On January 28th 1985, dozens of the era's most popular musicians gathered in Los Angeles to record a charity single for African famine relief. Setting egos aside, they collaborated on a song... Read allOn January 28th 1985, dozens of the era's most popular musicians gathered in Los Angeles to record a charity single for African famine relief. Setting egos aside, they collaborated on a song that would make history.On January 28th 1985, dozens of the era's most popular musicians gathered in Los Angeles to record a charity single for African famine relief. Setting egos aside, they collaborated on a song that would make history.
- Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
- 3 wins & 14 nominations total
Harry Belafonte
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (voice)
Ken Kragen
- Self
- (archive footage)
Quincy Jones
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (voice)
Featured reviews
The documentary is Chefs kiss. I love Michael Jackson's songs and We Are The World is no exception. It's so catchy and I love harmonizing along with the artists. I enjoyed this documentary. I had always wanted to see something like it. To go behind the scenes, and it did not disappoint. From the song creation process - which is something I always wonder about as a music listener, to the retakes to the teamwork to the balancing of egos. I appreciated the no-holds-barred , honest interviews and I'm so grateful they took videos that night. I resonated with what Diana Ross voiced ie she didn't want that night to be over. I didnt want the Docu to be over either. When it began, you could tell they were all nervous, but as it went on, it became everybody's favorite project and everybody brought their A game. Lionel Richie as a narrator is so good. Great sense of humour and sharp memory. You could see from the documentary that the artists cared for the cause and cared even more for the craft and had an admiration and respect for each other, despite their differences in ages , skin color or accolades. Loved the autograph scene. I loved that all the artists were trying on such short notice, and adapting their vocal ranges as they went along. Hueys narrations were vivid and beautiful. He is a captivating storyteller. MJ came across as so humble and a perfectionist, Quincy Jones = a genius, Al was hilarious, and I loved that he and Stevie are multilingual. Bruce Springsteen got the Midas touch and aging like fine wine. Stevie Wonder - how does he make playing the piano and singing look so effortless? It truly was a highlight for me, seeing him work his magic. Harry Belafonte, God bless you for thinking of this concept. Ray Charles, iconic. Lionel's voice as the song starts, is absolutely pristine. MJs voice is angelic. Cyndi Lauper coming through with the harmonization has always been one of my fave bits of the song. It's interesting to see that part play out in the Docu. Tina Turner - goodness, what a goddess. I love Prince but I know most artists are like Bob (Dylan) and Prince, introverts who'd rather work alone so I understand. I'm grateful Bob Dylan showed up. It was for a good cause. A great cause. It was great to see how demanding artists are of themselves even when they are top of their game. They are still perfectionists. I learnt something there. Loved MJs outfit and as a dear fan, I really appreciated insights into his songwriting process. Seeing him collaborate with Richie to come up with the melody was awesome. So casually too. Geniuses make it look easy. It's nice to see his siblings there to support him. Steve Perry's vocals - wow. James Ingram. I could go on and on. This docu had everything: the tea, the laughs, the love, the tears, the emotions, the high notes, just...a delectable mix. I enjoyed it and it makes me sad that we are at an age where the icons have left or are leaving us. Nothing lasts forever but it was good while it lasted. I'm glad this song is here with us. Two quotes I loved from the show, to paraphrase: 1) How music is something spiritual that traverses space and time to come touch your soul 2) Be happy when you comeback home because one day there'll be no home to come back to. Whew! That last one was emotional. I LOVED the Docu and I LOVE the song. Shout out to Bob Geldof for the inspiration. #TheGreatestNightInPop #Netflix.
In 1985, We Are The World was huge. We saw the video over and over and over again.
We all had the album and listened to it countless times. It was on the radio non-stop. It was an immensely powerful song.
Watching this documentary and learning how the song came about and how they managed to get all the biggest names in Music together, it let me re-experience it all. Watching it was both nostalgic and entertaining. But also sad watching the great artists who aren't around anymore.
It's a Must See for anyone who was around back in '85.
And, after nearly 40 years, I finally learned why Prince wasn't there.
