"We Are The World" by USA For Africa (1985)

I agree, OP.

I remember really hating this song when it was played on the radio and on MTV, but listing to it now I cannot think of a more talented group of performers.

I read that Michael Jackson was afraid of the white men, and he timidly gave limp handshakes to Bruce Springsteen and Daryl Hall, and badmouthed Billy Joel. He kept far away from them and preferred to record his parts separate from the others. Only Diana Ross and Latoya could get close to him.

Please, Bette Midler is the one he should have been afraid of.

Will we ever see another celebrity weirdo if his caliber of maladjustment again in our lifetimes?

*of his caliber.

I just cannot type this weekend.

Agree, OP, Cyndi’s part gives me goosebumps. Best part of the song.

When was the last time we've had a supergroup? If this were to happen again today I wonder which singers would be involved.

I wonder if Madonna was asked to be a part of this and she declined.

There are two stories regarding Madonna's lack of participation - one that she was invited, and wanted to do it, but her management didn't want her to cancel any dates for her Virgin Tour, which she would have needed to do in order to participate.

According to Nile Rogers, she wasn't invited because Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones thought she wasn't a good enough singer.

I don't really buy the first story, as the recording was after the American Music Awards, and she was there. Unless she needed to fly out after the awards for a tour date the next day, she could have gone.

A third story came from my mother in 1985, "She is a selfish slut, and wanted to party instead of helping others. Her source: her own hatred of Madonna.

"Bruce Springsteen was there. He was chatting with the soloists... I walked up to him. I said Bruce, you look fabulous! What happened? Hell, I remember when his arms were as skimpy as his chord changes! I stood next to Latoya! She was wearing a headband! I felt NAKED!" - Bette M. (It's a paraphrase, not verbatim)

I also love Cyndi's part. Apparently her jewelry was making too much noise and someone had to ask her to take it off. That's what I read somewhere or a variation of that story.

Kim Carnes.

Kim's "When We" was also my favorite.

Cyndi's gymnastics seemed disrespectful with all of the other legends in the room.

[quote] A third story came from my mother in 1985, "She is a selfish slut, and wanted to party instead of helping others. Her source: her own hatred of Madonna.

I laughed so hard at this. Thanks!

I went to a Catholic high school in spring 1985 and for an all school mass they had the school choir perform We Are the World.. Then and now I felt sorry for the poor girl tasked with having to sing Cyndi Lauper's part as she did not have the vocal chops, but she tried, poor dear.

Steve Perry

R10, you got it pretty much spot on! Nice job!

Quincy said cyndi was a pain in the ass. R9 I had also read that it was the belief at the time that Madonna was considered a flash in the pan.

Carnes said she was just happy to be there and shocked when she got to sing something other than the chorus.

Steve Perry, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Al Jareau

remember this mess??

Cyndi turned to Billy Joel and said "This sounds like a Pepsi commercial."

She wasn't wrong.

Agree with R16 and R19; for me it was all about Journey's Steve Perry when he still had that extraordinary multi-octave range. Sadly, I've read his voice is pretty much gone now.

I liked Dan Aykroyd as a back up singer. It was like what the fuck is he doing there? Like was he just walking by the studio.

Best: Stevie wonder Worst: Bob Dylan

My ears!

Broadway's version. Despite the presence of Chita and Ben Vereen, the only one that matters here is the gorgeous Derek Klena at 2:04.

The 2010 version.

Daryl Hall was pretty darn good, too.

R22 he still releases solo albums

It sure ain’t Michael Jackson

I was in college when this came out, and it was such a big deal. Now I watch the video and it gives me douche chills for some reason. They all think they're so important....starting with Quincy Jones ( I can stand there and wave my arms around too!)

It was all about showing off.

[quote] for me it was all about Journey's Steve Perry when he still had that extraordinary multi-octave range. Sadly, I've read his voice is pretty much gone now.

You don't need to read about it. Just listen to anything recorded after ESCAPE in 1981. But this is for another thread I suppose.

"It felt reductive."

Escape from my ass

It’s all about me

[quote] your favorite solo performance in the song?

None.

Lots of great artists in it, but this is a colossal piece of shit.

