We Are the World: Difference between revisions

"'''We Are the World'''" is a [[charity record|charity single]] originally recorded by the [[charity supergroup|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 (album)|We Are the World]]''. With sales in excess of 20 million physical copies, it is the eighth-[[list of best-selling singles worldwide|best-selling single of all time]], meant to raise money for the [[1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia]].

Soon after the British group [[Band Aid (band)|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 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 a pop-rock anthem. "I didn't agree with this assessment," Kragen said, but reluctantly turned Denver down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harrychapin.com/circle/winter05/behind.htm |title=Behind the Song: "We Are the World" |website=HarryChapin.com |first=Mike |last=Grayeb | date=2005 |access-date=May 9, 2011}}</ref> Denver recalled the rejection in his 1994 autobiography "Take Me Home", stating that "It broke my heart not to be included."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://danmiller.typepad.com/dan_millers_notebook/2006/07/by_dan_miller_o.html | title=The Snubbing of John Denver | date=October 12, 2004 | first1=Dan | last1=Miller | website=Dan Miller's Notebook}}</ref>

| image1 = Michael Jackson Dangerous World Tour1984 1993(cropped).jpg

An inaugural celebration was held for US President-elect [[Bill Clinton]] in January 1993.<ref name="A Grand Beginning; Inaugural Week Begins With Pomp and Populism">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/18/us/the-inauguration-a-grand-beginning-inaugural-week-begins-with-pomp-and-populism.html|title=A Grand Beginning; Inaugural Week Begins With Pomp and Populism|last=Apple|first=R. W.|date=January 18, 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> The event was staged by Clinton's Hollywood friends at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] and drew hundreds of thousands of people.<ref name="A Grand Beginning; Inaugural Week Begins With Pomp and Populism" /> [[Aretha Franklin]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Michael Bolton]] and [[Tony Bennett]] were among some of the musicians in attendance.<ref name="A Grand Beginning; Inaugural Week Begins With Pomp and Populism" /><ref name="A Musical Smorgasbord; 2 Concerts Gel Sounds Of America">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/19/us/the-inauguration-a-musical-smorgasbord-2-concerts-gel-sounds-of-america.html|title=A Musical Smorgasbord; 2 Concerts Gel Sounds Of America|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=January 19, 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> Said Jones, "I've never seen so many great performers come together with so much love and selflessness."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Archerd |first=Army |url=https://www.variety.com/article1993/voices/columns/jones-says-whoopi-as-comic-comes-to-rescue-1117862112/VR1117862112?refCatId=2 |title=Jones says 'Whoopi' as comic comes to rescue – Entertainment News, Army Archerd, Media |magazine=Variety |date=January 18, 1993 |access-date=August 16, 2011}}</ref> The celebration included a performance of "We Are the World", which involved Clinton, his daughter [[Chelsea Clinton|Chelsea]], and his wife [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary]] singing the song along with USA for Africa's Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.<ref name="A Grand Beginning; Inaugural Week Begins With Pomp and Populism" /> ''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."<ref name="Vox Pop, The Sound Of Politics">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/14/arts/classical-view-vox-pop-the-sound-of-politics.html|title=Vox Pop, The Sound Of Politics|last=Rothstein|first=Edward|date=February 14, 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref>