"This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
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"This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
by MJ Mod Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:19 pm
1985 - The last recording session for the We Are The World was held on January 28, 1985. The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time.
Two hours after the 12th Annual American Music Award ceremony, Michael and 44 other artists gathered secretly for 10 hours at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles to record We Are The World.
The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie at Michael's home in early 1985. They began work on the song's creation at Hayvenhurst, the Encino home of Jackson and his family. For a week, the two spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in the singer's bedroom. They knew that they wanted a song which would be easy to sing and memorable. The pair wanted to create an anthem. Richie only wrote a few lines for the track as Michael wrote 99% of the lyrics. And it was not until the night of January 21, 1985, that Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody of We Are the World within two and a half hours, one night before the song's first recording session.
Michael: "I wrote the song with Lionel Richie after seeing the appalling news footage of starving people in Ethiopia and the Sudan."
He arrived after Steve Perry of Journey, with manager Frank Dileo and his bodyguard, Bill Bray. Michael arrived at the studio early so he could record the chorus by himself, to be used as a guide for the other artists. It is Michael's vocals that the other artists are listening to in their headphones when learning the song.
Most of the other artists were scheduled to arrive at the studio following the American Music Awards. Michael skipped the awards where he had four nominations. For the second consecutive year, THRILLER had been nominated for Favorite Album and Favorite Black Album. Michael had been nominated for Favorite Black Male Vocalist, and the Jacksons were nominated for Favorite Group. It was just as well he didn't go, he would have gone home empty handed.
The video cassette, We Are The World: The Video Event shows Michael leading the all-star group through the song, and offering individual help on the lyrics to Huey Lewis, a last minute soloist chosen when Prince failed to show up. Michael's shyness and discomfort around crowds is evident in this tape. When he's not directly involved in the activity at the moment, he can often be spotted standing alone quietly in the background.
Before the actual recording of We Are The World began, Ken Kragen, one of the organizers, spoke to the group about distributing the proceeds from the record sales, and the steps being taken to insure the money went directly to where it was needed. Bob Geldoff, organizer of Band Aid and Live Aid, also spoke to the group of artists:
"I think what's happening in Africa is a crime of historic proportions... You walk into one of the corrugated iron huts and you see meningitis and malaria and typhoid buzzing around the air. And you see dead bodies lying side by side with the live ones. In some of the camps you see 15 bags of flour for 27,000 people. And I assume that's why we're all here tonight."
Finally, Michael addressed the group. He shyly described the song he and Lionel Richie had written as "a love song to inspire concern about a faraway place close to home." On the back cover of We Are The World – the book are comments made by some of the members of USA For Africa project, including Jackson’s thoughts and feelings on the song: “When I was asked to write the song, I put my soul into it. That’s really my statement.”
The recording session began at 9:00 p.m., and lasted the entire night. The solo parts of the song were recorded without any problems. Michael didn't leave until 8:00 a.m. the next morning, when the final version of We Are the World was completed..
Upon entering the recording studio, the musicians were greeted by a sign pinned to the door by Quincey Jones which read, "Please check your egos at the door". The 45 artists who comprised United Support of Artists for Africa, and who left their egos at the door, were also greeted by Stevie Wonder, who proclaimed that if the recording was not completed in one take, he and Ray Charles, two blind men, would drive everybody home. The supergroup included a wide range of artists, with at least one representative from various categories of music; pop, rock, R&B, and country. Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldoff, Daryl Hall and John Oates, and James Ingram were all part of USA for Africa. Perhaps the most widely represented music in USA for Africa was Jackson music, with Jackie, LaToya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, and Tito all contributing to the famine relief single. The balance of USA for Africa was made up of Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Jeffrey Osborne, Steve Perry, the Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder.
One of many light-hearted moment during the recording session was when the USA For Africa stars sang The Banana Boat Song to Belafonte. It started by Stevie Wonder, then all the star joined in – including Michael. 'It's not everyday,' quipped Belafonte, 'you get The Banana Boat Song sung to you by Michael Jackson!'
The song was produced by Quincey Jones and the associate producer was Tom Bahler, who wrote She's Out of My Life from Michael's Off The Wall album. Keyboards on We Are The World are handled by another Jackson associate, Greg Phillinganes.
The recording session resulted in a single, a video and a video cassette documenting the making of the single, We Are the World: The Video Event. A double album made up of the We Are The World single, and previously unreleased material from some of the participating artists was also released, Michael did not have a song included on the album. The proceeds from the sale of these items along with proceeds from sales of books, shirts, buttons, posters, and other merchandise all went directly to the famine relief fund. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of We Are the World and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US. We Are The World - The Video Event was the 9th best selling video cassette of 1985.
On March 7, 1985 "We Are The World" was released, as the only single from the album, and made music history. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history.
We Are the World became the first ever single ever to be certified multi-platinum, which received a 4× certification by the RIAA. It debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 at #21 and three weeks later, the week of April 13, 1985, it was the #1 song. The single stayed at #1 for four weeks. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
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Two hours after the 12th Annual American Music Award ceremony, Michael and 44 other artists gathered secretly for 10 hours at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles to record We Are The World.
