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98-487: Benefit concerts can have both subjective and concrete objectives. Subjective objectives include raising awareness about an issue such as misery in Africa (such as Live 8 ) and uplifting a nation after a disaster (such as America: A Tribute to Heroes ). Concrete objectives include raising funds (such as Live Aid ) and influencing legislation (such as Live 8 or Farm Aid ). The two largest benefit concerts of all time, in size, were

196-888: A charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World . With sales in excess of 20 million physical copies, it is the eighth- best-selling single of all time , meant to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia . Soon after the British group Band Aid released " Do They Know It's Christmas? " in December 1984, musician and activist Harry Belafonte decided to create an American benefit single for African famine relief. With fundraiser Ken Kragen , he enlisted several musicians. Jackson and Richie completed

294-406: A benefit concert is of a large-scale, popular event put on to support a charitable or political cause. In the modern era , the first benefit concert is generally seen as the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh . Comprising two shows on the same day at Madison Square Garden , it was organized by and starred George Harrison and Ravi Shankar . The format of most modern benefit concerts, involving many acts,

392-490: A bit longer than they otherwise would have, than that Pepsi will get the catch phrase of its advertising campaign sung for free by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and all the rest." Professor and activist Reebee Garofalo agreed, calling the line "We're saving our own lives" a "distasteful element of self-indulgence". He asserted that the artists of USA for Africa were proclaiming "their own salvation for singing about an issue they will never experience on behalf of

490-447: A cause that celebrities do not contribute by only donating their money, but by participating in event like benefit concerts. That way stars can inspire hundreds of thousands of others to give. The presence of celebrities can draw criticism, but that is outweighed by the benefits. Some argue that pop stars only take part in charity to improve their public image. That, arguably, may be a motivation, but their participation can be essential to

588-401: A favourite celebrity support a cause can influence fans to support the same cause—not because the cause is significant to the fans, but because it seems significant to the artist. To feel connected to a celebrity, fans are likely to participate in activities the celebrity considers important. For example, if a benefit concert starred unknown musicians performing songs for unknown people in Africa,

686-545: A major benefit event held throughout the US. Hands Across America —USA for Africa's follow-up project—was an event in which millions of people formed a human chain across the US. The event was held to draw attention to hunger and homelessness in the United States. "We Are the World"'s co-writer, Michael Jackson, had wanted his song to be the official theme for the event. The other board members of USA for Africa outvoted him, and it

784-869: A natural disaster rather than as a political issue". Benefit concerts are an effective form of gaining support and raising funds for a cause because of the large media coverage that they usually receive. In addition to the results they generate themselves, benefit concerts also generate a kind of cascading effect. That is, larger benefit concert motivate smaller concerts and other kinds of charity initiatives. Large-scale benefit concerts attract millions of viewers and are usually broadcast internationally. As powerful means of mass communication, they can be highly effective at raising funds and awareness for humanitarian causes. Media scholars Dayan and Katz classify benefit concerts as "media events": shared experiences that unite viewers with one another and their societies. In fact, in their book Media Events: The Live Broadcasting of History ,

882-441: A new celebrity version of "We Are the World" was recorded on February 1, 2010, and released on February 12, 2010. Over 75 musicians were involved in the remake, which was recorded in the same studio as the 1985 original. The new version features revised lyrics as well as a rap part pertaining to Haiti. Michael Jackson's younger sister Janet duets with her late brother on the track, as per a request from their mother Katherine . In

980-451: A non-celebrity remake, " We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube edition) ", was posted to the video sharing website YouTube. Internet personality and singer-songwriter Lisa Lavie conceived and organized the Internet collaboration of 57 unsigned or independent YouTube musicians geographically distributed around the world. Lavie's 2010 YouTube version, a cover of the 1985 original, excludes

1078-446: A particular cause or occasion. They argue that media events interrupt the flow people's daily lives, and that such events create a rise of interpersonal communication or "fellow feeling". Furthermore, they propose that media events transform the ordinary role of the viewer into something more interactive where they adhere to the script of the event. All these principles of media events are true of benefit concerts. Benefit concerts interrupt

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1176-447: A people most of them will never encounter". In contrast, Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the phrase "There's a choice we're making, We're saving our own lives". He wrote that the line assumed "an extra emotional dimension when sung by people with superstar mystiques". Holden wrote that the song was "an artistic triumph that transcends its official nature". He noted that unlike Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas",

1274-467: A political and social movement. Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get results. Since the release of "We Are the World", and the Band Aid single that influenced it, numerous songs have been recorded in a similar fashion, with the intent to aid disaster victims throughout the world. One such example involved

1372-454: A pop-rock anthem. "I didn't agree with this assessment," Kragen said, but reluctantly turned Denver down. Denver recalled the rejection in his 1994 autobiography "Take Me Home", stating that "It broke my heart not to be included." "We Are the World" was released on March 7, 1985, as the first single from the album by Columbia Records . It topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling U.S. pop single in history. "We Are

1470-476: A slight difference to Africa's long-term problems. In June 1985, the first USA for Africa cargo jet carrying food, medicine, and clothing departed for Ethiopia and Sudan . It stopped en route in New York, where 15,000 T-shirts were added to the cargo. Included in the supplies were high-protein biscuits, high-protein vitamins, medicine, tents, blankets and refrigeration equipment. Harry Belafonte, representing

1568-473: A social agenda or fund-raising focus. Live 8 Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 761868027 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:40:38 GMT We Are the World " We Are the World " is

1666-456: A supergroup of Latin musicians billed as "Hermanos del Tercer Mundo", or "Brothers of the Third World". Among the supergroup of 62 recording artists were Julio Iglesias , José Feliciano , and Sérgio Mendes . Their famine relief song was recorded in the same studio as "We Are the World". Half of the profits raised from the charity single was pledged to USA for Africa. The rest of the money

1764-452: A way that, on the part of Pepsi-contracted song writers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, is certainly not intentional, and even more certainly beyond the realm of serendipity." Marcus added, "In the realm of contextualization, 'We Are the World' says less about Ethiopia than it does about Pepsi—and the true result will likely be less that certain Ethiopian individuals will live, or anyway live

1862-416: A week. This is absolutely unheard of." By the end of 1985, "We Are the World" had become the year's best-selling single. Five years later it was revealed that the song had become the biggest single of the 1980s. "We Are the World" was eventually cited as the best-selling single in U.S. and pop music history. The song became the first single to be certified multi-platinum; it received a 4× certification by

1960-431: Is a crime of historic proportions ... You walk into one of the corrugated iron huts and you see meningitis and malaria and typhoid buzzing around in the air. And you see dead bodies lying side by side with the live ones ... In some of the camps you see 15 bags of flour for 27,500 people. And it's that that we're here for. Bob Geldof , addressing his fellow USA for Africa musicians during one of

2058-537: Is said to "create a sense of continuous surprise and emotional buildup". The following people sang in the chorus: Dan Aykroyd , Harry Belafonte , Lindsey Buckingham , Mario Cipollina , Johnny Colla , Sheila E. , Bob Geldof , Bill Gibson , Chris Hayes , Sean Hopper , Jackie Jackson , La Toya Jackson , Marlon Jackson , Randy Jackson , Tito Jackson , Waylon Jennings , Bette Midler , John Oates , Jeffrey Osborne , Anita Pointer , June Pointer , Ruth Pointer , and Smokey Robinson . On March 7, 1985, "We Are

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2156-398: The 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia , which killed about one million people. Belafonte also planned to set aside money to help eliminate hunger in the United States of America. Belafonte contacted the entertainment manager and fundraiser Ken Kragen , who enlisted his clients Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers . In turn, they enlisted Stevie Wonder , to add more "name value". Quincy Jones

2254-752: The Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993) and the HIStory World Tour (1996–1997), as well as Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in 1993. Jackson briefly performed the song with a chorus at the 2006 World Music Awards in London, which marked his last live public performance. Jackson planned to use the song for his This Is It comeback concerts at the O2 Arena in London from 2009 to 2010, but

2352-475: The Recording Industry Association of America . The estimated global sales of "We Are the World" are said to be 20 million. "We Are the World" received mixed reviews. American journalist Greil Marcus felt that it sounded like a Pepsi jingle. He wrote that "the constant repetition of 'There's a choice we're making' conflates with Pepsi's trademarked 'The choice of a new generation' in

2450-404: The "power of the people" to change the world. Benefit concerts, therefore, have the potential to raise enormous sums of money for a cause because of the para-social interaction that occurs between the performing celebrities (the leaders) and the spectating fans (the people). Dan Laughey describes para-social interaction as "the apparent familiarity between media personalities and audiences". Seeing

