I had recently entered my teens when “We Are the World” was recorded in 1985. The song seemed to be on a loop on MTV, and let’s face it, it was a catchy song and who doesn’t get a little emotional when Ray Charles enters in at the 4:25 mark (or maybe it’s just me).
Plus, the sheer talent that Quincy Jones was able to round up for the recording was honestly incredible. It helped that it was recorded right after the American Music Awards, but still, to be able to get 45 recording artists, nearly all of whom could be considered superstars at the time was quite the accomplishment.
Well, Quincy’s at it again, as he’s managed to round up another collection of fantastic talent for a re-recording of the song 25 years later, this time to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
The roster? According to this MSN article, the list includes Akon, Bono, Toni Braxton, Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga, Jason Mraz, Carlos Santana and Usher. This Rolling Stone article adds Celine Dion, Eminem, Fergie, Jay-Z, Barbra Streisand, Justin Timberlake and Wyclef to the mix, and this USA Today article includes Miley Cyrus and both Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, aka Sugarland, and I’m sure many more will be included (I’ve seen rumors of Will Smith, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Cole and John Legend).
And, of course, it helps that the recording will take place the night after the Grammy Awards this time, and it’s going to take place in the same recording studio that the initial song was recorded in – the A&M complex in Hollywood. The initial recording session took 10 hours, so hopefully this one won’t take quite as long. Hopefully what this recording will exceed is money made, with the initial one having raised more than $30 million for USA for Africa, to help fight hunger in Africa.
For those in a retro mood, here’s the original music video in all its glory:
To read more of Tonic’s continuing Haiti coverage, CLICK HERE.
Screengrab courtesy of dsmusiclab via YouTube