Columbia 40043
Executive producer: Ken Kragen
Track listing: We Are the World [USA tor Africa] / If Only for a Moment Girl [Steve Perry] / Just a Little Closer [The Pointer Sisters] / Trapped [Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band / Tears Are Not Enough [Northern Lights (Canadian All Stars)] / 4 the Tears in Your Eyes [Prince and the Revolution] / Good for Nothing [Chicago] / Total Control [Tina Turner] /A Little More Love [Kenny Rogers] / Trouble in Paradise [Huey Lewis and the News]
April 27, 1985
3 weeks
In January 28, 1985, at approximately 10 p.m., some of the pop world’s biggest stars began to arrive at A&M Studios in Hollywood. The American Music Awards ceremony had just wrapped up at the Shrine Auditorium, but this was to be more than just another post-awards party. On this night, the assembled throng of 45 musician, including Michael Jackson,
Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan, gathered to record “We Are the World,” a song written by Jackson and Richie to benefit African famine relief.
It was veteran performer Harry Belafonte who initially came up with idea for an American project to benefit famine relief. Belafonte had been impressed by the efforts of Bob Geldof, the former frontman of the Boomtown Rats, who had organized the union of artists known as Band Aid. The group’s single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” sold more than a million copies in the U.K.
“I had spoken to Geldof,” says Belafonte. “I said I thought we should do that in the U.S.” Belafonte then telephoned personal manager Ken Kragen, who enlisted his client Richie. Richie asked Wonder to sign on, while Belafonte contacted Quincy Jones to produce the record. Jones in turn asked Jackson to participate. “Initially, when I called Ken Kragen and Quincy, I thought we would do it with the five or six of the top black acts—with Lionel, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles, I didn’t even know if we could get Michael. For it to have blossomed into this multicultural, multi-racial response was very moving,” says Belafonte.
Most of the talent assembled, which also included Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, and Geldof, was top-notch. In fact, at least 18 artists on the project had previously been associated with Number One albums. “Recording that song with all of those people was one of the most incredible experiences in my life,” says Kenny Rogers, who had his sheet music signed by the other participants at the all-night session.
But not all the superstars that wanted to participate could make the sessions. “A lot of other people felt they wanted to make a contribution,” Belafonte says. “So we discussed it and agreed that we would accept material they would send us and we would put it on an album reflecting their support for the famine struggle.”
Some artists, such as Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Journey’s Steve Perry, Rogers, and Tina Turner, did double duty, singing on “We Are the World” and also offering rare recordings. Other acts, such as Chicago and Prince & the Revolution, contributed songs but did not appear on the single. A group of Canadian performers known as Northern Lights, which included such stars as Bryan Adams, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Young, also recorded an anthem for the album.
On April 13, “We Are the World” went to Number One on the Hot 100. Two weeks later, the album joined it at the summit. By 1995, the We Are the World project had raised more than $100 million.
“It did the artists proud that participated in it,” says Belafonte. “But most importantly, it raised global consciousness about an issue the people outside of Africa were ignoring.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of April 27, 1985
1. We Are the World, USA for Africa
2. No Jacket Required, Phil Collins
3. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
4. Beverly Hills Cop, Soundtrack
5. Centerfield, John Fogerty