This year marks the 25th anniversary of We Are The World, one of the most influential and powerful songs ever recorded in history. (Well, if you can think of a better example, please be my guest – but you’re wrong, chooch!) Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, the song featured many of the biggest names in music at the time, including the two superstar writers, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Loggins, Huey Lewis, Hall & Oats and Billy Joel. Even though a minor portion of the people involved seem to be a questionable selection looking back now, it was still an all-around well put-together effort to raise funds and awareness for Africa, especially Ethiopia, which suffered from a terrible famine that killed a million-plus people. Of course, this was America’s copy of what the Brits already did the year before in 1984, Do They Know It’s Christmas? But who cares – the intention & results were positive. Plus, this had a much better presentation.
There are some lyrical cliches and holes (“we are all a part of god’s great big family” etc), but the music makes up for it. As a whole, it is so well-crafted and well-thought through – determining who would sing in which order, which phrase and which harmony… And the video shows a group of stars and legends in one room holding hands, singing together in one voice, and sounding really good in the process. It moved so many people around the world then, and it STILL gives me goose bumps now, just thinking about it.
By the way, let me mention this again – this project had LEGENDS involved – Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Diana Ross and Bob Dylan and more… Now that’s impressive – no wonder it went 4x platinum!
I’m sure there are plenty of haters out there who dismiss this as a mere publicity stunt, but We Are The World is a masterpiece in so many ways. The cause, the talent involved, and the song itself make this effort a major success. And if anyone were to ever attempt replicating this today, it would be a very hard task to even come close to the original’s talent, presentation and star power.
…Oh wait… they DID re-do the song just after Haiti was struck by the devastating 7.0 earthquake. On February 1, 2010, over 80 “artists” got together and recorded the song in 14 hours, and debuted the song at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on Feb 12th. Despite the good intentions (well, we certainly hope they were in it for the right reasons) by “celebrities”, and high media attention, the result and reaction were just …how do I say it? Oh yes, POOPTROCIOUS. More on this later, but let’s focus on the positive first. (Unfortunately, there’s not much positive from the new version.)
I spent some time analyzing phrase by phrase, performance by each artist, as well as the member selection of the original, then did the same for the new Haiti version, which will be posted in number 2, uh – I mean, part 2.
We Are The World – Original
Intro – Our planet earth rotates in really high tech animation. Can’t believe we knew the world was round then. Some fake-sounding synth chime effect, then a fake-sounding synth gong. Can’t tell if the horns are fake or not… And the keyboard sound is outdated, but this was 1985 – your mom and dad were cool back then. (OK, mine were never cool…) Everyone’s autographs magically get squiggled onto the white background. When I was a kid watching this for the first time, I remember asking, “How… how did they do that?” …I still wonder.
:25 – Lionel Ritchie opens up the song. He has every right to, since he was HUGE in the 80s, and after all – he is one of the co-writers.
:31 – Stevie Wonder joins Lionel. I like his scarf.
:40 – Paul Simon takes the baton, with a sweet “oh”. He’s proven that he is a star without Garfunkel, and a kickass songwriter.
:46 – Big Fat Kenny Rogers sings some badass harmonies. He looks like a WWF wrestler here, hulking over Paul. He brings Nashville to the house. Love the way he sings “pretending day by day”…
:57 – James Ingram. Yeah, I never really cared for his music and his voice back in the day, and this is a reminder of why I never did. He was the king of bad FM radio station that played all the Gloria Estefans and Kenny Gs. And his music worsens with age – it’s the opposite effect of wine. It’s unbearable now.
1:03 – Aunty Entity from Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome! Despite having to sing some cheesy lyrics “we are a part of god’s great big family”, Tina Turner and her awesome hair somehow make it work, by choosing to keep things understated and appropriate. Nice touch, Tina (and hair)!
1:10 – Billy Joel!!! He’s only ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGWRITERS EVER! You know, he kind of looks like a mix of Al Pacino and the depressed bearded dude from Sideways.
1:17 – Who else but a multi-layered Michael Jackson to sing the first chorus? I said this before with Lionel, but after all – he’s one of the co-writers.
1:30 – I never ever liked Diana Ross. Yes, she deserves props for being a pioneer with the Supremes back in the day, but I just never cared for her voice. I do give her credit for singing “Endless Love” with Lionel Ritchie. The old man lip-synching to this song at the empty hockey rink in Happy Gilmore is a scene I can rewind and watch over and over again.
I like the way MJ & Diana quickly resolved “Just you and me”. Classy.
1:46 – Dionne Warwick opens the 2nd verse with a nice belt. I don’t remember much of her music back in the day, except that cheesy song she did with Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight – “That’s What Friends Are For”, also known as “The Cheese Fest”. But job well done here, Dionne!
1:54 – Willie Nelson almost seems unsure when he comes in, and looks as if Dionne has to show exactly where they are on the music sheet. Then with his nasal delivery, he sings that controversial line “As God has shown us by turning stones to bread” (In the Christian bible, God never turned stone into bread) I bet he volunteered to sing that line after smoking a joint.
2:06 – Al Jarreau sounds so awkward, as if he doesn’t know how to say real words. I think he has a hard time, because he doesn’t know how NOT to scat. If he could have sang it his way, it would have been, “Sha-Doo-bee-ah-di Yatatatat-ka Wa-blooobeee-ah-glooo0bah!”
2:12 – 2nd chorus is brought to you by the Boss, Bruce. He brings the Dirty Jerz into the mix…
2:19 – then Kenny Loggins and his neatly-trimmed-beard cancel that Dirty Jerz out. By the way, this guy made a killing in the 80s. He did movie theme songs for Top Gun, Footloose, Caddyshack 1 &2, and Over the Top, and had a bunch of hits…
2:25 – I know Steve Perry of Journey just started singing, but I didn’t hear anything he sang, because I was distracted by his hair. What’s wrong with his hair?!!!
2:33 – Daryl Hall with his distinctive vibrato finishes the 2nd verse nicely, and creates a perfect set-up for the next person. (If you look later in the chorus, Daryl Oates looks genuinely bummed that he didn’t get a solo)
2:39 – Who could it be? Yes – Michael takes over the powerful bridge, strategically placed between the 2nd verse and pre-chorus – very unusual. If you want to call it something other than “bridge”, go ahead – call it “pre-pre chorus”. Whatever you want to call it, it’s brilliant.
2:45 – Huey Lewis takes the 2nd half of the pre-pre chorus. You know… he could totally replace that part with “That’s the power of love” line, and it would still fit in. Almost the same intervals…
2:51 – Cyndi Lauper‘s “Whoa whoa whoa whoa-” is a little off-time, yet works perfectly. Just realized her name isn’t spelled “Cindy”. Learning something new everyday.
3:00 – Kim Carnes… Huh? Yeah, I don’t ever recall knowing who she is, and she only sings 2 words “and we”, before Huey and Cyndi join in. Cyndi lifts her right hand like a 5-year old girl throwing a punch, as she sings “yeah yeah yeah yeah”. If she punches like that, how did she ever wrestle in WWF?
3:05 – Chorus, sung by everyone. Very powerful. And the “ah-“s compliment the melody line very well. I just jizzed in my pants.
Everyone looks so giddy here. Stevie & Diana lift their hands together when they sing “you and me”. Did they plan this?
Stevie: Hey Diana
Diana: What?
Stevie: Wanna do something crazy?
Diana: Sure, like what?
Stevie: What if… what if we put our arms up together for the words “you and me”?
Diana: Wow, that’s so gutsy… Really? Can we do that?
Fast forward 20 years, before the SuperBowl half time show…
Janet Jackson: Hey Justin
Justin Timberlake: What?
Janet: Wanna do something crazy?…
3:45 – I don’t worship Bob Dylan the way many of my peers do, yet I DO have a lot of respect for him. He is an icon, and said F-you to the Man. (I never get the courage to – but THIS is my way of saying F-you to the Man.) However, his voice at this particular juncture, is not the best place for it. I don’t have a problem with is involvement on this project – he belongs here. But you have to admit he has a unique – almost weird, strange and comical-sounding voice here, and for him to come in right after a powerful choir by himself is a bit questionable… Plus, he sings for a while – that could have been split with one other person.
OK, go ahead – stone me. Stone me to death! He who is without sin throw the first stone!
3:58 – Key change!
4:24 – Ray Charles asks “Let me hear ya” then sings over the chorus line.
4:52 – Stevie W. & the Boss trade lines. It’s amazing how Stevie’s voice sounds exactly like his harmonica sound. Wow, Stevie & Bruce take it for 2 whole cycles of the chorus.
6:12 – Now Ingram & RayRay trade lines, then Ray takes it till the end. I just realized James Ingram’s eyebrows are tweezed funkily. Is “funkily” a word?
The Choir
According to Wikipedia, below are the choir members. It’s far from an impressive group (a lot of not-so-talented “other” Jacksons and Huey Louis band members), but there are notable personalities. Let’s see who belonged & who didn’t.
