We Are the World
Picture 1 "We Are the World"
"We Are the
World" is a song and charity
single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written byMichael
Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael
Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in
excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide.
Following Band
Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" project in the UK, an idea for
the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from
activist Harry Belafonte, who,
along with fundraiser Ken Kragen,
was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality. Several musicians were
contacted by the pair, before Jackson and Richie were assigned the task of
writing the song. The duo completed the writing of "We Are the World"
seven weeks after the release of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", and
one night before the song's first recording session, on January 21, 1985. The
historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music
industry at the time.
The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the only
single from the album. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts
throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in
history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, "We Are the
World" received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of
America. However, the song garnered mixed reviews from journalists, music
critics, and the public. Fans enjoyed hearing racially and musically diverse
recording artists singing together on one track, and felt satisfied in buying
"We Are the World", knowing that the money was going to charity.
Other individuals, including many commentators in the rock press, were
disappointed that the song did not challenge listeners as to why famines occur
in the first place, and felt that the lyrics were self-aggrandizing.
Awarded numerous honors—including three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award—the song was
promoted with a critically received music video, a home video, a special
edition magazine, a simulcast,
and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise aided the
success of "We Are the World" and raised over $63 million for
humanitarian aid in Africa and the US.
Following the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, a remake of the
song by another all-star cast of singers was recorded on February 1, 2010.
Entitled "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", it was released as a single
on February 12, 2010, and proceeds from the record aided survivors in the
impoverished country.
1. Background and writing
Picture 1.1 Michael Jackson in 1984, several months before he and
Lionel Richie completed the writing of "We Are the World"
Before the writing of "We Are the World", American
entertainer and social activist Harry
Belafonte had sought for some
time to have a song recorded by the most famous artists in the music industry
at the time. He planned to have the proceeds donated to a new organization
called United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa). The non-profit
foundation would then feed and relieve starving people in Africa,
specificallyEthiopia, where around one million people died during the country's 1983–1985 famine.[1][2] The idea followed Band Aid's "Do They Know It's
Christmas" project in the UK, which Belafonte had heard about. In the activist's plans, money would
also be set aside to help eliminatehunger in the United States of America.
Entertainment manager and fellow fundraiser Ken
Kragen was contacted by
Belafonte, who asked for singers Lionel
Richie and Kenny Rogers—Kragen's clients—to
participate in Belafonte's musical endeavor. Kragen and the two musicians
agreed to help with Belafonte's mission, and in turn, enlisted the cooperation
of Stevie Wonder, to add more
"name value" to their project.[1] Quincy Joneswas drafted to co-produce
the song, taking time out from his work on The
Color Purple.[1][5] Richie
also telephoned Michael Jackson,
who had just released the commercially successful Thriller album and had concluded a tour with his
brothers.
Jackson revealed to Richie that he not only wanted to
sing the song, but to participate in its writing as well. To begin with, "We Are the
World" was to be written by Jackson, Richie, and Wonder. As Wonder had
limited time to work on the project, Jackson and Richie proceeded to write
"We Are the World" themselves.[6] They began creating the song at
Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family home in Encino. For a week, the two spent
every night working on lyrics and melodies in the singer's bedroom. They knew
that they wanted a song that would be easy to sing and memorable. The pair
wanted to create an anthem.
Jackson's older sister La Toya watched the two work on the song, and
later contended that Richie only wrote a few lines for the track. She stated that her younger brother
wrote 99 percent of the lyrics, "but he's never felt it necessary to say
that". La Toya further
commented on the song's creation in an interview with the American celebrity
news magazine People.
"I'd go into the room while they were writing and it would be very quiet,
which is odd, since Michael's usually very cheery when he works. It was very
emotional for them."
Richie had recorded two melodies for "We Are the
World", which Jackson took, adding music and words to the song in the same
day. Jackson stated, "I love working quickly. I went ahead without even
Lionel knowing, I couldn't wait. I went in and came out the same night with the
song completed—drums, piano, strings, and words to the chorus."Jackson
then presented his demo to Richie and Jones, who were both shocked; they did
not expect the pop star to see the structure of the song so quickly. The next
meetings between Jackson and Richie were unfruitful; the pair did not produce
any additional vocals and got no work done. It was not until the night of
January 21, 1985, that Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody of
"We Are the World" within two and a half hours, one night before the
song's first recording session.
