Cyndi Lauper Admits That She Said She Hated This Iconic Song When Recording It

In 1985, the song “We Are The World” became one of the best-selling singles of all time. It also became one of the most impactful hits of the decade. Written to raise money for a famine that was happening in Ethiopia, the song included an all-star cast of singers. Many of them got their own “solo moment,” which added to the fun but also created controversy.

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If you’ve heard the song, you know that Cyndi Lauper has a particularly iconic solo in the bridge. However, while she was honored to be a part of the song, she later admitted she didn’t love it at the time. Naturally, her dislike of the track ended up causing some tension between her and the song’s producer, Quincy Jones.

In an interview with Vulture, Jones shared that Lauper’s manager actually tried to conceal her dislike of the song by saying that other “rockers” on the track weren’t the biggest fans of it. According to him, it was really just Lauper who had an issue.

He explained, “She had a manager come over to me and say, ‘The rockers don’t like the song.’ I know how that s*** works. We went to see Springsteen, Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, and all those cats, and they said, ‘We love the song.’ So I said [to Lauper], ‘Okay, you can just get your s*** over with and leave.’”

To make matters worse, Jones shared that whenever Lauper recorded a take, her jewelry kept getting in the way.

He added, “And she was f***ing up every take because her necklace or bracelet was rattling in the microphone. It was just her that had a problem.”

Cyndi Lauper Was Still Honored To Sing “We Are the World”

In an interview with Andy Cohen, Lauper attempted to set the record straight about the “We Are The World” recording. She even admitted she had told her manager she didn’t like the song. However, that was an opinion Jones wasn’t supposed to hear.

“I’ve always been polite to [Quincy Jones], though and I never would say to him that I hate the song,” Lauper shared. “I told my manager that, he shouldn’t have f***ing told the guy.” She also touched on the jewelry bit, saying, “Actually, the jewelry was a pain yes, I didn’t realize it.”

Ultimately, Lauper admitted she was honored to be a part of the song regardless. She shared, “It was catchy though, yeah, and you know I was honored to freaking sing it.”

Photo by: Ebet Roberts/Redferns