2548-459: The African countries of Mozambique, Senegal, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Following Jackson's death in 2009, Elias Kifle Maraim Beyene, who grew up in Ethiopia and was a beneficiary of the aid provided by the single, related: I won't ever forget Michael Jackson because his contribution to the song We are the World had a very significant effect on my life. I am 50 now but 25 years ago I

2646-479: The Hot 100, and it took four weeks for the song to claim the number one spot, half the time a single would normally have taken to reach its charting peak. On the Hot 100, the song moved from 21 to 5 to 2 and then number 1. "We Are the World" might have reached the top of the Hot 100 chart sooner, were it not for the success of Phil Collins ' " One More Night ", which received support from both pop and rock listeners. "We Are

2744-552: The Live 8 and the Live Earth events, which both attracted billions of spectators. Scholars theorize that the observed increase on concert size since the Live Aid is happening because organizers strive to make their events as big as the tragedy at hand, thus hoping to gain legitimization that way. Examples exist in musical history of concerts being staged for philanthropic purposes. In 1749,

2842-583: The UK. The song peaked at number 2 in two countries: Germany and Austria. The single was also a commercial success: the initial shipment of 800,000 "We Are the World" records sold out within three days of release. The record became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. At Tower Records in West Hollywood , 1,000 copies of the song were sold in two days. Store worker Richard Petitpas commented, "A number one single sells about 100 to 125 copies

2940-669: The USA for Africa musicians, visited Sudan in the same month. The trip was his last stop on a four-nation tour of Africa. Tanzanian Prime Minister Salim Ahmed Salim greeted and praised Belafonte, telling him, "I personally and the people of Tanzania are moved by this tremendous example of human solidarity." One year after the release of "We Are the World", organizers noted that $ 44.5 million had been raised for USA for Africa's humanitarian fund. They stated that they were confident that they would reach an initial set target of $ 50 million (equivalent to $ 139 million in 2024). By October 1986, it

3038-552: The United States. Another cast of singers recorded a new version, " We Are the World 25 for Haiti ", to raise relief following the 2010 Haiti earthquake . In 1985, inspired by Band Aid's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " in the UK, the American entertainer and activist Harry Belafonte decided to organize a US equivalent. He planned to have the proceeds donated to a new organization, United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa). The organization would provide food and relief aid for

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3136-595: The World" at Hayvenhurst , the Jackson family home in Encino, California . They sought to write a song that would be easy to sing, memorable and anthemic. For a week, they spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in Jackson's bedroom. Jackson's older sister La Toya recounted the process : "I'd go into the room while they were writing and it would be very quiet, which is odd, since Michael's usually very cheery when he works. It

3234-507: The World" "Song of the Year", and honored organizer Harry Belafonte with the Award of Appreciation. Collecting his award, Belafonte thanked Ken Kragen, Quincy Jones, and "the two artists who, without their great gift would not have inspired us in quite the same way as we were inspired, Mr. Lionel Richie and Mr. Michael Jackson". Following the speech, the majority of USA for Africa reunited on stage, closing

3332-519: The World" also entered Billboard ' s Top Rock Tracks and Hot Country Singles charts, where it peaked at numbers 27 and 76 respectively. The song became the first single since the Beatles ' " Let It Be " to enter Billboard ' s Top 5 within two weeks of release. Outside the U.S., the single reached number one in Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and

3430-573: The World" at Kenny Rogers' Lion Share Recording Studio . The studio, on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, was filled with session musicians, technicians, video crews, retinue , assistants, and organizers as the celebrity musicians entered. Jones hired session musicians to lay down the backing tracks: John "JR" Robinson on drums, Louis Johnson on bass, and pianist Greg Phillinganes . (These three first played together on " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough " produced by Jones for Jackson.) Richie sat down at

3528-480: The World" received worldwide radio coverage in the form of an international simultaneous broadcast later that year. Upon spinning the song on their local stations, Georgia radio disc jockeys Bob Wolf and Don Briscar came up with the idea for a worldwide simulcast. They called hundreds of radio and satellite stations asking them to participate. On the morning of April 5, 1985 ( Good Friday of that year) at 3:50 pm GMT, over 8,000 radio stations simultaneously broadcast