2.
Recording sessions
The first night of recording, January 22, 1985, had tight
security on hand, as Richie, Jackson, Wonder, and Jones started work on
"We Are the World" at Kenny Rogers' Lion Share Recording Studio. The
studio, on Beverly Boulevard in California, was filled with
musicians, technicians, video crews, retinues,
assistants, and organizers as the four musicians entered. To begin the night, a
"vocal guide" of "We Are the World" was recorded by Richie
and Jackson and duplicated on tape for each of the invited performers. The
guide was recorded on the sixth take,
as Quincy Jones felt that there was too much "thought" in the
previous versions.
Picture
2.1 Quincy Jones was a key figure
in the production and recording of "We Are the World".
Following their work on the vocal guide, Jackson and
Jones began thinking of alternatives for the line "There's a chance we're
taking, we're taking our own lives": the pair was concerned that the
latter part of the line would be considered a reference to suicide. As the
group listened to a playback of the chorus, Richie declared that the last part
of the line should be changed to "We're 'saving' our own lives",
which his fellow musicians agreed with. Producer Jones also suggested altering
the former part of the line. "One thing we don't want to do, especially
with this group, is look like we're patting ourselves on the back. So it's
really, 'There's a choice we're making.'"[9] Around 1:30 am, the four
musicians ended the night by finishing a chorus of melodic vocalizations,
including the sound "sha-lum sha-lin-gay". Jones told the group that they were
not to add anything else to the tape. "If we get too good, someone's gonna
start playing it on the radio," he announced.
On January 24, 1985, after a day of rest, Jones shipped
Richie and Jackson's vocal guide to all of the artists who would be involved in
"We Are the World"'s recording. Enclosed in the package was a letter
from Jones, addressed to "My Fellow Artists":
|
“
|
The
cassettes are numbered, and I can't express how important it is not to let
this material out of your hands. Please do not make copies, and return this
cassette the night of the 28th. In the years to come, when your children ask,
'What did mommy and daddy do for the war against world famine?', you can say
proudly, this was your contribution.
|
”
|
Ken Kragen chaired a production meeting at a bungalow off Sunset Boulevard on January 25, 1985. There, Kragen and
his team discussed where the recording sessions with the supergroup of
musicians should take place. He stated, "The single most damaging piece of
information is where we're doing this. If that shows up anywhere, we've got a
chaotic situation that could totally destroy the project. The moment a Prince,
a Michael Jackson, a Bob Dylan—I
guarantee you!—drives up and sees a mob around that studio, he will never come
in."[9] On the
same night, Quincy Jones' associate producer and vocal arranger, Tom Bahler, was given the task of
matching each solo line with the right voice. Bahler stated, "It's like
vocal arranging in a perfect world." Jones
disagreed, stating that the task was like "putting a watermelon in a Cokebottle". The following evening, Lionel Richie
held a "choreography" session at his home, where it was decided who
would stand where.
The final night of recording was held on January 28,
1985, at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood. Michael Jackson arrived at 9 pm,
earlier than the other artists, to record his solo section and record a vocal
chorus by himself. He was
subsequently joined in the recording studio by the remaining USA for Africa
artists, which included Ray
Charles,Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen and Smokey
Robinson. Also in attendance were five of Jackson's
siblings: Jackie, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Tito.
Many of the participants came straight from an American Music Award ceremony, which had been held that
same night. Invited musician Prince, who would have had a part in
which he and Michael Jackson sang to each other, did not attend the recording
session. The reason given for his
absence has varied. One newspaper claimed that the singer did not want to
record with other acts. Another
report, from the time of "We Are the World"'s recording, suggested
that the musician did not want to partake in the session because organizer Bob Geldof called him a "creep". Prince did, however, donate an
exclusive track, "4 The Tears In Your Eyes", for the We Are the World album. In all, more than 45 of America's top
musicians participated in the recording, and
another 50 had to be turned away. Upon
entering the recording studio, the musicians were greeted by a sign pinned to
the door which read, "Please check your egos at the door." They were also greeted by Stevie
Wonder, who proclaimed that if the recording was not completed in one take, he
and Ray Charles, two blind men, would drive everybody home.
