Richie, Raphael Saadiq, Chico DeBarge, Trey Songz, Musiq Soulchild, Jordan Sparks, Robin Thicke, Rob Thomas, Vince Vaughn, Mervyn Warren, Verdine White, Ann Wilson, Brian Wilson, Nancy Wilson |
A music video was also created by Paul Haggis who recorded the production of the single. Haitian film students were involved in creating the music video, so the single wasn’t just giving money back to Haiti, but also giving Haitian artists hope for the future.
The way the world consumed music had changed and much of the purchasing of the music was in the form of digital downloads.
Though critics panned the new version of the song, consumers understood the sentiment behind it, and made it a brief success. The song reached the number 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and 7 on the Canadian Hot 100. It charted in more than 30 territories around the world overall, reaching higher positions than the original debut single did in 1985. The way the world consumed music had changed and much of the purchasing of the music was in the form of digital downloads.
That success, however, was short-lived. While the original single had longer staying power when it was released, raising funds throughout the year, “We Are The World” in 2010 only remained on music charts for a few weeks, and didn’t get much radio play. The actual amount of money raised by the 2010 single has not been disclosed and there hasn't been a full look behind the curtain for the modern track like there is in the documentary The Greatest Night In Pop.
![Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (11) Every Singer & Musician Featured On 1985's "We Are The World" & What The Supergroup Achieved (11)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/the-greatest-night-in-pop.jpg)
The Greatest Night in Pop
PG-13
On January 28, 1985, 46 of the most famous musicians of the time, including Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, and Stevie Wonder, gathered in a Los Angeles studio to record the charity single "We Are the World." The documentary "The Greatest Night in Pop" reveals the behind-the-scenes efforts to bring these iconic artists together for this historic event. Directed by Bao Nguyen, the film explores the logistical challenges, creative processes, and personal dynamics that shaped the recording session, offering new insights and untold stories from those who were there.
- Director
- Bao Nguyen
- Release Date
- January 29, 2024
- Cast
- Lionel Richie , Quincy Jones , Bruce Springsteen , Cyndi Lauper
- Runtime
- 96 Minutes
- Movies
- The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
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