However, there's an even bigger piece of shit out there....

[quote]r9 A third story came from my mother in 1985, "She is a selfish slut, and wanted to party instead of helping others. Her source: her own hatred of Madonna.

I believe your mother.

Miss Michael wouldn't have liked it if a bigger queen stole her thunder......

I forgot that Paul Simon was even in this.

For me it's Cyndi for the women and Daryl Hall for the guys. Twelve year old me's crush on Daryl dies hard.

Cyndi and Steve Perry are the best.

Awful song.

It’s just a bigger, cheesier, less edgy Americanized rip off of “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, which is where Michael got the idea.

It’s juvenile. It sounds like a song from a kids show. It sounds like the songs on Barney I liked when I was 3. By the time I was 4 or 5 I had already moved on to Ace of Base and Bell Biv DeVoe.

And as someone said, the whole thing was douchey. Self-righteous, self important. I remember the speeches Quincy gave about how the song will change the world forever.

Most of the singers hated the song too. Cyndi said she hated it and a few other said it too.

It was just an ego bath for MJ and Quincy.

Crap.

And the 2010 version was even worse. Nicole Scherzinger and Enrique’s sex moans and everyone trying tI out sing each other. It was horribly arranged and out of control. The rap and autotune was horrific.

I never realized how long the song is until I heard it sung a karaoke, where it seemed ENDLESS.

I am digging the fact that Diana Ross (and a few others) wore the cheap T-shirt. Today’s divas would be so perfectly styled they would never consider such a thing.

"We are the world, we are a swell bunch" "Let's spend what we raise on cocaine, and the other half on Lunch" "Who cares about the Starving, let them DIE anyway?" "Because they born in Shithole Africa, instead of the USA" I hated that song...It's all about Faggot Pedoboy-Quincy. I sang that at a party in NYC where Quincy was at, he was not amused.

I’ve always loved Tina Turner croaking “we are all a part of… god’s great big family…”

(R38) 😂😂😂 thanks for sharing that. It made my day.

There's also this...

Everyone had such distinct voices then

R50 Were they trying to raise money for Gary Coleman's funeral?

I love Tina's part

Dionne's voice was beautiful in this

Bob Dylan, mostly because I dont even think he knew what he was doing throughout the whole thing yet still managed to sound good

Springsteen looks like he taking a shit.

I think it's campy retro fun.

There's great videos on YouTube of Huey Lewis just not able to hear his part at all -- there's a 4-3 suspension with Kim Carnes, right before Cyndi takes over the whole thing. It's just hilarious that he can't hear that!

But the 2010 version had Barbra! Why didn't Liza do any of these?

This rehearsal footage is great. Cyndi is adorable and Huey gives of big dick energy.

Cyndi is asked to remove her jewelry at 3:12

After many takes they finally get it rght at 7:53

Latoya was there. Talk about nepotism.

I love the backstage extras when Tina was going on about a fish burger. They worked overnight and must have been deliriously exhausted.

I remember hearing that Ruth Pointer threatened to kick Cyndi’s ass if she didn’t tone it down a notch.

It really missed Whitney Houston and Prince

(R52) They could all use the money.😂😂😂 My ears!!!

I wonder if Cyndi Lauper got a taste of Huey Lewis' sizemeat.

[italic]We are the World. Where are the children?[/italic]

Cher would have been great in this with her distinctive singing voice.

R52, probably not, since Gary's in the video.

The star of the 2010 version was Celine..no contest.

Another vote for "WHEN WE...!"

Stevie Nicks couldn’t make it, she was laying down her background ‘vocals’ (one syllable) with Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin for “Separate Lives” and doing a pile of cocaine!!!

Sorry OP, I always thought Cindy was showboating with all that yelling.

[quote] It really missed Whitney Houston and Prince

There is no way in hell Prince would ever do a song as awful and juvenile as We are the World. Seriously.

The song is a piece of shit, but the "making of" video is an amazing time capsule.

R70, “My eyes!” Is two syllables.

[quote]I was in college when this came out, and it was such a big deal. Now I watch the video and it gives me douche chills for some reason.

If something like this were done today, it would be endlessly mocked. How times have changed

R72, Prince was part of the American Music Awards jam version of it in 1993.