I think what's happening in Africa is
a crime of historic proportions ... You walk into one of the corrugated
iron huts and you see meningitis and malaria and typhoid buzzing around the air. And you see
dead bodies lying side by side with the live ones. In some of the camps you see
15 bags of flour for 27,000 people. And I assume that's why we're all
here tonight.
Bob
Geldof, addressing his fellow USA for Africa musicians during one of the
recording session of "We Are the World" on January 28, 1985.
Each of the performers took his or her position at around
10:30 pm and began to sing. Several hours passed before Stevie Wonder
announced that he would like to substitute a line in Swahili for the "sha-lum
sha-lin-gay" sound. At this
point, Waylon Jennings left the recording studio for a short
time when it was suggested by some that the song be sung in Swahili. A heated debate ensued, in which
several artists also rejected the suggestion. The "sha-lum
sha-lin-gay" sound ran into opposition as well and was subsequently
removed from the song. Jennings returned to the studio and participated in the
recording, which bears his name in the end credits. The participants eventually
decided to sing something meaningful in English. They chose to sing the new
line "One world, Our children", which most of the participants enjoyed.
In the early hours of the morning, two Ethiopian women,
guests of Stevie Wonder, were brought into the recording studio—it had been
decided that a portion of the proceeds raised would be used to bring aid to
those affected by therecent famine in Ethiopia. They thanked the singers on behalf of
their country, bringing several artists to tears, before being led from the
room. Wonder attempted to lighten
the mood, by joking that the recording session gave him a chance to
"see" fellow blind musician Ray Charles. "We just sort of bumped
into each other!" The solo
parts of the song were recorded without any problems. The final version of "We Are the
World" was completed at 8 am.
3. Music and vocal arrangements
"We Are the World" is sung from a first person
viewpoint, allowing the audience to "internalize" the message by
singing the word we together. It has been described as "an
appeal to human compassion". The
first lines in the song's repetitive chorus proclaim, "We are the world,
we are the children, we are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving"."We
Are the World" opens with Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner and Billy
Joel singing the first verse. Michael Jackson and Diana Ross follow,
completing the first chorus together. Dionne
Warwick, Willie Nelson and Al
Jarreau sing the second verse,
before Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry and Daryl Hall go through the second chorus. Co-writer Jackson, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper and Kim
Carnes follow with the song's
bridge. This structuring of the
song is said to "create a sense of continuous surprise and emotional
buildup". "We Are the
World" concludes with Bob Dylan and Ray Charles singing a full chorus,
Wonder and Springsteen duetting, and ad
libs from Charles and Ingram.
4. USA for Africa musicians
Conductor
·
Quincy Jones
|
Soloists (in order of appearance)
·
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 (alphabetically)
·
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
|
Band
·
David Paich – synthesizers, musician
·
Michael Boddicker – synthesizers, programming
·
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
·
Louis Johnson – bass
·
Michael Omartian – keyboards
·
Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
·
John Robinson – drums
|
5. Release and reception
Picture 4.1 Stevie Wonder
was a featured soloist on "We Are the World".
Picture 4.2 Bob Geldof
sang as part of the chorus.
On March 8, 1985, "We Are the World" was released as a
single, in both 7" and 12" format. The song was the only one released
from the We Are the World album and became a chart success
around the world. In the US, it was a number one hit on the R&B singles chart, the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for a month. The single had initially debuted at
number 21 on the Hot 100, the highest entry since Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
entered the charts at number 20 the year before. It took four weeks for the song to
claim the number one spot—half the time a single would normally have taken to
reach its charting peak.[28] On the Hot 100, the song moved from 21 to 5 to 2 and then number
1. "We Are the World" might have reached the top of the Hot 100 chart
sooner, if it were not for the success of Phil
Collins' "One More Night", which received a significant level of
support from both pop and rock listeners. "We
Are the World" also entered Billboard's
Top Rock Tracks and Hot Country Singles charts, where it peaked at numbers 27
and 76 respectively. The song
became the first single since The
Beatles' "Let It Be" to enter Billboard 's
Top 5 within two weeks of release.[25] Outside of the US, the single reached number one in Australia,
France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland and the UK. The song peaked at number 2 in only two countries:
Germany and Austria.
