The upcoming Netflix documentary titled The Greatest Night in Pop will narrate the story of how the music video for ‘We Are the World’ was created. Scheduled to be officially released on January 29, 2024, on the streaming platform, it will also premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19.
With director Bao Nguyen at the helm, The Greatest Night in Pop will go in-depth about the legendary event that took place on January 25, 1985, in Los Angeles. In an era before cell phones and the internet, the organizer managed to bring 46 of the world’s most famous singers, including Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and Lionel Richie, together. Furthermore, ‘We Are the World’ was recorded in a single night.
According to the official trailer of The Greatest Night in Pop, the synopsis of the upcoming documentary reads, “Premiering January 29th, the untold story of how the global hit ‘We Are the World’ almost didn’t happen! 46 of the biggest pop music stars had only one night to turn chaos into magic. As told by stars who were there, this film reveals the rollercoaster ride to write and record the groundbreaking song that would go on to raise millions for famine relief in Africa, win 2 Grammys and become a global sensation.”
The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix: Only four singers were supposed to appear in ‘We Are the World’
According to ABC News, here is a list of some of the most famous artists who participated in the 1985 track.
- Lionel Richie
- Stevie Wonder
- Paul Simon
- Kenny Rogers
- James Ingram
- Billy Joel
- Tina Turner
- Michael Jackson
- Diana Ross
- Dionne Warwick
- Willie Nelson
- Al Jarreau
- Bruce Springsteen
- Kenny Logins
- Steve Perry
- Daryl Hall
- Huey Lewis
- Cyndi Lauper
- Kim Carnes
- Bob Dylan
- Ray Charles
- Dan Aykroyd
- Harry Belafonte
- Lindsey Buckingham
- Bob Geldof
- Jackie Jackson
- La Toya Jackson
- Marlon Jackson
- Randy Jackson
- Tito Jackson
- Waylon Jennings
- Smokey Robinson
- Bette Midler
- Sheila E.
Apart from never-before-seen interviews and footage from stars like Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, and Smokey Robinson, among others, The Greatest Night in Pop will also feature conversations with several lesser-known names. These include engineers, production crews, and more.
Billboard reported that in the beginning, only four names were supposed to feature in ‘We Are the World’—Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones. However, due to the efforts of Richie’s ex-manager, Ken Kragen, more than 40 artists showed up that night.
In 2016, Kevin Spacey interviewed Lionel Richie at the Beverly Hills’ Wallis Annenberg Center. During the interview, Richie hilariously mentioned that Harry Belafonte asked him why so many white people were contributing to the African famine relief, but “black folks” weren’t “saving black folks.”
Richie further stated, “I’m at Michael’s house trying to write ‘We Are the World’ and his dog is barking and his Mynah bird is yelling ‘Shut up’ [repeatedly at the dog]. I see albums falling over. I look again and see more falling over and there’s an albino python [coming toward me].”
He ended his statement by saying, “I will admit I was screaming like a white woman. Michael goes, ‘Oh my God, Lionel. There he is, he wants to play with you.’ I know you want a spiritual tale about how we brought this song you, but that’s how it was for three days.”
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie were the writers of ‘We Are The World.’ The aim of this project was to raise funds for the 1983-1985 famine in Africa that took millions of lives.