3626-515: The World" was certified quadruple platinum , becoming the first single to be certified multi-platinum. Its awards include four Grammy Awards , one American Music Award , and a People's Choice Award . "We Are the World" was promoted with a music video, a VHS, a special edition magazine, a simulcast , and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise helped "We Are the World" raise more than $ 80 million (equivalent to $ 222 million in 2023) for humanitarian aid in Africa and

3724-627: The World" was released as a single, in both 7-inch and 12-inch formats. The song was the only one released from the We Are the World album and became a chart success around the world. In the U.S., it was a number-one hit on the R&;B singles chart , the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and the Billboard Hot 100 , where it remained for a month. The single had debuted at number 21 on

3822-544: The Year , Song of the Year , Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Music Video, Short Form . The music video was awarded two honors at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards . It collected the awards for Best Group Video and Viewer's Choice. People's Choice Awards recognized "We Are the World" with the Favorite New Song award in 1986. In the same year, the American Music Awards named "We Are

3920-419: The authors suggest that the song synonymous with the Live Aid benefit concert, " We Are the World ", might as well be the theme song for media events, as it nicely encompasses the tone of such occasions: "these ceremonies (media events) are so all-encompassing that there is nobody left to serve-as out-group". Dayan and Katz define media events as shared experiences that unite viewers and call their attention to

4018-455: The ceremony with "We Are the World". "We Are the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021. "We Are the World" was promoted with a music video, a video cassette, and several other items made available to the public, including books, posters, shirts and buttons. All proceeds from the sale of official USA for Africa merchandise went directly to the famine relief fund. All of

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4116-496: The composer George Frideric Handel wrote his Foundling Hospital Anthem , and put on annual performances of Messiah , to support an orphans' charity in London. While many composers and performers took part in concerts to raise donations for charitable causes, it was also not unusual in the 18th and 19th centuries for musicians to stage performances to raise funds for their own professional work, such as Ludwig van Beethoven 's 1808 Akademie concert . The modern understanding of

4214-402: The entire worldwide spectrum of post- Presley popular music". Though Marsh agreed with some of the criticisms, he felt that, despite its sentimentality, "We Are the World" was a large-scale pop event with serious political overtones. "We Are the World" was recognized with several awards following its release. At the 1986 Grammy Awards , the song and its music video won four awards: Record of

4312-460: The event's success. Celebrities not only promote catalytic philanthropy, they can produce an effect some call Geldofism : "The mobilization of pop stars and their fans behind a cause." Therefore, because of their visibility, celebrities are used by organizers as a mean to gain support to the cause in hand. Furthermore, the success of benefit concerts is tightly related to the quality of entertainment offered by them. To gain space and legitimization in

4410-449: The events leading up to and during "We Are the World"'s recording. Life ran a cover story of the recording session in its April 1985 edition of the monthly magazine. Seven members of USA for Africa were pictured on the cover: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Willie Nelson. Inside the magazine were photographs of the "We Are the World" participants working and taking breaks. "We Are

4508-446: The familiar face of their beloved artist on stage endorsing a cause, fans feel more compelled to support the cause. Criticisms against benefit concerts go further than just criticizing the intentions of the celebrities involved. Some argue that benefit concerts are a wrong response for tragedies because the atmosphere involved on them is not one of mourning. Further criticism comes from those who argue that Geldofism turns celebrities into

4606-434: The first chorus; Dionne Warwick , Willie Nelson and Al Jarreau sing the second verse; Bruce Springsteen , Kenny Loggins , Steve Perry and Daryl Hall sing the second chorus; Jackson, Huey Lewis , Cyndi Lauper , and Kim Carnes sing the bridge. "We Are the World" concludes with Bob Dylan and Ray Charles singing a full chorus, Wonder and Springsteen duetting, and ad libs from Charles and Ingram. The structure

4704-403: The former part of the line. "One thing we don't want to do, especially with this group, is look like we're patting ourselves on the back. So it's really: 'There's a choice we're making.'" Around 1:30 am, the four musicians ended the night by finishing a chorus of melodic vocalizations, including the sound "sha-lum sha-lin-gay". Jones told the group that they were not to add anything else to

4802-486: The incentive for viewers to donate would be minimal. Bob Geldof, the founder of Live Aid, is aware of the need of familiarity and para-social interaction on behalf of the viewer. When criticised for not inviting enough African performers to play at Live Aid (of which the main purpose was famine relief for Africa), Geldof commented that only popular musicians were invited to play at the show because unfamiliar artists would cause viewers to lose interest and "switch off". In seeing