The single was also a commercial success; the initial shipment
of 800,000 "We Are the World" records sold out within three days of
release.[24] The record became the fastest-selling American pop single in
history. At one Tower Records store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, 1,000 copies of
the song were sold in two days. Store
worker Richard Petitpas commented, "A number one single sells about 100 to
125 copies a week. This is absolutely unheard of." By the end of 1985, "We Are the
World" had become the best selling single of the year. Five years later it was revealed that
the song had become the biggest single of the 1980s. "We Are the World" was
eventually cited as the biggest selling single in both US and pop music
history. The song became the
first ever single to be certified multi-platinum; it received a 4×
certification by theRecording Industry Association of America. The estimated global sales of "We
Are the World" are said to be 20 million.
Despite the song's commercial success, "We Are the
World" received mixed reviews from journalists, music critics and the
public following its release. American journalist Greil Marcus felt that the song sounded like a Pepsi jingle. He wrote, "... the constant
repetition of 'There's a choice we're making' conflates with Pepsi's
trademarked 'The choice of a new generation' in a way that, on the part of
Pepsi-contracted song writers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, is certainly
not intentional, and even more certainly beyond the realm of serendipity. Marcus added, "In the realm of
contextualization, 'We Are the World' says less about Ethiopia than it does
about Pepsi—and the true result will likely be less that certain Ethiopian individuals
will live, or anyway live a bit longer than they otherwise would have, than
that Pepsi will get the catch phrase of its advertising campaign sung for free
by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and all the rest. Author Reebee Garofalo agreed, and
expressed the opinion that the line "We're saving our own lives" was
a "distasteful element of self-indulgence". He asserted that the artists of USA
for Africa were proclaiming "their own salvation for singing about an
issue they will never experience on behalf of a people most of them will never
encounter".
In contrast, Stephen
Holden of The New York Times praised the phrase "There's a
choice we're making, We're saving our own lives". He commented that the line assumed
"an extra emotional dimension when sung by people with superstar
mystiques". Holden expressed
that the song was "an artistic triumph that transcends its official
nature". He noted that
unlike Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas", the vocals on
"We Are the World" were "artfully interwoven" and
emphasized the individuality of each singer. Holden
concluded that "We Are the World" was "a simple, eloquent
ballad" and a "fully-realized pop statement that would sound
outstanding even if it weren't recorded by stars".
The song proved popular with both young and old listeners. The public enjoyed hearing a
supergroup of musicians singing together on one track, and felt satisfied in
buying the record, knowing that the money would go towards a good cause. People reported they bought more than
one copy of the single, some buying up to five copies of the record.[44] One mother from Columbia, Missouri purchased two copies of "We Are
the World", stating, "The record is excellent whether it's for a
cause or not. It's fun trying to identify the different artists. It was a good
feeling knowing that I was helping someone in need."
According to music critic and Bruce Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh, "We Are the
World" was not widely accepted within the rock music community. The author revealed that the song was
"despised" for what it was not: "a rock record, a critique of
the political policies that created the famine, a way of finding out how and
why famines occur, an all-inclusive representation of the entire worldwide
spectrum of post-Presley popular
music". Marsh revealed that
he felt some of the criticisms were right, while others were silly.[45] He claimed that despite
the sentimentality of the song, "We Are the World" was a large-scale
pop event with serious political overtones.[45]
"We Are the World" was recognized with several awards
following its release. At the 1986
Grammy Awards, the song and its accompanying music video won four awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
with Vocal and Best Music Video, Short Form.[46] The music video was
awarded two honors at the 1985MTV Video Music Awards. It collected the awards
for Best Group Video and Viewer's Choice. People's
Choice Awards recognized "We
Are the World" with the Favorite New Song award in 1986. In the same year, the American Music
Awards named "We Are the World" "Song of the Year", and
honored organizer Harry Belafonte with the Award of Appreciation. Collecting
his award, Belafonte thanked Ken Kragen, Quincy Jones, and "the two
artists who, without their great gift would not have inspired us in quite the
same way as we were inspired, Mr. Lionel Richie and Mr. Michael Jackson". Following the speech, the majority of
USA for Africa reunited on stage, closing the ceremony with "We Are the
World".
