by Rolling Stone / GAVIN EDWARDS
“Check your egos at the door” read the sign on the front door of A&M Studios in Los Angeles on the night of January 28th, 1985. Producer Quincy Jones had placed it there because dozens of the nation’s biggest singers were walking through that door, and he had exactly one night to cut a record that would save lives by raising money to help alleviate a famine in Ethiopia.
The result, USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” was released 30 years ago, on March 7th, 1985. The 46 vocalists who showed up may have formed the ultimate musical supergroup of all time, and the mission was serious, but the vibe was loose. As Jones told the collected singers that night, “We do proms too, babes.”
0:18 A graphic where various stars appear to be autographing their names in colored ink. Diana Ross and Anita Baker have the most prominent signatures; with a giant stylized O, John Oates has the most distinctive. Stevie Wonder signs with a fingerprint, but Ray Charles has remarkably neat handwriting. Lindsey Buckingham claims the prime real estate underneath the USA for Africa logo, which is about as prominent as he will get in this video.
0:26 Lionel Richie, cowriter of “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson, kicks things off, assigning himself the opening vocal so he can be done and get out of the way. Richie was on top of the world in 1985: he was coming off the multiplatinum Can’t Slow Down, and would hit the top of the singles charts one last time later in the year with “Say You, Say Me.” Earlier on this evening, Richie had hosted the American Music Awards, where Prince’s Purple Rain beat out Michael Jackson’s Thriller in the category of favorite pop/rock album. The “We Are the World” session was scheduled the same night as the AMAs because many of the major stars would be in Los Angeles for the show.
Last year, Richie remembered the craziness of hosting both the show and the sessions on the same night: “I’m coming off of tour, I’m reviewing a script this thick, I’m trying to organize this thing, who do we get to show up?”
0:31 Stevie Wonder steps up to the microphone to harmonize with Richie. During rehearsals, Wonder flubbed a note, and Richie joshed him, “Stevie messed up? Is that legal?” They decided to blame it on his alter ego, Eivets Rednow. No longer the unstoppable commercial powerhouse he was in the Seventies, Wonder was still a force on the charts in 1985: “Part-Time Lover” would hit Number One later in the year. Wonder was originally supposed to be Richie’s cowriter, but Quincy Jones knew Wonder was busy making an album (In Square Circle), so he suggested Michael Jackson instead. According to Richie, during a break from recording, when Ray Charles asked where the bathroom, Wonder said, “I’ll show you where it is, Ray. Follow me!” Wonder took Charles by the hand and led him down the hall to the appropriate door, while the other stars watched gobsmacked at the blind literally leading the blind.
0:41 Paul Simon takes over on “oh, it’s time to lend a hand,” clutching the sheet music. With his jacket and his plaid shirt, he’s setting the fashion template for Rivers Cuomo’s entire career. In 1985, Simon hadn’t had a hit in years; it looked like he might not have much left in the tank other than perpetual cameo appearances on Saturday Night Live. The following year, however, he released the career-defining Graceland.
0:53 Richie’s hand extends into the frame, cueing Kenny Rogers, who’s wearing a USA for Africa sweatshirt like he’s a particularly big fan of the group. (Other stars sporting the shirt include Al Jarreau and, for some of the night, Diana Ross.) Rogers was as big a pop-country star as there was in 1985 (but not yet a roasted-chicken maven); he was also a client of manager Ken Kragen, who handled Lionel Richie and was the driving force in recruiting talent for the session. Kragen says that USA for Africa was spurred by Harry Belafonte calling him up just before Christmas, wanting to do a benefit concert. It became a recording session instead, following in the mode of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” which had hit the charts weeks earlier — but Kragen had less than a month to set up everything before the AMAs. He hit the phones, determined to book two major artists every day — according to Kragen, the turning point was when he convinced Jon Landau that Bruce Springsteen should show up.
0:59 James Ingram has shown up for the session in a shiny silver tracksuit, as if he came directly from a workout on the space shuttle. Ingram had a Number One single (“Baby, Come to Me”) two years prior, but just as importantly, he was well-connected to both Jackson and Jones, having cowritten the hit single “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” with Jones for Jackson’s Thriller.
Source: Rolling Stone / GAVIN EDWARDS / MJ-Upbeat.com
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