4900-483: The island's most severe earthquake in over 200 years. The epicenter of the quake was just outside the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince . The Haitian government confirmed the deaths of over 230,000 civilians because of the disaster and the injuries of around 300,000. Approximately 1.2 million people were homeless and the lack of temporary shelter may have led to the outbreak of disease. To raise money for earthquake victims,

4998-415: The media, benefit concerts must have a large audience, the kind of large crowd attracted by famous music stars. Bob Geldof himself responded to criticisms about the lack of African artists on the Live 8 by stating that, although those musicians produce great works, they do not sell many albums—and, for the sake of reaching as many people as possible, his concert had to include only popular artists. Finally,

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5096-482: The merchandise sold well; the video cassette—titled We Are the World: The Video Event —documented the making of the song, and became the ninth-best-selling video of 1985. All of the video elements were produced by Howard G. Malley and Craig B. Golin along with April Lee Grebb as the production supervisor. The music video showed the recording of "We Are the World", and drew criticism from some. Michael Jackson

5194-425: The message by singing the word we together. It has been described as "an appeal to human compassion". The first lines of the chorus are: "We are the world, we are the children / we are the ones who make a brighter day / so let's start giving". Lionel Richie , Stevie Wonder , Paul Simon , Kenny Rogers , James Ingram , Tina Turner and Billy Joel sing the first verse; Michael Jackson and Diana Ross sing

5292-511: The money was pledged to African relief, both long and short term. The long-term initiative included efforts in birth control and food production. The remaining 10 percent of funds was earmarked for domestic hunger and homeless programs in the US. From the African fund, over 70 recovery and development projects were launched in seven African nations. Such projects included aid in agriculture, fishing, water management, manufacturing and reforestation. Training programs were also developed in

5390-405: The mood, by joking that the recording session gave him a chance to "see" Charles, saying, "We just sort of bumped into each other!" Under the circumstances, the solo parts presented a variety of challenges, but were all successfully recorded that night. The final version was completed at 8 a.m. "We Are the World" is sung from a first-person viewpoint, allowing the audience to "internalize"

5488-705: The only legitimate spokespeople for a cause, robbing the NGOs of the possibilities to speak up for a cause. In chronological order, beginning with the earliest date: The following is an incomplete list of benefit concerts with their own Misplaced Pages page. For a more descriptive and inclusive list focusing on historically notable events, see the list above . Note that while some of the listed concerts feature only one headliner and several supporting acts, other benefit concerts feature diverse lineups and are also considered music festivals . This list may have some overlap with list of free festivals , which are rock festivals that often have

5586-736: The optimism the Filipinos needed after the People Power Revolution , the 1997 Star Records all-star recording "Sa Araw ng Pasko", the 2003 all-star OPM recording "Biyahe Tayo" which promoted Philippine tourism and its subsequent 2011 remake "Pilipinas, Tara Na!" and the 2009 all-star OPM recordings " Star ng Pasko " and " Kaya Natin Ito! " as a means to provide hope to the survivors of Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy). Several GMA Network personalities also recorded another inspirational ballad, "Bangon Kaibigan" in 2013 to provide hope to

5684-399: The piano to teach everyone the song. When it was time to roll tape, Robinson cleared the room of non-musicians, and the backing tracks were recorded. After this, a vocal guide of "We Are the World" was recorded by Richie and Jackson, mixed with the instrumental tracks, and duplicated on tape for each of the invited performers. The guide was recorded on the sixth take , as Jones felt that there

5782-426: The presence of other people, and that happens in benefit concerts, they become connected to each other and are more likely to work together towards a goal. Critics also say that benefit concerts are just a way for the rich West to forgive itself by helping the poor and distressed. These critiques argue that concerts like the Live Aid "rob Africans of agency, reinforces Western ethnocentrism and racisms and see famine as

5880-437: The quality of entertainment is key to the creation of a public sphere where discussions about the concert's cause can occur. The better the entertainment, the more people watch the concert, and thus the more people become aware of the cause. Furthermore, the music played in the concerts can lead spectators to interconnect and become more likely to act towards the cause. According to a theory, by Jane Bennett , when people sing in

5978-583: The rap segment and minimizes the Auto-tune that characterizes the 2010 celebrity remake. Another 2010 remake of the original is the Spanish-language " Somos El Mundo ". It was written by Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria Estefan , and produced by Emilio, Quincy Jones and Univision Communications , the company that funded the project. "We Are the World" has been recognized as a politically important song, which "affected an international focus on Africa that

