Bruce Springsteen and Lionel Richie are among the stars featured in a trailer for the new documentary The Greatest Night in Pop. The film tells the story of the making of the historic all-star 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The Greatest Night in Pop premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19 before debuting on Netflix on January 29. The movie features interviews with several artists who took part in the recording. It also includes previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage of the session.
At the beginning of the preview, Richie recalls how the idea for the song was initiated.
“I received this call from Harry Belafonte, and he wants to do some kind of a song for famine relief in Africa,” Richie explains. “Basically, what he said was, ‘I need you.’”
The Recording of “We Are the World”
“We Are the World” was co-written by Richie and the late Michael Jackson, and recorded on January 28, 1985, at a Los Angeles studio after the American Music Awards ceremony. It featured vocal performances by more than 40 major music stars who all gathered together at the same time.
Among the singers who contributed to the track were the aforementioned Richie, Jackson, Springsteen, and Lewis, as well as Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, and Tina Turner, to name just a few. Quincy Jones was on hand to help produce the song.
In the trailer, Springsteen notes, “I said yes without knowing who was going to be on it.”
Richie Recalls Collaborating with Michael Jackson
Later, Richie recalls worrying about finishing the song as he collaborated with Jackson on it just days before the recording session was scheduled.
“I’m at the house with Michael writing the song,” he explains. “He hums every part. Tapes and tapes of just layered and layered of him humming … Stevie [Wonder] wouldn’t call me back, and the recording was in a couple of days. We now have a template with mumbles and no words. What are we gonna do?”
A Serious Cause
The trailer also delves into the seriousness of the reason for the charity single, helping starving people in Africa.
Sheila E., who also sang on the track, comments, “You know, everyone having a great time, and then the reality of why we’re here. You just kind of go, ‘Wow.’”
Conflicts During the Session
As the trailer nears its end, it focuses on the tensions that flared during the session, as the various artists tried to finish their parts within a limited time period.
“There’s a full-on fight going on,” Richie remembers. “The clock is ticking, and we had so many disasters coming.”
More Details About the Documentary
The Greatest Night in Pop was directed by Bao Nguyen, while Richie served as one of the film’s producers. Other singers who took part in the recording of “We Are the World” that appear in the movie include Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis.
“We Are the World” was released on March 7, 1985, credited collectively to USA for Africa. The song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and went on to sell more than 20 million copies. The track and associated merchandise raised more than $60 million toward humanitarian aid in Africa and the U.S.
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