R38 This is an even worse singalong than that:

I had forgotten how many there were. They were so shitty. I wonder how much money actually went to the cause. Remember the Sun City one and Hands across America too? Thanks everybody for posting this. I haven’t laughed this hard in so long. I was a teenager in the 80’s. This is part of it that I do not miss.

Springsteen's roar brings tears to my eyes.

It was so self-congratulatory and "look at us!" Something like We Are the World would be shredded today.

Broadway is still a sucker for a tragic story.

Michael Jackson was such a fucking weirdo, I can't imagine anyone like that being a huge star today. In today's digital/social media world, he never would've been able to get away with his whole persona.

Prince and Madonna knew this bullshit song was a session that was to be avoided.

How did they decide who gets a solo?

Michel Jackson would be as popular today as he was then. His persona would not be deemed weird. Have you seen Billy Porter, Lil Nas X, or Harry Styles in a dress?

If Michael Jackson would have lived he would have scooped up Bieber real quick and had him traveling with him wearing little Thriller jackets.... But then again Bieber might have been to old for MJ?

r85 it went way beyond "wearing a dress." MJ had such a bizarre, childish persona and so many eccentricities that would have our modern cynical world being "WTF?"

If MJ had lived to see Bieber he would've been all over him like flies on shit. Bieber would've been his new Macauley Culkin.

IRONY = Michael Jackson would still be alive (in prison) if he had been convicted of molestation. ....

How many cigs did Dionne smoke in the studio that night?

WTF just saw the video and noticed Jeffrey Osborne there. HUGE mistake not to give him a solo part. He has a beautiful voice

Of the 37 participants in We Are the World, 7 are now dead people:

Waylon Jennings

Michael Jackson

Ray Charles

Ruth Pointer

Al Jarreau

Kenny Rogers

James Ingram

Latin America wasn't immune to this trend.

How many DL icons can you spot in "Cantaré, Cantarás"?

Vikki Carr kills it in this one...just wipes the floor with poor María Conchita Alonso.

I’m not surprised Madonna didn’t do this. All of the others can actually sing. She would be way too exposed, standing in a studio like that and taking turns to record a line. I love Madonna but the bitch can’t sing for shit and she knows it too.

Tears are not Enough....Canada's Version......Anne Murry...Gordon Lightfoot...Corey Hart...Hot Bryan Adams....etc...

Honestly, I have to say, Michael's my fave allthough Steve Perry nails it. Great singer wasted in a shitty, dated band.

Worse has to be Bruce...guy sounds like he is passing a kidney stone when he's singing.

Journey's songs are classics and are still popular today.

R97, the whole 80's power rock sound seems dated to me, but hey, everyone likes what they like. And Perry really did have a fantastic voice.

Don't Stop Believing is one of the most famous and beloved songs of the 80s.

My entire elementary school sung this song as the closer to our Christmas concert that year. I only understood that it was somehow going to help starving African children and that by the time we were finished, most of the parents were bawling their fucking eyes out. We had an excellent music teacher at that (public) school and I loved the song.

Excellent! To see and hear the biggest’80’s stars gives me chills. All of them were amazing.

A Western paternalistic, self-serving feel-good moment. 36 years later and Africa is even more corrupt, overcrowded and failed.

Hated this song - maudlin, overwrought.

Cyndi Lauper was embarrassing and trying too hard and as noted above Springsteen sounded like he was constipated and trying to force out a turd.

Cyndi's jewelry fucked with the sound of the recording. That's what I remember most about the song and its behind the scenes' drama. I seem to recall that Quincy Jones picked the artists based on either being friends with them or record company affiliation. That's why some artists were interested in being part of that, but were not allowed to join.

R92 Ruth Pointer is very much alive.

I read that Bill Cosby was there in the studio and advised Quincy and Michael to stick as many of the white artists in the rear section of the chorus as possible and have the black artists front and center. And that’s more or less how it looks too.

I’m also read the Hank Williams refused to sing “sha laaaa, sha lingay” and angrily stomped out at the indignity of such a fey Jackson lyric. I read that Jackson was terrified of Williams and wouldn’t speak directly to him.

