Six words were taped above a studio door in Hollywood on January 28, 1985. Check your ego at the door. Quincy Jones put them there himself, because forty-six of the biggest stars in America were about to walk through it. Most of them came straight from the American Music Awards to record “We Are the World.”
Michael Jackson skipped the awards show completely. He showed up at eight in the evening, hours before the others, and recorded his solo part alone. Then he sang a full chorus by himself so everyone else had something to follow. He and Lionel Richie had finished the words and melody only days earlier.
Unreleased Footage Of Michael Jackson From We Are The World
The room was awkward at first. Richie said it felt like the first day of kindergarten, with superstars hugging each other, no assistants allowed inside. Stevie Wonder warned everyone that if they did not finish in one take, he and Ray Charles, two blind men, would be driving them all home. The room broke.
They sang until the sun was out. Then the song got released; it did something no charity record had done before, and it did it fast.
USA for Africa, “We Are the World” (Official Video)
It came out on March 7, 1985, and sold around 20 million copies, making it the fastest-selling American pop single of its time. It won Grammy Awards including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. More importantly, it has raised over sixty-five million dollars for humanitarian relief.
Michael wrote plenty of songs about himself. This was not one of them. He gave away the best melody he had that year and let forty-five other voices carry it. Follow Michael Jackson on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The stories behind his songs are often bigger than the songs.