Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash
What happens when 45 of the most iconic musicians gather in one room for a single night? Magic, humanity, and a song that continues to change the world. The inspiring story behind We Are the World is a reminder that music has a unique power to dissolve barriers, amplify our shared humanity, and spark ripple effects that make the world a better place for generations to come.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore the ways music makes our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the recording of the song We Are the World. On a January night in 1985, more than 45 of the era’s most iconic musicians gathered to record a charity single for African famine relief. I recently watched the 2024 documentary about this event, The Greatest Night in Pop. It was a fascinating movie about a collaboration that made history, with many of the original participants recalling their first-hand, behind-the-scenes account of the magic – and challenges – of the endeavor.
I highly recommend watching this for yourself, but here are a few takeaways from my viewing that enhanced my life with music:
- I was blown away by the star-studded scope of this project. We’re talking about having, all in one room, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, and Willie Nelson. And that isn’t even all of the soloists, much less the full group that sang the chorus. Conducting the group was Quincy Jones, who posted a sign at the entrance to the studio that simply read: Check your ego at the door. And for the most part, they did, in spite of starting this project after 8 pm and working all night long recording. Many of the participants came straight from the American Music Awards ceremony that had been held that night. Check your ego at the door. Enough said.
- Something else that caught my attention was one participant’s comment that, away from their managers and entourage, some of the artists were almost shy; and that “it was like the first day of kindergarten.” As the recording got underway, the artists warmed up. Eventually one of them asked for another’s autograph, which led to a flurry of asking for each other’s autographs. At one point, a compliment to participant Harry Belafonte led to the entire group spontaneously breaking out into singing Day-O to honor him. It was inspiring to see both the human-ness and bonding that occurred throughout the night. As one participant noted in the documentary: “You knew that we’d done something that was gonna live forever.”
- Since its release, “We Are The World” has raised over $80 million (equivalent to approximately $160 million in 2024) for humanitarian causes in Africa and continues to raise money to this day. Seeing this stat in the film reminded me of a quote by Sarah Holland and Beth Silvers in their book, I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening): “…[S]uccessful movements to advance civil rights for historically marginalized groups relied not just on political action. Music, culture, art, television, churches, neighborhood groups, and volunteer organizations have played instrumental parts in bringing about change.”
Interestingly, “We Are the World” is one of the songs I’ve recently enjoyed playing on the piano. I’ll put a link in the show notes to the score on Sheet Music Direct. Since watching the documentary, I’ll definitely have a more profound appreciation for this song when I play it. Each time I play the song going forward will be a reminder that music has a unique power to dissolve barriers, amplify our shared humanity, and spark ripple effects that make the world a better place for generations to come.
So, if you haven’t seen this documentary yet, I highly recommend it. It’s more than a tribute to a single night; it’s a testament to the transformative power of music. If you watch The Greatest Night in Pop, I’d love to hear what caught your attention.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn.
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
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