The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie at Michael's home in early 1985. They began work on the song's creation at Hayvenhurst, the Encino home of Jackson and his family. For a week, the two spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in the singer's bedroom. They knew that they wanted a song which would be easy to sing and memorable. The pair wanted to create an anthem. Richie only wrote a few lines for the track as Michael wrote 99% of the lyrics. And it was not until the night of January 21, 1985, that Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody of We Are the World within two and a half hours, one night before the song's first recording session.
Michael: "I wrote the song with Lionel Richie after seeing the appalling news footage of starving people in Ethiopia and the Sudan."
He arrived after Steve Perry of Journey, with manager Frank Dileo and his bodyguard, Bill Bray. Michael arrived at the studio early so he could record the chorus by himself, to be used as a guide for the other artists. It is Michael's vocals that the other artists are listening to in their headphones when learning the song.
Most of the other artists were scheduled to arrive at the studio following the American Music Awards. Michael skipped the awards where he had four nominations. For the second consecutive year, THRILLER had been nominated for Favorite Album and Favorite Black Album. Michael had been nominated for Favorite Black Male Vocalist, and the Jacksons were nominated for Favorite Group. It was just as well he didn't go, he would have gone home empty handed.
The video cassette, We Are The World: The Video Event shows Michael leading the all-star group through the song, and offering individual help on the lyrics to Huey Lewis, a last minute soloist chosen when Prince failed to show up. Michael's shyness and discomfort around crowds is evident in this tape. When he's not directly involved in the activity at the moment, he can often be spotted standing alone quietly in the background.
Before the actual recording of We Are The World began, Ken Kragen, one of the organizers, spoke to the group about distributing the proceeds from the record sales, and the steps being taken to insure the money went directly to where it was needed. Bob Geldoff, organizer of Band Aid and Live Aid, also spoke to the group of artists:
"I think what's happening in Africa is a crime of historic proportions... You walk into one of the corrugated iron huts and you see meningitis and malaria and typhoid buzzing around the air. And you see dead bodies lying side by side with the live ones. In some of the camps you see 15 bags of flour for 27,000 people. And I assume that's why we're all here tonight."
Finally, Michael addressed the group. He shyly described the song he and Lionel Richie had written as "a love song to inspire concern about a faraway place close to home." On the back cover of We Are The World – the book are comments made by some of the members of USA For Africa project, including Jackson’s thoughts and feelings on the song: “When I was asked to write the song, I put my soul into it. That’s really my statement.”
The recording session began at 9:00 p.m., and lasted the entire night. The solo parts of the song were recorded without any problems. Michael didn't leave until 8:00 a.m. the next morning, when the final version of We Are the World was completed..
Upon entering the recording studio, the musicians were greeted by a sign pinned to the door by Quincey Jones which read, "Please check your egos at the door". The 45 artists who comprised United Support of Artists for Africa, and who left their egos at the door, were also greeted by Stevie Wonder, who proclaimed that if the recording was not completed in one take, he and Ray Charles, two blind men, would drive everybody home. The supergroup included a wide range of artists, with at least one representative from various categories of music; pop, rock, R&B, and country. Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldoff, Daryl Hall and John Oates, and James Ingram were all part of USA for Africa. Perhaps the most widely represented music in USA for Africa was Jackson music, with Jackie, LaToya, Marlon, Michael, Randy, and Tito all contributing to the famine relief single. The balance of USA for Africa was made up of Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Jeffrey Osborne, Steve Perry, the Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder.
One of many light-hearted moment during the recording session was when the USA For Africa stars sang The Banana Boat Song to Belafonte. It started by Stevie Wonder, then all the star joined in – including Michael. 'It's not everyday,' quipped Belafonte, 'you get The Banana Boat Song sung to you by Michael Jackson!'
The song was produced by Quincey Jones and the associate producer was Tom Bahler, who wrote She's Out of My Life from Michael's Off The Wall album. Keyboards on We Are The World are handled by another Jackson associate, Greg Phillinganes.
The recording session resulted in a single, a video and a video cassette documenting the making of the single, We Are the World: The Video Event. A double album made up of the We Are The World single, and previously unreleased material from some of the participating artists was also released, Michael did not have a song included on the album. The proceeds from the sale of these items along with proceeds from sales of books, shirts, buttons, posters, and other merchandise all went directly to the famine relief fund. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of We Are the World and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US. We Are The World - The Video Event was the 9th best selling video cassette of 1985.
On March 7, 1985 "We Are The World" was released, as the only single from the album, and made music history. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history.
We Are the World became the first ever single ever to be certified multi-platinum, which received a 4× certification by the RIAA. It debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 at #21 and three weeks later, the week of April 13, 1985, it was the #1 song. The single stayed at #1 for four weeks. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.
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MJ Mod- Posts : 1486
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Age : 35
Re: "This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
by Admin Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:27 pm
This was MJ at his most dedicated! Kudos of course to all who pulled that all nighter!
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Re: "This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
by MJ Mod Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:49 pm
1/28
MJ Mod- Posts : 1486
Join date : 2012-07-22
Age : 35
Re: "This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
by ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:03 pm
What an amazing historic song/night.
ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ- Posts : 2354
Join date : 2013-02-11
Age : 25
Re: "This Day in HIStory" January 28, 1985 ~ The Last Recording Session For "We Are The World" Was Held.
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