That’s Hank Williams JR, of course.

“Let the chickens beeeeee!”

Ima say Steve Perry and Kenny Loggins.

Perry b/c he had an epic rock voice and it was at its peak. Loggins b/c his sound was so clean and pure.

[quote] 36 years later and Africa is even more corrupt, overcrowded and failed.

And that's the fault of the singers? Are you Fox News?

I think Madonna could have handled Kim Carnes' part well enough.

I always liked how Kenny Rogers acted like his one line took everything out of him!

June Pointer is dead, not Ruth.

It's only Ruth's career that's dead

[quote]And that's the fault of the singers? Are you Fox News?

R111 Reading comprehension is obviously not your strong suit. You seem far better at juvenile spew.

[quote] I read that Michael Jackson was afraid of the white men, and he timidly gave limp handshakes to Bruce Springsteen and Daryl Hall, and badmouthed Billy Joel. He kept far away from them and preferred to record his parts separate from the others. Only Diana Ross and Latoya could get close to him.

[quote] Stevie Nicks couldn’t make it, she was laying down her background ‘vocals’ (one syllable) with Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin for “Separate Lives” and doing a pile of cocaine!!!

[quote] I read that Bill Cosby was there in the studio and advised Quincy and Michael to stick as many of the white artists in the rear section of the chorus as possible and have the black artists front and center. And that’s more or less how it looks too. I’m also read the Hank Williams refused to sing “sha laaaa, sha lingay” and angrily stomped out at the indignity of such a fey Jackson lyric. I read that Jackson was terrified of Williams and wouldn’t speak directly to him.

[quote] That’s Hank Williams JR, of course.

Fuck Off Troll

[quote] Awful song. It’s just a bigger, cheesier, less edgy Americanized rip off of “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, which is where Michael got the idea. It’s juvenile. It sounds like a song from a kids show. It sounds like the songs on Barney I liked when I was 3. By the time I was 4 or 5 I had already moved on to Ace of Base and Bell Biv DeVoe. And as someone said, the whole thing was douchey. Self-righteous, self important. I remember the speeches Quincy gave about how the song will change the world forever. Most of the singers hated the song too. Cyndi said she hated it and a few other said it too. It was just an ego bath for MJ and Quincy. Crap.

Its a pop song that was hastily written to raise money. It was an incredible success. It sold 20 million copies. Of course according to Datalounge the only thing valuable or worthwhile about the project is the white soloist. Which song has Cyndi that has raised more money.

[quote] Cyndi's jewelry fucked with the sound of the recording. That's what I remember most about the song and its behind the scenes' drama. I seem to recall that Quincy Jones picked the artists based on either being friends with them or record company affiliation. That's why some artists were interested in being part of that, but were not allowed to join.

Quincy Jones is traditionally viewed as the mastermind behind the apex of all charity singles, but it was actually Harry Belafonte who instigated the idea in the wake of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Seeking to make a star-studded Yankee equivalent to alleviate the Ethiopian famine, Belafonte contacted entertainment manager and fellow activist Ken Kragen, who drafted clients Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers, as well as Stevie Wonder. But the production escalated once Jones and his extensive Rolodex were brought into the mix. He called in Michael Jackson to write the song with Richie and Wonder, and word of the collaboration quickly spread throughout the highest reaches of the music industry. When Wonder was forced to bow out due to prior commitments, the remaining pair retired to the Jackson family’s Encino estate to pen an anthem to order — though not fast enough for Jones’ liking. “[Michael] and Lionel were there hangin’, sitting around talking about Motown and old times,” the producer recalled in his book, The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions. “I said, ‘My dear brothers, we have 46 stars coming in less than three weeks, and we need a damn song!” They were still finalizing the words for what became “We Are the World” the night before the first sessions began.

Favorites:

Diana

Ray

Stevie & Bruce

And as horrible as his voice is, I love when Bob cuts in at 4:22 with "just you and me." It's just funny.

But where's Gladys?

I love Cyndi. I sang with her in a parking lot in Stamford, Ct. Sallys' Pigeons. But that's another story.

I think this whole thing is awful. The song sucks and the starving Africans got basically nothing.