6.
Track listing
Vinyl Single:
1. "We Are the World" – 7:14
2. "Grace" - 4:56
7. Marketing and promotion
"We Are the World" was promoted with a music
video, a video cassette, and several other items made available to the public,
including books, posters, shirts and buttons.[50][51]All proceeds
from the sale of official USA for Africa merchandise went directly to the
famine relief fund. All of the merchandise sold well; the video
cassette—entitled We Are the
World: The Video Event—documented the making of the song, and became the
ninth best-selling home video of 1985.[50] All of the video elements were
produced by Howard G. Malley and Craig B. Golin along with April
Lee Grebb as the production supervisor.
The music video showed the recording of "We Are the
World", and drew criticism from some. Michael Jackson joked before
filming, "People will know it's me as soon as they see the socks. Try
taking footage of Bruce Springsteen's socks and see if anyone knows who they
belong to."[24] Jackson
was also criticized for filming and recording his solo piece privately, away
from the other artists. The singer's supporters reasoned that Jackson was a
perfectionist; recording in front of other big name artists would leave him
awestruck and unable to perform at his best. He was also known for his shy
nature, and the idea of singing solo in front of 44 other famous artists
probably sounded terrifying to him.
The song was also promoted with a special edition of the
American magazine Life.
The publication had been the only media outlet permitted inside A&M
Recording Studios on the night of January 28, 1985. All other press
organizations were barred from reporting the events leading up to and during
"We Are the World"'s recording. Life ran a cover story of the recording
session in its April 1985 edition of the monthly magazine. Seven members of USA
for Africa were pictured on the cover: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi
Lauper, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Willie Nelson. Inside
the magazine were photographs of the "We Are the World" participants
working and taking breaks.[50]
"We Are the World" received worldwide radio
coverage in the form of an international simultaneous broadcast later that
year. Upon spinning the song on their local stations, Georgia radio disc
jockeys, Bob Wolf and Don Briscar came up with the idea for a worldwide
simulcast.[52] They
called hundreds of radio and satellite stations asking them to participate. On
the morning of April 5, 1985 (Good Friday of
that year) at 10:25 am, over 8000 radio stations simultaneously broadcast
the song around the world, showing support for the relief of famine in
Ethiopia.[27] As the
song was broadcast, hundreds of people sang along on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.[44][53] The simultaneous radio broadcast of
"We Are the World" was repeated again the following Good Friday.[27]
"We Are the World" gained further promotion and
coverage on May 25, 1986, when it was played during a major benefit event held
throughout the US.[54][55] Hands
Across America—USA for Africa's follow-up project—was an event in which
millions of people formed a human
chain across the US.[56] The event was held to draw attention
to hunger and homelessness in the United States.[57] "We Are the World"'s
co-writer, Michael Jackson, had wanted his song to be the official theme for
the event. The other board members of USA for Africa outvoted the singer, and
it was instead decided that a new song would be created and released for the
event, titled "Hands Across America".[46] When released, the new song did not
achieve the level of success that "We Are the World" did, and the
decision to use it as the official theme for the event led to Jackson—who
co-owned the publishing rights to "We Are the World"—resigning from
the board of directors of USA for Africa.
8. Humanitarian aid
A military aircraft dropping food during
the 1984–1985 Ethiopian famine
Four months after the release of "We Are the
World", USA for Africa had taken in almost $10.8 million. The majority of the money came from
record sales within the US. Members
of the public also donated money—almost $1.3 million within the same time
period. In May 1985, USA for Africa officials estimated that they had sold
between $45 million and $47 million worth of official merchandise
around the world. Organizer Ken Kragen announced that they would not be
distributing all of the money at once. Instead, he revealed that the foundation
would be looking into finding a long-term solution for Africa's problems. "We could go out and spend it all
in one shot. Maybe we'd save some lives in the short term but it would be like
putting a Band-Aid over a serious wound." Kragen noted that experts had
predicted that it would take at least 10 to 20 years to make a slight
difference to Africa's long-term problems.
