“Leave your ego at the door”was the slogan with which Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson’s producer, summoned American artists of different genres to participate in the song “We are the world”.
The theme won the Grammy Award for best song of the year in 1986, in addition to winning record of the year, in the United States alone, the single sold more than 7.5 million copies.
The benefits of the radio transmissions, the sale of the single and the disc, exceeded the number of 75 million dollars, a figure that would be donated to different organizations in 21 African countries. A song that marked a before and after in pop music, that’s why we share five facts about her that maybe you didn’t know.
Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985
both artists they wrote the song at michael jackson’s house in Encino, California, as an idea for a campaign about the famine in Ethiopia, whose strong images began to reach American television signals.
Finally on March 7, 1985, the theme was released, only in the first few three days sold 800 thousand copiesa stratospheric figure, which even songs released digitally today do not reach, which explains the phenomenon of this song.
-There were 44 singers who interpreted the lyrics
USA for Africa was the name the group of 44 singers, including Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, adopted for the campaign.
It was at the 1985 American Music Awards. when all these singers were able to get together to record the song.
In solo parts they intervened Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan y Ray Charles.
And for the recording of the choir the voices de Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E, Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters y Smokey Robinson.
-A second version was made in 2010
On June 25, 2009 Michael jackson passed away due to poisoning from the anesthetic propofol, two years before the song “We are de world” celebrated its 25th anniversary in March 2011.
Added to this, the January 12, 2010 An earthquake struck Haiti, causing one of the contemporary tragedies that went around the world, for which altruism from different countries became present.
It was then that Quincy Jones Together with Lionel Richie they decided to bring forward the celebration of the 25th anniversary by making a new version of “We are the world” now for the benefit of what happened in Haiti.
In this second version artists such as Akon, Celine Dion, Usher, Janette Jackson, Miley Cyrus, and even a young Justin Bieber participated, now the campaign was named “Artist For Haiti”.
-There is a version in Spanish
“We are the World”, was how the song was titled in its Spanish version, produced by Gloria Estefanand the group was named United Voices, also in favor of the crisis in Haiti.
Luis Fonsi, Chayanne, Jon Secada, Willy ChirinoGilberto Santa Rosa, Juan Luis Guerra, Paulina Rubio, Shakira, Ednita Nazario, Gloria Estefan, Romeo Santos, Thalía and even Paquita la del Barrio, are the ones who lent their voices for this version, however, the voice of the King of Pop did not showed up.
-Michael Jackson never sang the whole song
There is only one version performed only by Michael Jackson, and it was the demo of the theme that was released on the album. “The ultimate collection”where Michael can be heard singing the entire song, something that never happened live.
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