Fun time capsule though as mentioned before.

Cyndi was at the end of her big hit-making career here. True Colors came out the following year and then she was done on the pop charts. She was too gimmicky for a long career as a major artist, although she still did pretty well for herself as a legacy act.

Yeah the song is a cornfest (Do they know its Christmas, by the brits, is unsurpisingly far superior) but was written in a hurry to help make money fast. And it did. Don't get why its being shit on.

It was a piece of shit song r122. FYI Madonna's "Crazy For You" knocked it off of the #1 spot. Ironic, because they wouldn't allow Madonna to be a part of WATW. She was really disliked by her peers in the music business at the time. Making dance music and having a huge gay following surely was a factor in that.

Diana Ross. Gives me shivers.

Kenny was fucking Kim Carnes, I think.

She made his heart beat quicker (and that’s all that matters)

So few votes for Springsteen? What are you guys gay?

It was Waylon Jennings who took off in the middle of the session, not Hank Williams, Jr., who wasn't there at all.

At one point, Stevie Wonder kind of hijacked the session and was trying to get some lines in Swahili into the song. They tried it, but it didn't seem to be working very well, Stevie kept insisting, and Waylon was just like, "fuck this!" and left.

A few of the other things I remember reading at the time (not sure how true any of it is):

Smokey Robinson wasn't actually invited, he just showed up after hearing the session was going to take place. Neither MJ nor Quincy nor Lionel were going to tell the great Smokey Robinson to leave, so he stayed.

Dionne Warwick was a last-minute replacement for Linda Ronstadt. Or, she got her solo line because Ronstadt didn't show up. I kind of believe this, because a) the Dionne/Willie Nelson pairing is the worst in the song. Their voices just don't mesh well together, whereas I can see how Linda, with her country roots, would have been a better pairing with Willie. And b) Linda was doing the Nelson Riddle standards stuff at the time, which would have appealed to Quincy Jones, who had history with Nelson Riddle and the Big Band stuff.

Lionel Richie invited the members of the Commodores with the understanding that they would be allowed to participate in the recording, but without getting prior permission, and ultimately they weren't allowed in. Even though he'd left the group, he'd remained on fairly friendly terms, and there was talk of him possibly returning and having a dual solo-and-group career, like Phil Collins was doing with Genesis. The fact that they were sent to the waiting area with the family members pissed them off royally, and the idea of him ever returning to the Commodores ended that night.

Steve Perry in his prime.

Darryl Hall, another singer pushing out a turd. Needed his sheet music to remember his one line. Fouled it up multiple times. Was probably intimidated because Steve Perry's line came right before his. Steve Perry was calm every time and hit his high note, no problem, time after time.

Huey Lewis: Looking fucking adorable.

How drunk was Billy Joel?

Springsteen apparently flew in after a concert the night before. His voice was super-raw but he really wanted to do it.

It’s possible to appreciate the sentiment and the cause while at the same time thinking that the song sucks. They could have reached out to Weird Al to write something snappy.

The participation of so many superstars is what polished that turd into a gem.

The presence of actual living legends, artists who would become legends, and current stars who were burning up the charts at the time, really gave it an aura of something special. Especially because it had really only been done once before at that point.

MJ later basically re-wrote the song as "Heal the World" (even copping the line "there are people dying"), and recorded it by himself, and it's absolutely nauseating. One of the worst singles ever put out by a major artist, ever, IMO.

R128 I'd safely assume Steve Perry went into pop and rock instead of opera. Look at how far away he is from the mike. Gosh!

That whole song is annoying as hell to me on a deep personal level but the cause it was for and the stories behind the song itself are quite alright.

R127, that's all so interesting. I kinda like Dionne and Willie together--that's one of the appeals of the song to me, to hear these odd mixes. Paul Simon + Kenny Rogers, so forth.

As much as I like Cyndi's entrance, it's really Dionne's entrance that gives me chills. So effortless. She was in prime "that's what friends are for" shape that day.

“Sending Our Love Down the Well” was inspired by WATH. Better song, though, features Sting.

Band Aid, has the better song, but USA for Africa had the far superior guest list.