In June 1985, the first USA for Africa cargo jet carrying
food, medicine and clothing departed for Ethiopia and the Sudan. It stopped en route in New York, where
15,000 T-shirts were added to the cargo. Included in the supplies were
high-protein biscuits, high-protein vitamins, medicine, tents, blankets and
refrigeration equipment. Harry
Belafonte, representing the USA for Africa musicians, visited Sudan in the same
month. The trip was his last stop on a four nation tour of Africa. Tanzanian
Prime Minister Salim Ahmed Salim greeted and praised Belafonte, telling
him, "I personally and the people of Tanzania are moved by this tremendous example
of human solidarity."
One year after the release of "We Are the
World", organizers noted that $44.5 million had been raised for USA
for Africa's humanitarian fund. They stated that they were confident that they
would reach an initial set target of $50 million. By October 1986, it was revealed that
their $50 million target had been met and exceeded (US$ 108 million in
2015); CBS Records gave USA for Africa a check for
$2.5 million, drawing the total amount of money to $51.2 million. USA for Africa's Hands Across America
event had also raised a significant amount of money—approximately
$24.5 million for the hungry in the US.
Since its release, "We Are the World" has
raised over $63 million for humanitarian causes. Ninety percent of the money was
pledged to African relief, both long and short term. The long term initiative included
efforts in birth control and food production. The
remaining 10 percent of funds was earmarked for domestic hunger and
homeless programs in the US. From
the African fund, over 70 recovery and development projects were launched
in seven African nations. Such projects included aid in agriculture, fishing,
water management, manufacturing and reforestation. Training programs were also
developed in the African countries of Mozambique,
Senegal, Chad, Mauritania,Burkina
Faso and Mali.
Elias Kifle Maraim Beyene, a survivor from Ethiopia
remembers: "I won't ever forget Michael Jackson because his contribution
to the song We are the World had a very significant effect on my
life. Lots of people became sick and many more died (...). In 1984 Michael
Jackson, along with a number of other leading musicians, made the song We Are the World to raise money for Africa. We baked a
special bread from it (...). When you have been through such hard times you
never forget events like this. If you speak to anyone who was in Addis Ababa at that time they will all know what
Michael Bread is and I know I will remember it for the rest of my life. (...)"
9. Notable live performances
"We Are the World" has been performed live by
members of USA for Africa on several occasions both together and individually.
One of the earliest such performances came in 1985, during the rock music
concert Live Aid, which ended
with more than 100 musicians singing the song on stage. Harry Belafonte and Lionel Richie made
surprise appearances for the live rendition of the song. Michael Jackson would have joined the
artists, but was "working around the clock in the studio on a project that
he's made a major commitment to", according to his press agent, Norman
Winter.
An inaugural celebration was held for US President-elect Bill Clinton in January 1993. The event was staged by Clinton's
Hollywood friends at the Lincoln
Memorial and drew hundreds of
thousands of people. Aretha
Franklin, LL Cool J, Michael Bolton and Tony
Bennett were among some of the
musicians in attendance. Said
Jones, "I've never seen so many great performers come together with so
much love and selflessness." The
celebration included a performance of "We Are the World", which
involved Clinton, his daughter Chelsea,
and his wife Hillary singing the song along with USA for
Africa's Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The New York Times' Edward Rothstein commented on the event, stating,
"The most enduring image may be of Mr. Clinton singing along in 'We Are
the World', the first President to aspire, however futilely, to hipness."
As a prelude to his song Heal the World, "We Are the
World" was performed as an interlude during two of Michael Jackson's
tours, the Dangerous World Tour from 1992 to 1993 and the HIStory World Tour from 1996 to 1997. Jackson planned to
use the song for his This Is It
comeback concerts at The O2 Arena in London from 2009 to 2010, but the shows were
cancelled due to his sudden death.
Michael Jackson died in
June 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest. His
memorial service was held several
days later on July 7, and was reported to have been viewed by more than one
billion people. The finale of the
event featured group renditions of the Jackson anthems "We Are the
World" and "Heal the World". The
singalong of "We Are the World" was led by Darryl Phinnessee, who had
worked with Jackson since the late 1980s. It
also featured co-writer Lionel Richie and Jackson's family, including his
children. Following the
performance, "We Are the World" re-entered the US charts for the
first time since its 1985 release. The song debuted at number 50 on Billboard'sHot Digital Songs chart.