– Dan Aykroyd – Yes, he was 50% of the Blues Brothers (although in reality, John Belushi was 100%, as he MADE the band), and he’s not a bad harmonica player, but he’s Canadian! This is USA for Africa, not North America for Africa! – MAYBE
– Harry Belafonte – I knew him as a legend of some sort, but didn’t know what for. Just googled him, and he sang the “Day-O” (Banana Boat) song. And turns out, he was an activist who actually organized this whole thing, so – YES
– Lindsey Buckingham – Guitarist for Fleetwood Mac. He definitely belongs. – YES
– Mario Cipollina – I had no clue who this guy was. Sounds like a TV chef, but he was the bassist for Huey Louis & the News. Well, I like the band, but nobody knows who he is today (and I’m not sure if anyone knew who he was 25 years ago) – NO
– Johnny Colla – Wow, guitarist & saxophonist for Huey Louis & the News… Huey flexed some muscles!! Even the rest of the Journey dudes aren’t in it! – NO
– Sheila E. – I never really got her. Yeah, she was a hot percussionist, & have played with Prince, Tito Puente & all, but I just didn’t get why she was so popular. Still, she was an 80s icon, so – YES
– Bob Geldof – Didn’t know much about him, but found out he co-wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which inspired WATW in the first place. Even though he is Irish, I guess it’s a – YES
– Bill Gibson – Looks like he was also a part of the Huey Louis & the News. – NO
– Chris Hayes – Wow, he was a guitarist for HL&tN… Did people owe Huey cash from a poker game? – NO
– Sean Hopper – Now, I’m not even surprised anymore – the keyboardist for HL&tN. – NO But let’s remember Huey’s wise words: It’s hip to be squared.
– Jackie Jackson – One of the Jackson 5s. Yeah… J5 were great, but we only needed Micahel… – NO
– La Toya Jackson – Uh… – NO
– Marlon Jackson – Another one of Jackson 5… – NO
– Randy Jackson – Not the American Idol, but one of the J5s. – NO
– Tito Jackson – Tito may have been the second most popular J5, but Tito’s still Tito. – NO
– Waylon Jennings – Country legend. – YES
– Bette Midler – I hate musicals with a passion, and even that crap song “Wings Beneath My Wings” was crap. But I can’t deny she was a legend. – YES
– John Oates – There wouldn’t have been Hall & Oates without Oates. Plus, his ‘stache is amazing. – YES
– Jeffrey Osborne – He was an R&B singer and wrote some songs, but – NO, he doesn’t belong here.
– Anita Pointer – from the Pointer sisters – Had some notable hits back in the day… – MAYBE
– Ruth Pointer – same here – MAYBE
– Smokey Robinson – I never liked his music, but – YES
As you can see, it was a blah line-up. Why couldn’t they get EVERY superstar at the time to do it? I’m sure not ONE person would have declined an invitation, if they knew who were already invovled. They could have replaced at least 10-12 of the choir members.
Below are some folks I would have liked to have seen in the group. I even categorized them. I’m so organized.
Category 1: Should Have Been In It
– …Because they were superstars at the time, but were forgotten/weren’t asked for some reason: Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton (and her twins), Madonna (also with her twins), Survivor, Kiss, Frank Sinatra, Prince, Earth, Wind & Fire, Van Halen (David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar – either one would have been fine.), Joan Jett, Carly Simon, Crosby, Stills and Nash (and Young!), Barry Manilow (I hate his music style, but you have to admit he is an amazing songwriter), The Pretenders, Neil Diamond
– …But they weren’t because they’re not American: The 2 other living Beatles (at the time. See about Paul below), Rolling Stones, Queen, Elton John, Eurythmics, Rod Stewart, Electric Light Orchestra, Peter Gabriel, Bryan Adams (Canadian… but how come Dan Aykroyd’s in it?), Led Zepplin (had a reunion in 1985), Eric Clapton, ABBA, Olivia Newton-John, AC/DC, Billy Idol, Yes, Ozzy Osbourne, Air Supply
– …But they were already in Do They Know It’s Christmas?. Hey, the writer of DTKIC?, Bob Geldof is Irish, and he got to be a part of WATW! Why couldn’t these folks be in it? Paul McCartney, U2, Sting (& The Police), David Bowie, Duran Duran, Wham!, Phil Collins, Boy George, Kool & the Gang, Tears for Fears (DTKIC? featured a slowed down sample of their song), and Paul Young
Category 2: Would Have Been Cool if they Were In It
– …As they were interesting at the time, or their band was broken up during that time: John “Cougar” Mellencamp, Chicago, Toto (they certainly had the connection – the memeber have individually worked with MJ, Stevie W, Quincy Jones in the past), Stevie Nicks, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Rick James, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, The Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Pat Benatar, Iggy Pop, Thin Lizzy, Art Garfunkel, Captain Kangaroo
– …Because they were kickass instrumentalists/programmers: Vangelis, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Pat Matheny (I can’t stand fusion – especially his music, but he is a monster on the guitar), Jeff Beck, Jan Hammer etc.
Conclusion:
We established that this ensemble, especially the choir could have been better casted. However, the choice for soloists were second to none, and from beginning to end, this was so well executed. Besides the obviously 80s-sounding keyboard sounds, this song still stands strong today.
We Are The World (the original version, 1985) score: 91 out of 100
This wraps up my analysis on WATW, the original version. Coming up next! WATW: Haiti… It will piss you off. Hmm, just like CSI: Miami, New York and LA, would they have a WATW version for every global tragedy? I certainly hope not.
Sucky Music 