…(O)n January 28, 1985, 45 of the biggest names in music…came together at a Los Angeles studio to record the charity single ‘We Are The World’ (popular refrain: ‘We are the children.’) Olivia B. Waxman, Time (January 29, 2024)
Or maybe it was 46, according to this year’s documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which provides behind-the-scenes footage of the overnight session that created “We Are the World.” Written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, it instantly became a smash hit. The majority of the revenue “went to USA for Africa—short for USA (United Support of Artists) for Africa—which was raising money to end poverty on the continent, while 10% was set aside for efforts to combat homelessness in the U.S., per [Stevie] Wonder’s request” (Time).
In 1985 I was 32, my partner 34, and we were part of the large demographic that this song, produced by Quincy Jones, excited. It was something about the array of various artists all gathered together, reportedly advised to “check their egos at the door”—per the sign they saw when entering the room—to raise their voices in unity for an important cause. We watched and listened so many times we could name each singer as he or she did their assigned lines.
“We Are the World,” the finished product:
In her review Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine, explains how Bao Nguyen‘s film The Greatest Night in Pop adds to our understanding:
‘We Are the World’ is such a staple, such a part of our collective cultural DNA, that it seems as though it arrived fully formed in all its anthemic, cast-of-superstars glory.
Of course, that wasn’t the case…
In other words, a whole lot of preparation and toil went into it. The trailer:
As in the song itself, the creative process of some of the singers is spotlighted more than others, which seems natural considering the size of the group. And I totally agree with reviewer Weiss and others who note the need to see the doc for yourself—if for only one precious thing, the series of interactions involving why and how a befuddled Bob Dylan was assisted in finding his way regarding his role that night.
From Weiss’s review conclusion: “The Greatest Night in Pop is one of those wonderfully wish fulfilling, ‘man I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall during that recording’-type documentaries. I want to watch it again just to take in all the background activity (stars hugging and laughing and whispering in each other’s ears) that I missed…”
Okay, and I have to add this because it’s there: her concluding words. “But wonderful as the doc is, it still doesn’t answer one of the greatest mysteries of them all, up there with Stonehenge and the Bermuda Triangle: What on earth was Dan Aykroyd doing there?”
Sarah Little, ScreenRant, has the answer. It wasn’t planned, he hadn’t been asked, but he mistakenly wound up in the vicinity of the recording and then was allowed in. He was, after all, one of the well-loved Blues Brothers.