10.
25 for Haiti
One
of the hundreds of thousands of people who were injured or killed by the
destructive earthquake in Haiti
On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake, the country's most severe
earthquake in over 200 years.[81] The
epicenter of the quake was just outside the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.[82] Over 230,000 civilians have been
confirmed dead by the Haitian government because of the disaster and around
300,000 have been injured. Approximately 1.2 million people are homeless and it
has been reported that the lack of temporary shelter may lead to the outbreak
of disease.[83][84]
To raise money for earthquake victims, a new celebrity
version of "We Are the World" was recorded on February 1, 2010 and
released on February 12, 2010. Over 75 musicians were involved in the remake,
which was recorded in the same studio as the 1985 original.[85] The new version features revised
lyrics as well as a rap segment pertaining to Haiti.[85][86] Michael Jackson's younger sister Janet duets with her late brother on the
track, as per a request from their mother Katherine.
In the video and on the track, archive material of Michael Jackson is used from
the original 1985 recording.[87]
On February 20, 2010, a non-celebrity remake, "We
Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)", was posted to the video
sharing website YouTube. Internet
personality and singer-songwriter Lisa Lavie conceived and organized the Internet
collaboration of 57 unsignedor independent YouTube musicians geographically
distributed around the world. Lavie's 2010 YouTube version, a cover of the 1985 original, excludes the rap
segment and minimizes the Auto-tune that characterizes the 2010 celebrity
remake.[88] Another
2010 remake of the original is the Spanish-language "Somos El Mundo".
It was written by Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria Estefan, and produced by
Emilio, Quincy Jones and Univision
Communications, the company that funded the project.
11.
Legacy
"We Are the World" has been recognized as a
politically important song, which "affected an international focus on
Africa that was simply unprecedented". It
has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the
world felt inclined to follow. According
to The New York Times' Stephen Holden, since the release of
"We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made
within popular music to create songs that address humanitarian concerns. "We Are the World" was also
influential in subverting the way music and meaning were produced, showing that
musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively
and creatively. Ebonydescribed
the January 28 recording session, in which Quincy Jones brought together a
multi-racial group, as being "a major moment in world music that showed we
can change the world". "We
Are the World", along with Live
Aid and Farm Aid, demonstrated that rock music
had become more than entertainment, but a political and social
movement.Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the
ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get
results.
Since the release of "We Are the World",
numerous songs have been recorded in a similar fashion, with the intent to aid
famine victims throughout the world. One such example involved a supergroup of
Latin musicians billed as "Hermanos del Tercer Mundo", or
"Brothers of the Third World". Among the supergroup of
62 recording artists were Julio
Iglesias, José Feliciano and Sérgio
Mendes. Their famine relief song was recorded in the same studio as "We
Are the World". Half of the profits raised from the charity single was
pledged to USA for Africa. The rest of the money was to be used for
impoverished Latin American countries.
The 20th anniversary of "We Are the World" was
celebrated in 2005. Radio stations around the world paid homage to Michael
Jackson, Lionel Richie and USA for Africa's creation by simultaneously
broadcasting the charity song. In addition to the simulcast, the milestone was
marked by the release of a two-disc DVD called We Are the World: The Story Behind
the Song. Ken Kragen asserted
that the reason behind the simulcast and DVD release was not for USA for Africa
to praise themselves for doing a good job, but to "use it to do some more
good [for the original charity]. That's all we care about accomplishing." Harry Belafonte also commented on the
20th anniversary of the song. The entertainer acknowledged that "We
Are the World" had "stood the test of time"; anyone old enough
to remember it can still at least hum along.
12.
