One of the biggest songs of the 1980s is the subject of a new Netflix documentary.
The Greatest Night In Pop gives a behind-the-scenes look at all of the drama that went into the recording of “We Are The World,” the 1985 single by USA for Africa that was made to provide relief to the African famine.
The official Netflix synopsis reads as, “On a January night in 1985, music’s biggest stars gathered to record ‘We Are the World.’ This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.”
Written by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones, “We Are The World” featured the likes of Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Huey Lewis, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, and dozens more, singing in unison.
Richie appears in the trailer talking about just how massive an undertaking the project was.
“The greatest artists of a generation came together to save some lives. But we only had one night to get this right,” he recounts. “I received this call from Harry Belafonte and he wants to do some kind of song for famine relief in Africa. Basically what he says is, ‘I need you.’”
Also interviewed in the documentary are contributors such as Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis Cyndi Lauper, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick and Kenny Loggins.
“We Are The World” went on to sell more than 20 million copies and become one of the biggest-selling singles of all time. It cleaned up at the 1985 Grammy Awards, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Music Video, Short Form.
The Greatest Night In Pop hits Netflix on January 29, 2024.
Watch the trailer below.