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6076-514: The recording sessions of "We Are the World" on January 28, 1985 Each performer took their position at around 10:30 p.m. and began to sing. Several hours passed before Wonder announced that he would like to substitute a line in Swahili for the "sha-lum sha-lin-gay" sound, causing Waylon Jennings to leave. A heated debate ensued, in which several artists also rejected the suggestion. The "sha-lum sha-lin-gay" sound ran into opposition as well and

6174-436: The release of "We Are the World", USA for Africa had taken in almost $ 10.8 million (equivalent to $ 30 million today). The majority of the money came from record sales within the US. Members of the public also donated money—almost $ 1.3 million within the same time period. In May 1985, USA for Africa officials estimated that they had sold between $ 45 million and $ 47 million worth of official merchandise around

6272-543: The remaining USA for Africa artists, who included Ray Charles , Billy Joel , Diana Ross , Cyndi Lauper , Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner , and Jackson's siblings Jackie , La Toya , Marlon , Randy and Tito . Many of the participants came straight from an American Music Awards ceremony that had been held that night. Prince , who would have had a part in which he and Michael Jackson sang to each other, did not attend. One newspaper said that Prince did not want to record with other acts; another report, from

6370-672: The routine of people's lives because they occur (in most cases) for only for one night or for one week-end. Furthermore, they are broadcast as television spectacles that interrupt the regular scheduled programming on a given television network. Often, this kind of announced interruption has television viewers discussing the event with others beforehand, generating excitement around the event. Moreover, benefit concerts encourage audiences to adhere to their script, such as by phoning in donations or signing an online pledge. As media events, benefit concerts are widely broadcast and seen by millions of people. (The Live Aid charity concert in 1985, for example,

6468-456: The shows were cancelled due to his sudden death. Michael Jackson died in June 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest. His memorial service was held several days later on July 7, and was reported to have been viewed by more than one billion people. The finale of the event featured group renditions of the Jackson anthems "We Are the World" and " Heal the World ". The singalong of "We Are the World"

6566-422: The single, some buying up to five copies of the record at one time. According to the music critic and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh , "We Are the World" was not widely accepted within the rock music community. Marsh said it was dismissed as it was not "a rock record, a critique of the political policies that created the famine, a way of finding out how and why famines occur, an all-inclusive representation of

6664-445: The song along with USA for Africa's Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The New York Times ' Edward Rothstein commented on the event, stating, "The most enduring image may be of Mr. Clinton singing along in 'We Are the World', the first President to aspire, however futilely, to hipness." As a prelude to his song " Heal the World ", "We Are the World" was performed as an interlude during two of Michael Jackson's tours,

6762-409: The song around the world. As the song was broadcast, hundreds of people sang along on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. A year later, on March 28, 1986 (Good Friday of that year), the simultaneous radio broadcast of "We Are the World" was repeated over 6,000 radio stations worldwide. "We Are the World" gained further promotion and coverage on May 25, 1986, when it was played during

6860-462: The song on stage. Harry Belafonte and Lionel Richie made surprise appearances for the live rendition of the song. Michael Jackson would have joined the artists, but was "working around the clock in the studio on a project that he's made a major commitment to", according to his press agent, Norman Winter. An inaugural celebration was held for US President-elect Bill Clinton in January 1993. The event

6958-429: The structure of the song so quickly. The next meetings between Jackson and Richie were unfruitful; they produced no additional vocals and got no work done. On the night of January 21, 1985, the night before the first recording session, Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody. The first night of recording, January 22, 1985, had tight security on hand, as Richie, Jackson, Wonder, and Jones started work on "We Are

7056-534: The survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda). The 20th anniversary of "We Are the World" was celebrated in 2005. Radio stations around the world paid homage to USA for Africa's creation by simultaneously broadcasting the charity song. In addition to the simulcast, the milestone was marked by the release of a two-disc DVD called We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song . Ken Kragen asserted that

7154-435: The tape, and said: "If we get too good, someone's gonna start playing it on the radio." On January 24, 1985, after a day of rest, Jones shipped Richie and Jackson's vocal guide to all the artists who would be involved the recording. Enclosed in the package was a letter from Jones imploring the artists not to share the tape or make copies. He wrote: "In the years to come, when your children ask, 'What did mommy and daddy do for

