defend the indefensible: "we are the world"

because of MJ 5th anniversary death day, VH1soul is showing WatW…

seems like Lionel crowbarred James Ingram and Al Jarreau in there…respectively gospel and jazz virtuosos that the '85 pop audience would be vaguely familiar with via their hit songs, but they ain't superstars like everyone else, even Aykroyd! two singers that were reflexively respected by black pop machers like Lionel and MJ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4HAIsImOkc

Who is Justin Bieber?

― 80085 (a hoy hoy), Monday, February 15, 2010 5:13 PM

A more innocent time for all of us, Bieber included.

he is a popular new artist
― nagl wayne (J0rdan S.), Monday, February 15, 2010 10:20 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

With whom -- pedophiles?
― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 15, 2010

his hair!

this song inspired a v classic M@tt Helgo thread

We are the world
We are the children
Is Usher blind?
Has this been released?
Are you guys quoting lyrics?
― Michael Steele, the first black Superman (HI DERE), Friday, February 12, 2010 11:46 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

if we put this in a time capsule someone would say this was the year the world ended

Alfred OTM. I love this song

https://youtu.be/3Xaweac0TxY

speaking way upthread about "Voices That Care", I never saw the video before! heard the song every day, but this is my first time seeing it.

*Cetera's hair is a mess
*lotsa NBA cameos
*lol, Jani Lane
*lol, NELSON
*lotsa great voices wasted on a stupid song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol6vr5_CY1o

there's a new Netflix doc on this. I never realized it was recorded in one overnight session right after the AMA's. It's fascinating seeing all those stars in one room and watching the on-the-spot collaborations going on. one great moment is Stevie Wonder coaching Dylan on how to sing his part because he was totally lost.

Is this the same doc that's been floating around on youtube forever?

(I assume it's at least the same footage, so many amazing moments)

Undoubtedly a lot of the footage from the night is the same, but this seems all new. Haven't watched it yet, but the talking head clips I've seen are definitely new.

oh idk i never watched that xp

never likes the song tbh, it creeped me out at a kid

We are the world
We are the children
Is this the same doc that's been floating around on youtube forever?
why did LL & others rap in unison on the breakdown part?
Is Sufjan Stevens known for mandolin solos?

I was showing my wife the trailer for the doc last night and I was really not expecting my 12 year-old to pipe up, "that looks good! can we watch it?"

Shalum shalingay

Enjoyed the doc as well. I didn't know any of the background. The Dylan stuff is awesome/hilarious (if you're into Dylan). Lionel Richie comes off as kind of superhuman for co-writing the song with Michael, hosting and performing on the AMAs that night, then helping corral the all-night recording sesh.

I do wish there were a greater variety of current-day "talking heads"... it's basically Richie, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Sheila E. (who talks about feeling a little "used," in terms of being included in hopes that Prince would show up – which he doesn't, even though she calls him halfway through the night); and, er, Bruce (who doesn't have much to say).

I love the footage of the superstars trickling over to the studio after the AMAs. Bruce parks across the street in a little convertible... Kenny Rogers drives onto the lot in a Toyota Supra or some other bland, mid-level car...

Oh, I think they talk to Cyndi as well. Probably someone else I'm forgetting

So they don't get Quincy to talk some wild shit, huh

If you need more We are the World content here’s one of the producer/arrangers talking about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av24jXhcq8s

lol from the Wiki entry on WATW:

Controversial anti-LGBT church Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), known for their musical parodies, produced a parody of "We Are the World" titled "God Hates the World". In 2007, Warner Chappell Music unsuccessfully tried to prevent WBC from circulating the video on grounds of copyright infringement.

Al Jarreau was lit

I remember some good clips of the rhythm section laying down the basic tracks, there's not a lot of other footage of those guys in their prime that I've seen. JR Robinson still sounds great now, and did when I saw him do a clinic in the late '90s, but it's still cool to see him then.

a parody of "We Are the World" titled "God Hates the World".

How is this not a Slayer song

I was relentlessly otm in this thread

Alex in NYC too ... at least to his own truth, which I'm forever grateful is not my truth

Omg this was hilarious

I love the footage of the superstars trickling over to the studio after the AMAs. Bruce parks across the street in a little convertible... Kenny Rogers drives onto the lot in a Toyota Supra or some other bland, mid-level car...

― jake morgendorffer core (morrisp), Friday, February 2, 2024 3:37 PM bookmarkflaglink

Lol I remarked on Kenny's car to my mother "THAT'S his car?"

Supposedly Dylan couldn't figure out how to sing it until Stevie Wonder demonstrated in full-on DYLAN mode.
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, June 24, 2005 2:11 PM bookmarkflaglink

this appears in the documentary!

also jesus christ @ Lindsay Buckingham's hair

wau, didn't know Waylon Jennings walked out.

I learned that from this or one of the other threads, but had no idea that him leaving was caught on video

I don't know whether to call him out for racism or to high-five him for vetoing a bad idea. Both, I guess?

I forgot I had this, but I listened to a We Are the World compilation I burned many years ago, and besides the many iterations of the UK equivalent, "Do They Know It's Christmas?," there's also the CANADIAN equivalent with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, a French one with Gérard Depardieu somewhere in the mix, and the Spanish-language "Cantaré, cantarás" with Placido Domingo, Miami Sound Machine, Julio Iglesias, Cheech Marin and Apollonia among many others. All on YouTube.

oh man:

Geldof argued that it sounded too close to an African language and that it might be considered mocking, so Stevie Wonder called a Nigerian friend to get a phrase in Swahili that would be appropriate for the song. The phrase was “willi moing-gu”, which didn’t go down well with some of the cast. “Say what!” yelled Ray Charles, “Willi what! Willi moing-gu, my ass! It’s three o’clock in the goddamn mornin’ – I can’t even sing in English no more.” Geldof pointed out that Ethiopians don’t speak Swahili and Waylon Jennings left the sessions claiming “no good old boy sings in Swahili”. When everyone voted to settle on a new line, “one world, our children”, an exhausted Tina Turner muttered, “I like sha-lum better, who cares what it means?”

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-charity-michael-jackson-and-lionel-ricjie-a9374791.html

“no good old boy sings in Swahili”.

"Some day the mountain might get 'em, but the Swahili never will..."

I'm sad there wasn't a reboot in, say, 1996. Imagine an over-emoting Billy Corgan passing the verse along to an overer-emoting Ed Kowalczyk!

there's no way Ed w0uldn't have been kicked out of the session

Ha! Ed trying to add "MORE WINE!!" to the song might have led him to some early drama he could not sell

somehow no recollection of this vid is possible in my brain without seeing donald trump pretending to sing in that line-up in a terrible vhs capture. i don't know why, it just feels true.

Still an insufferable bag of pungent crap, this song.

Really enjoyed watching this, even though I had seen most of the footage before. The clothes & '80s LA vibes are worth it alone.

Ultimate nightmare audio engineer scenario when it's 4am and there's some weird monitoring issue and Dionne Warwick is mad at you, not mention you need to physically rewind the tape in between every take.

The related bit with Cyndi and all her accessories really made me sweat...

need a similar doc for the 2001 "What's Goin On" with Fred Durst rapping about suicide bombers

Is it as good as this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHT8V5OIkl4