“We Are the World” the charity song originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa was heard on radios for the very first time 39 years ago today in 1985.
I recall being an announcer on AM 1270 CJCB Radio in Sydney when we were first playing the song a guessing who the singers were. It sold 20 million copies with proceeds going to African famine relief.
If you get a chance to watch “The Greatest Night on Pop” it will take you right back in time to the recording studio after the American Music Awards in January of that year when the biggest names in music all gathered after the show to record the single, including Country legends Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson.
There was one Country Star who was originally to sing on the song, but in the documentary, it was revealed that Waylon Jennings got into a dispute with Stevie Wonder, when Stevie wanted to add a verse in Swahili, a language native to East African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. You can see Waylon walk off the stage!
Waylon would ultimately leave the recording studio at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, California. Before making his exit, he had stated, “No good ol’ boy sings in Swahili.”
It’s a cool piece of music history and I was lucky to find the original album above last summer at a Truro used record store.
Here’s the trailer for “The Greatest Night in Pop.”
And Here’s the official video from ’85”
Hard to believe it’s 39 years ago we first heard “We Are The World” in unison on radios around the world!
-Ian
(Credits: Ian Robinson Photos.)
