The documentary ‘We Are The World’: The Greatest Night in Pop explores the iconic 1985 charity single’s creation, highlighting the historic recording session and its enduring impact on global charity.
The Greatest Night in Pop, the most-anticipated documentary chronicles the making of the iconic 1985 charity single ‘We Are The World’ that brought together 46 music’s biggest stars to aid famine relief in Africa.
Directed by acclaimed movie producer Bao Nguyen, the documentary offers a cozy look at the recording system, exhibiting the collaborative efforts of artists like Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Marvel, and Bruce Springsteen and others. It dives into the compassionate soul that drove the task and its enduring effect on both the music business and global charitable projects.
With behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and reflections, the film catches the quintessence of a noteworthy melodic moment that rose above limits and roused aggregate empathy.
It’s exactly 39 years ago (on January 28, 1985), when a distinguished gathering of 46 music illuminators, including Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen, congregated in a Los Angeles studio to record this epochal foundation single, We Are The World, which even became a hymn, ‘We are the Children’.
The documentary “The Greatest Night In Pop” is now available on Netflix and was released on January 29 as the 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking session approaches. The insightful documentary dissects the complexities of this significant gathering.
Including review interviews with members like Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, and Dionne Warwick, the film amalgamates ‘USA For Africa’ video film with sound recorded by David Breskin, who created a Day to day existence magazine article about the session. Director Bao Nguyen and editor Nic Zimmermann cunningly synchronized Breskin’s dictaphone sound with the sound lacking USA for Africa recording session footage.
The charity single released in 1984, served as the inspiration for ‘We Are The World’ recorded by British and Irish performers to battle starvation in Ethiopia. Fueled by legendary artist and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte’s vision, the documentary unveils how he approached Lionel Richie, emphasizing the need for Black stars to engage in a charity single that addressed hunger in Africa.
Lionel Richie teamed up with Michael Jackson in co-writing ‘We Are The World’, with Jackson credited for writing the notable line, We are the world. Some of the featured singers had a significant impact on the song’s production during the intense recording session.
For example, Bob Dylan confronted challenges with his part and, feeling uncomfortable in the packed room, looked for help from Stevie Wonder. The latter, who was seated behind the piano, imitated Dylan’s folksy voice while singing the line in the manner Wonder believed Dylan should. Dylan went on to give an outstanding performance, proving that this partnership was successful.
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‘We Are The World’ immediately became a sensation. Statistics showed that the single was on track to become “the smash of the decade” in the March 25, 1985, issue of TIME magazine.
In particular, Tower Records’ Sunset Boulevard store in West Hollywood saw a significant increase in sales, selling 1,000 copies in just two days as opposed to the usual 100-125 copies per week.
The magazine featured the melody’s importance in uniting artists from assorted groups of the industry, setting aside differences in style and temperament to promote decency.
The majority of the proceeds from the song went to USA for Africa, an organization dedicated to ending poverty on the continent. Additionally, at Stevie Wonder’s request, 10% of the funds were allocated to address homelessness in the United States.