7252-464: The task like "putting a watermelon in a Coke bottle". The following evening, Richie held a choreography session at his home, where it was decided who would stand where. The final night of recording was held on January 28, 1985, at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood. Jackson arrived at 8 p.m., earlier than the others, to record his solo section and record a vocal chorus alone. He was joined by

7350-605: The time of "We Are the World"'s recording, suggested that he did not want to partake because the organizer, Bob Geldof , called him a "creep". During the session, Richie spoke with Prince on the phone, and declined Prince's offer to play a guitar solo in a separate room. Instead, Prince donated an exclusive track, "4 the Tears in Your Eyes", to the We Are the World album. Wonder asked Eddie Murphy to participate, but Murphy declined because he

7448-486: The video and on the track, archival material of Michael Jackson is used from the original 1985 recording. This version is also infamous for the way Wyclef sings towards the end of the song, fluctuating his voice in a manner that sounds like, as a music writer for the San Francisco Chronicle called it, "Not unlike a cross between a fire siren and the sound of Wyclef giving himself a hernia." On February 20, 2010,

7546-474: The vocals on "We Are the World" were "artfully interwoven" and emphasized the individuality of each singer. Holden concluded that "We Are the World" was "a simple, eloquent ballad" and a "fully-realized pop statement that would sound outstanding even if it weren't recorded by stars". The song proved popular with both young and old listeners. People in Columbia, Missouri , reported they bought more than one copy of

7644-474: The war against world famine?', you can say proudly, this was your contribution." Ken Kragen chaired a production meeting at a bungalow off Sunset Boulevard on January 25, 1985. There, his team discussed where the recording sessions should take place. Kragen was concerned that a leak of the location would trigger a paparazzi frenzy and drive the celebrities away. Jones was concerned about assigning performers to sing solos, saying that so much talent on hand made

7742-470: The way music and meaning were produced, showing that musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively and creatively. Ebony described the January 28 recording session, in which Quincy Jones brought together a multi-racial group, as being "a major moment in world music that showed we can change the world". "We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid , demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but

7840-471: The world. Organizer Ken Kragen announced that they would not be distributing all of the money at once. Instead, he revealed that the foundation would be looking into finding a long-term solution for Africa's problems. "We could go out and spend it all in one shot. Maybe we'd save some lives in the short term but it would be like putting a Band-Aid over a serious wound." Kragen noted that experts had predicted that it would take at least 10 to 20 years to make

7938-407: The writing the night before the first recording session, on January 21, 1985. The event brought together some of the era's best-known musicians. One musician deliberately omitted was John Denver , who had asked to participate but was rejected despite his previous commitment to charity work. Ken Kragen said it was due to some people feeling that Denver's image would affect the credibility of the song as

8036-550: Was busy recording his single " Party All the Time ". Murphy later said after he "realized what it was, [he] felt like an idiot". More than 45 of America's top musicians participated, and another 50 had to be turned away. A sign taped to the studio door read: "Check your ego at the door." Wonder greeted the musicians as they entered, and said that if the recording was not completed in one take, he and Ray Charles, two blind men, would drive everybody home. I think what's happening in Africa

8134-462: Was drafted to co-produce, taking time out from his work on the film The Color Purple . Jones also telephoned Michael Jackson , who had just concluded a tour with his brothers . Jackson told Richie that he wanted to help write the song. The songwriting team originally included Wonder, but his time was constrained by his song-writing for the film The Woman in Red . Jackson and Richie wrote "We Are

8232-457: Was in Addis Ababa at that time they will all know what Michael Bread is and I know I will remember it for the rest of my life. "We Are the World" has been performed live by members of USA for Africa on several occasions both together and individually. One of the earliest such performances came in 1985, during the rock music concert Live Aid , which ended with more than 100 musicians singing

8330-420: Was instead decided that a new song would be created and released for the event, titled "Hands Across America". When released, the new song did not achieve the level of success that "We Are the World" did, and the decision to use it as the official theme for the event led to Jackson—who co-owned the publishing rights to "We Are the World"—resigning from the board of directors of USA for Africa. Four months after

8428-435: Was led by Darryl Phinnessee, who had worked with Jackson since the late 1980s. It also featured co-writer Lionel Richie and Jackson's family, including his children. Following the performance, "We Are the World" re-entered the US charts for the first time since its 1985 release. The song debuted at number 50 on Billboard 's Hot Digital Songs chart. On January 12, 2010, a magnitude -7.0 earthquake struck Haiti ,

