the making of the charity anthem “We Are the World” in a delightful Netflix documentary

Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen: they were all in the studio the same evening with a host of other stars to record “We Are the World” in 1985. This documentary takes us to the heart of this incredible session and behind the scenes of its organization in record time.

A dream cast and stars, brought together within the four walls of a studio, like you’ve never seen them before. Bob Dylan in torture. Michael Jackson in the background. Al Jarreau nicely tipsy. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles competing in jokes. Tina Turner slightly on edge. Bruce Springsteen is as fresh as a roach even though he has just finished a grueling tour the day before. Diana Ross shedding a tear like a child because she wishes it would never end. And all these demigods and goddesses of pop end up hugging each other and exchanging autographs with the innocence of young fans, stars in their eyes. These are some of the delightful images that the documentary offers The Greatest Night in Popwatch on Netflix.

This film by Bao Nguyen tells, with many new images, behind the scenes of We Are the World, an anthem written in 1985 by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie to help the victims of the terrible famine then raging in Ethiopia. This heady hit is best known for bringing together around forty of the biggest names in pop of the time to the microphone. They all recorded together, in a Los Angeles studio, during a single session led by the outstanding arranger and brilliant producer Quincy Jones, during the historic night of January 28, 1985.

Paced like a thriller

But how did all these stars end up sharing the microphone during this long night? Edited like a thriller, the documentary recounts minute by minute the organization, the negotiations and the preparations to carry out, in just three weeks (!) this mission initiated by the actor Harry Belafonte, inspired by the example of Band Aid produced shortly before for the same cause in Great Britain by Bob Geldof.

In this increasingly breathless countdown – don’t let yourself be put off by the first ten minutes during which Lionel Richie, who produced the feature film, tells his story today in front of the camera – we witness the composition of the piece: the voice of Michael Jackson, incomparable, which begins by humming the tune, then to the invitations of the artists, and above all to the choice of the studio and the date.

And what better window of opportunity to bring together all this collection of stars without a budget than their coming in large numbers to Los Angeles to attend the American Music Awards (AMA), scheduled for January 28, 1985? From there, everything accelerates. “We were like possessed.”, remembers Lionel Richie, who was also the presenter of the AMAs that evening. Will Prince, at the height of his glory and in direct rivalry with Michael Jackson, make the trip after the ceremony? And who to sing a solo on the microphone after Springsteen and his rough voice?

Only one night to get there

Four days before the big day, an audio cassette of the song is sent to all future participants. They do not yet have the address, which must remain secret until the last moment. At the A&M studio in Los Angeles, each person’s range and vocal power are studied and organized by Quincy Jones to contrast with each other, and marks are placed on the floor for artist placement.

Time is counted. “We only had one night to get there.”, remembers Richie, and anecdotes abound about this intense studio session where you feel the temperature rising as the hours pass. The phantom noise caused by the kilos of jewelry worn by Cyndi Lauper, who almost didn’t make it because her boyfriend thought the song sucked. The emotion when Ray Charles plays We Are the World in his own way during breaks, or when Bob Geldof, back from Ethiopia, comes in person to motivate the troops. The phone call from Prince who wants to come and record a guitar solo, but in a separate studio. This moment when they all spontaneously cover Harry Belafonte’s hit Banana Boat Song. Stevie Wonder on piano imitating Bob Dylan, visibly intimidated by all these great voices, to help him get on the microphone. And then this sign, written by Quincy Jones, which warned the participants at the threshold of the studio: “Leave your ego at the door“. What if the magic came from there?

“The Greatest Night in Pop” by Bao Nguyen (1h37, 2024) currently on Netflix.