In 1983, the worst famine to hit Ethiopia in a century took the country by storm, leaving hundreds of thousands in refuge and possibly more dead. It was singer Harry Belafonte’s idea to recruit artists to write a unique anthem for the cause, the proceeds of which would go to his organization, USA For Africa.
That anthem would become 1985’s “We Are The World”, one of the best-selling singles of all time. Written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, its objective was to change lives musically and literally, and the song did just that.
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In addition to the efforts of Richie and Jackson, an all-star cast of popular artists was enlisted to record vocals on the song. This included Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Phil Collins, just to name a few. When it came to writing the ballad, Stevie Wonder was originally supposed to be Richie’s co-writer. At the time, he couldn’t, seeing as he was knee-deep in the production for his album In Square Circle. So, it was Michael Jackson who ended up working with him. Quincy Jones was also recruited to produce the project.
When talking about “We Are The World”, Richie praised Jackson for being an easy collaborator.
“Sometimes a co-writer can be a problem. Meaning, you’re either on the same page, or you’re not. Michael was a true co-parent. If I said ‘We are the world,’ he said, ‘we are the children,’” he admitted. “We probably knocked the lyrics out in probably about an hour and a half, two hours.”
Michael Jackson on Writing “We Are The World”
In the chorus of “We Are The World,” it sings:
“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.”
“I don’t know why those words came, they just came as that,” Jackson said of the song’s memorable refrain. “I didn’t think about it, you know, it just comes.”
In total, “We Are The World” raised over $60 million for its cause. In addition, the song stayed atop the Billboard charts for four straight weeks and sold 800,000 copies within the first three days of its release.
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