8526-468: Was living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which at that time was suffering from a long drought and famine. It was a terrible situation. Lots of people became sick and many more died. Around one million people in all were killed by the famine. In 1984 Michael Jackson, along with a number of other leading musicians, made the song We are the World to raise money for Africa. We received a lot of aid from the world and I

8624-427: Was one of those who directly benefitted from it. The wheat flour that was distributed to the famine victims was different to the usual cereal we bought at the market. We baked a special bread from it. The local people named the bread after the great artist and it became known as Michael Bread. It was soft and delicious. When you have been through such hard times you never forget events like this. If you speak to anyone who

8722-412: Was pioneered in 1985 with Bob Geldof's Live Aid. Benefit concerts are a major example of celebrity charity for they involve popular musicians; actors and actresses; and other kinds of entertainment figures volunteering to a greater cause. The efficiency of celebrity charity is explained by the theory of Catalytic Philanthropy designed by Paul Schervish . His thesis explains that it is more beneficial to

8820-505: Was removed. Jennings returned and participated in the recording. The participants eventually decided to sing something meaningful in English. They chose to sing the new line "one world, our children", which most of the participants enjoyed. In the early hours of the morning, two Ethiopian women, guests of Wonder, were brought in. They thanked the singers on behalf of their country, bringing several artists to tears. Wonder attempted to lighten

8918-461: Was reported to have joked before filming, "People will know it's me as soon as they see the socks. Try taking footage of Bruce Springsteen's socks and see if anyone knows who they belong to." The song was also promoted with a special edition of the American magazine Life . The publication had been the only media outlet permitted inside A&M Recording Studios on the night of January 28, 1985. All other press organizations were barred from reporting

9016-499: Was revealed that their $ 50 million target had been met and exceeded; CBS Records gave USA for Africa a check for $ 2.5 million, drawing the total amount of money to $ 51.2 million. USA for Africa's Hands Across America event had also raised a significant amount of money—approximately $ 24.5 million for the hungry in the US. Since its release, "We Are the World" has raised over $ 80 million (equivalent to $ 222 million today) for humanitarian causes. Ninety percent of

9114-470: Was seen by an estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.) However, this mass dissemination is only one of the factors that contribute to the success of benefit concerts. The people who send the message for collective action are essential to a benefit concert's effectiveness. Dayan and Katz suggest that media events are an expression of a "neo-romantic desire for heroic action", meaning that media events produce leaders who inspire collective action with belief in

9212-411: Was simply unprecedented". It has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the world felt inclined to follow. According to The New York Times ' Stephen Holden, since the release of "We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made within popular music to create songs that address humanitarian concerns. "We Are the World" was also influential in subverting

9310-533: Was staged by Clinton's Hollywood friends at the Lincoln Memorial and drew hundreds of thousands of people. Aretha Franklin , LL Cool J , Michael Bolton and Tony Bennett were among some of the musicians in attendance. Said Jones, "I've never seen so many great performers come together with so much love and selflessness." The celebration included a performance of "We Are the World", which involved Clinton, his daughter Chelsea , and his wife Hillary singing

9408-515: Was to be used for impoverished Latin American countries. Other notable examples include the 1989 cover of the Deep Purple song " Smoke on the Water " by a supergroup of hard rock, prog rock, and heavy metal musicians collaborating as Rock Aid Armenia to raise money for victims of the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake , the 1986 all-star OPM single " Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo ", which talked about

9506-473: Was too much "thought" in the previous versions. Following their work on the vocal guide, Jackson and Jones began thinking of alternatives for the line "There's a chance we're taking, we're taking our own lives". The pair was concerned that line would be considered a reference to suicide. As the group listened to a playback of the chorus, Richie declared that the last part of the line should be changed to "We're 'saving' our own lives". Jones also suggested altering

9604-510: Was very emotional for them." She said later that Jackson had written most of the lyrics. Richie recorded two melodies for "We Are the World", to which Jackson added music on the same day. Jackson said, "I love working quickly. I went ahead without even Lionel knowing. I couldn't wait. I went in and came out the same night with the song completed: drums, piano, strings, and words to the chorus." Jackson presented his demo to Richie and Jones, who were both shocked; they did not expect him to complete

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