By Semore Badejo
We Are the World” is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album “USA FOR AFRICA”. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is the eighth best-selling physical single of all time.
Soon after the UK-based Band Aid group released “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in December 1984, musician and activist Harry Belafonte began to think about an American benefit single for African famine relief. He enlisted fundraiser Ken Kragen to help bring the vision to reality. The duo contacted several musicians, and ultimately, Jackson and Richie were assigned to write the song.
Jackson told Richie that he not only wanted to sing the song, but to help write it as well. The songwriting team originally included Steve Wonder, but his time was constrained by his song-writing for the film “The Woman in Red.” So Jackson and Richie wrote “We Are the World” themselves at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family home in Encino, California. They sought to write a song that would be easy to sing and memorable, yet still an anthem. For a week, the two spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in Jackson’s bedroom.
The duo completed the writing of “We Are the World” seven weeks after the release of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?.” 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.
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 historic event brought together some of the era’s best-known music industry artists.
The 45 stars who sang on “We Are the World” that night were huge-in-the-80s figure. The Soloists in order of appearance are: 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 and Ray Charles.
The chorus singers are: 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 and Smokey Robinson, with Quincy Jones as Conductor.
The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the first single from the album by Columbia Records. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling U.S. pop single in history. “We Are the World” received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, becoming the first single to be certified multi-platinum.
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 VHS, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise helped “We Are the World” raise more than $63 million ($149 million today) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States.
In January 2010, a magnitude 7.0 M earthquake devastated Haiti, leading another all-star cast of singers to remake the song. Entitled “We Are the World 25 for Haiti”, it was released as a single on February 12, 2010; proceeds from the record aided survivors in the impoverished country.
In March 2020, Richie suggested that a third remake should be made to communicate a message of global solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic and raise funds for aid efforts.
This is my modest effort at taking us down the memory lane.
Enjoy. TGIF.
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We’re all a part of God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world…
When you’re down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are the world…
