The New "We Are The World" Documentary On Netflix Showcases One Of The Greatest Nights In Music History
In 1985, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones assembled what is arguably the greatest collection of musicians/popstars ever in one studio for the recording of 'We Are The World' - a song so popular it feels like I was born knowing it - and this brand new documentary from Netflix highlights the magnitude of that night perfectly.
From the songwriting process, which featured Michael Jackson ad-libbing nonsense into the melody we'd all recognize instantly, to the talent-herding itself (smartly centered around the American Music Awards, so most of the industry's biggest stars would be in town), to the painstakingly long overnight recording itself - I was hooked from the jump, and captivated by every ounce of behind the scenes material included in telling this story.
There's plenty of funny moments, too, from Waylon Jennings encapsulating the Spongebob "ight imma head out" meme the second they started teaching Swahili....
….to Al Jarreau getting so wine drunk he couldn't even remotely get his part right, to even Stevie Wonder helping Ray Charles to the bathroom, which led to someone in the room saying, "That is literally the blind leading the blind."
One of the best moments is when Stevie Wonder teaches a VERY nervous Bob Dylan how to sing his part by mimicking his own voice back to him in rehearsals….
Everyone's got a Bob Dylan impression - it just so happens Stevie Wonder's is perfect and gave Dylan the confidence he needed to nail his take.
Those are just a few small parts of a truly awesome watch, though; if you're even slightly into music and the recording process, I think you'll enjoy it. Take a look at the list of names brought in to record on 'We Are The World' below….
Soloists:
-Lionel Richie
-Stevie Wonder
-Paul Simon
-Kenny Rogers
-James Ingram
-Tina Turner
-Billy Joel
-Michael Jackson
-Diana Ross
-Dionne Warwick
-Willie Nelson
-Al Jarreau
-Bruce Springsteen
-Kenny Loggins
-Steve Perry
-Daryl Hall
-Huey Lewis
-Cyndi Lauper
-Kim Carnes
-Bob Dylan
-Ray Charles
Chorus:
-Dan Aykroyd
-Harry Belafonte
-Lindsey Buckingham
-Mario Cipollina (Huey Lewis and the News)
-Johnny Colla (Huey Lewis and the News)
-Sheila E
-Bob Geldof
-Bill Gibson (Huey Lewis and the News)
-Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis and the News)
-Sean Hopper (Huey Lewis and the News)
-Jackie Jackson
-La Toya Jackson
-Marlon Jackson
-Randy Jackson
-Tito Jackson
-Waylon Jennings
-Bette Midler
-Jeffrey Osborne
-Anita Pointer (The Pointer Sisters)
-June Pointer (The Pointer Sisters)
-Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters)
-Smokey Robinson
P.S. I saw this tweet from Dave yesterday and completely agreed….
….until I remembered that we're talking about one half of the Blues Brothers, just five years removed from their soundtrack went platinum. Aykroyd was certainly the weirdest name in the room, but hell - I'm glad he was there.