We all had the album and listened to it countless times. It was on the radio non-stop. It was an immensely powerful song.
Watching this documentary and learning how the song came about and how they managed to get all the biggest names in Music together, it let me re-experience it all. Watching it was both nostalgic and entertaining. But also sad watching the great artists who aren't around anymore.
It's a Must See for anyone who was around back in '85.
And, after nearly 40 years, I finally learned why Prince wasn't there.
My kids were 5 and 10 when We Are the World was released. They couldn't get enough of it probably because Michael Jackson was a big part of it and they knew the money was going to feed kids in Africa. This behind the scenes account of how Harry Belafonte inspired Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones to make it happen is beautiful and funny with some very personal commentary by many of the dozens of artists who did the marathon recording. Their effort seems like something that would never happen today even though we surely could use the love and selflessness they embodied the night they gathered in one studio to record the song. The reflections by Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson , Cindy Lauper and others make this a special film. It's a little long but worth sticking with it.
I started watching knowing nothing about the behind the scenes. I knew there was a bunch of famous artists, I knew about the french parody and I definitely remembered Bruce Springsteen's weird face while singing.
I was instantly fascinated by the whole thing, it's a great watch, a lot of fun facts I loved to hear about. It's the kind of story that's so absurd it shouldn't have worked out but in the end it did.
There are some heartwarming moments, the Belafonte bit was beautiful or whenever they would cheer after someone sang. Most of them seemed genuinely excited to be there and the doc makes you feel like a witness to it all.
However I do wish there were more speakers, they should have reached out to more singers, I would have loved to see footage of the singers talking about the project afterwards.
It also makes you question why those songs don't happen anymore, can you imagine Beyonce and Taylor Swift coming together to raise money to a cause?
And then I remembered that most artists nowadays won't set foot outside North America and Europe when they go on their "world tours" so I'm feeling bittersweet about it all but it's still a great watch.
I was instantly fascinated by the whole thing, it's a great watch, a lot of fun facts I loved to hear about. It's the kind of story that's so absurd it shouldn't have worked out but in the end it did.
There are some heartwarming moments, the Belafonte bit was beautiful or whenever they would cheer after someone sang. Most of them seemed genuinely excited to be there and the doc makes you feel like a witness to it all.
However I do wish there were more speakers, they should have reached out to more singers, I would have loved to see footage of the singers talking about the project afterwards.
It also makes you question why those songs don't happen anymore, can you imagine Beyonce and Taylor Swift coming together to raise money to a cause?
And then I remembered that most artists nowadays won't set foot outside North America and Europe when they go on their "world tours" so I'm feeling bittersweet about it all but it's still a great watch.
Seeing all this talent come together for a great cause is truly heartwarming. Lionel Richie, a fantastic storyteller and host, alongside Quincy Jones, skillfully managed this remarkable group of artists, ensuring a seamless flow. The homage paid to Harry Belafonte as the initiator was particularly touching. Watching the writing and recording process with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie is great fun. MJ's voice is incredibly pristine. I'm grateful that this has heightened awareness about issues beyond our safe environments, specifically combatting famine in Ethiopia, and has raised a substantial amount of money. Thanks to Netflix for creating this wonderful documentary. It really gave me goosebumps.
Did you know
- TriviaThe documentary goes into detailing several first-hand accounts of why Prince was not on the song. However, the documentary fails to include that Prince did, in fact, donate a song to the "We Are the World" album, (released April 23, 1985) "4 The Tears in Your Eyes", and made an accompanying live performance video for the song, which premiered on the "Live-Aid" concert broadcast on July 13, 1985. In addition, Prince detailed his "side of the story" with the song "Hello", a B-side to the "Pop Life" single in the US (released in July 1985), and the B-side to "Raspberry Beret" single in the UK.
- GoofsBruce Springsteen's last concert before the recording was in Syracuse, not Buffalo .
- Quotes
Paul Simon: If a bomb lands on this place, John Denver is back on top.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 929: Perfect Days + I.S.S. (2024)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Check Your Ego at the Door
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3
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