Charts and certifications
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Chart
(1985)
|
Peak
position
|
|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[26]
|
1
|
|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[96]
|
2
|
|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[97]
|
1
|
|
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[98]
|
1
|
|
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[99]
|
1
|
|
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[100]
|
1
|
|
France (SNEP)[101]
|
1
|
|
Germany (Official German Charts)[102]
|
2
|
|
Ireland (IRMA)[30]
|
1
|
|
Italy (FIMI)[31]
|
1
|
|
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[103]
|
1
|
|
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[104]
|
1
|
|
Norway (VG-lista)[105]
|
1
|
|
South African Chart[106]
|
1
|
|
Spain (AFYVE)[107]
|
1
|
|
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[108]
|
1
|
|
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[109]
|
1
|
|
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[26]
|
1
|
|
US Billboard Country Singles Chart[26]
|
76
|
|
US Billboard Hot 100[26][110]
|
1
|
|
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[110]
|
1
|
|
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles[110]
|
1
|
|
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[110]
|
27
|
|
US Billboard Black Singles Chart[26][110]
|
1
|
Sales and certifications
|
Region
|
Certification
|
Sales/shipments
|
|
Canada (Music Canada)[113]
|
3× Platinum
|
300,000^
|
|
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[114]
|
|
7,750[114]
|
|
France (SNEP)[115]
|
Platinum
|
965,000[116]
|
|
Italy (FIMI)[117]
|
Gold
|
25,000*
|
|
Japan (RIAJ)
|
|
311,000[118]
|
|
United Kingdom (BPI)[119]
|
Silver
|
250,000^
|
|
United States (RIAA)[120]
|
4× Platinum
|
8,000,000^
|
|
Total certified sales:
|
|
9,555,000
|
|
*sales figures based on
certification alone
^shipments figures
based on certification alone
xunspecified figures
based on certification alone
|
Year-end charts
|
Chart
(1985)
|
Position
|
|
US Billboard Hot 100
|
20[111]
|
|
US Billboard Black Singles Chart
|
37[112]
|
|
|
|
Preceded by
"Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern
Lights
|
Canadian
number-one single
May 4–18, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Crazy for You" by Madonna
|
|
Preceded by
"Nightshift" by Commodores
|
Dutch
number-one single
April 20 – May 25, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds
|
|
Preceded by
"Johnny, Johnny" by Jeanne
Mas
|
French
number-one single
May 5–19, 1985
|
Succeeded by
Chanteurs sans Frontières by Éthiopie
|
|
Preceded by
"Shout" by Tears
for Fears (dated April 5, 1985)
|
New Zealand
number-one single
April 19 – May 31, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
|
|
Preceded by
"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive
|
Swiss
number-one single
May 5 – June 9, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"19" by Paul
Hardcastle
|
|
Preceded by
"I Should Have Known Better" by Jim Diamond
|
Australian Kent Music Report number-one
single
April 8 – June 3, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Would I Lie to You?" by Eurythmics
|
|
Preceded by
"Easy Lover" by Philip
Bailey feat. Phil Collins
|
UK number-one
single
April 20–27, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Move Closer" by Phyllis
Nelson
|
|
Preceded by
"One More Night" by Phil
Collins
|
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
April 13 – May 4, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Crazy for You" by Madonna
|
|
Preceded by
"Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge
|
Billboard Hot Black
number-one single
May 4–11, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Fresh" by Kool
& the Gang
|
|
Preceded by
"One More Night" by Phil
Collins
|
Billboard Adult Contemporary
number-one single
April 20–27, 1985
|
Succeeded by
"Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge
|
13. Review
When "We are
the World" was recorded in the 1980s, some of the world's most famous
musicians came together in order to perform one enormous song forbthe sake of
helping Africa, something that haven't been done like this before. Even though
for the younger generations a lot of the original performers have already been
forgotten, their idea has not grown old. Like will.i.am says in one of his
lines "Now Haiti needs us, they need us". After the tragic earthquake
an amazing amount of music allstars from all genres, from hip hop to rock, and
all ages came together in order to show their support for the victims. It
resulted in a gigantic, heartbreaking ballad, in which you can hear thr most
different voices and can see thr most different faces. From P!nk to Justin
Bieber, it includes everything from Lil Wayne to Barbra Streisand or Celine
Dion and Mary J. Blige. Surely, not all performers are equal in talent, and
yes, Wyclef Jean should really stick to his rap skills rather than trying to
sing, but it is unbelievable that some critics call it one of the worst songs
of all time. "We are the World 25 for Haiti" is an extremely touching
collaboration between some of the most ambitious musicians of modern music
industry. There really is much effort in this work and you can hear it from the
first line to the last. ---- This song is absolutely clean, except for one line
saying "There are people dying". This song is suitable for all ages.