Band Aid was a product of its time in that it featured a lot of the current, flavor of the moment acts. Many of whom looked a sweaty, hung over, coked out mess when singing the song for the accompanying video.

USA for Africa went for the cream of the crop.

[quote]FYI Madonna's "Crazy For You" knocked it off of the #1 spot. Ironic, because they wouldn't allow Madonna to be a part of WATW. She was really disliked by her peers in the music business at the time. Making dance music and having a huge gay following surely was a factor in that.

No, it was because they thought she had no talent and wouldn't last in the industry. Hence why they invited Cyndi, because she could actually sing.

Madonna performed at Live Aid a couple of months later and got scathing reviews. Even in her brothers book, he admits that while she was passionate about the cause and wanted to be there, she knew she wasn't up to par with many of the other acts.

Madonna had the WHOLE FUCKING WORLD in the palm of her hand at Live Aid!

"Into The Groove" was still dominating airwaves and dance floors, along with "Crazy For You" and the LIKE A VIRGIN singles.

Madonna was not a "flop" at Live Aid. She secured her iconic status right then and there.

"People of the world: NOW I KNOW YOU'RE MINE!"

[quote] Have you seen Billy Porter, Lil Nas X, or Harry Styles in a dress?

None of those people constantly hung out with children and obsessed over them or lived in a place called "Neverland". They would not be accepted if they did.

[quote] Springsteen apparently flew in after a concert the night before. His voice was super-raw but he really wanted to do it.

His voice is always terrible. Do you also have an excuse for Bob Dylan's voice.

[quote] At one point, Stevie Wonder kind of hijacked the session and was trying to get some lines in Swahili into the song. They tried it, but it didn't seem to be working very well, Stevie kept insisting, and Waylon was just like, "fuck this!" and left.

Jackson wrote an alternate chorus that included a Swahili sounding nonsense lyric. Its was then suggested that they instead use real Swahili. At the 12:01 mark.

[quote] Band Aid, has the better song, but USA for Africa had the far superior guest list.

An iconic song that asks the question: Do the citizens of a Christian nation know that its Christmas.

[quote] Of course according to Datalounge the only thing valuable or worthwhile about the project is the white soloist.

Wrong--most of us are focusing on how awful the song is minus a few parts here and there.

I love all these anecdotes. Who knew any of this!? Next, why doesn't someone tell all the amusing unknown anecdotes about Princess Radziwill, The Beales, Truman Capote, and the Swans. I've always want to hear them and nobody wants to talk about the Bouviers and socialites and so on.

Hard to believe that was 36 years ago. How quickly life goes by.

This song reminds me how awful Candle in the Wind is.

Rolling Stone breaks down the video.

[quote]Madonna performed at Live Aid a couple of months later and got scathing reviews.

Madonna was the center of attention at Live Aid. To this day if you look up Live Aid you see her picture out of all the other artists there.

[quote] Hence why they invited Cyndi, because she could actually sing.

Cyndi was a borderline novelty act

[quote]Hard to believe that was 36 years ago. How quickly life goes by.

Are you kidding? It seems like a million fucking years ago.

Madonna was a footnote at best in Live Aid. Her performance was one of the weakest of the day. Dick Clark had to beg ABC to put her on their primetime special along with the other legendary acts at that time, because the network didn't think she would still be having hit records a year or two down the road.

Vadgebot's just writing fiction as usual.

[quote]Cyndi was a borderline novelty act

Cyndi could sing, and has the awards to prove it. And she isn't rolling around with ass implants in a bathtub somewhere taking pictures of her naked body for Instagram.

I was actually around for Live Aid, and Madonna got a lot of attention. All the articles featured her prominently.

It is true that Dick Clark had to fight for her. ABC thought she was a "dance act" (read: "faggots love her") and didn't want her on the bill, but Clark knew she would bring in ratings.

Lauper was there because she was one of the most popular artists of 1984. She's So Unusual had just spun off its 5th single. Same with Huey Lewis.

As for Prince, he got a track on the album. I can picture him not wanting any part of the session. He wasn't a joiner.

That Rolling Stone article is wonderfully snarky

[quote]I was actually around for Live Aid, and Madonna got a lot of attention. All the articles featured her prominently.

As was I. She got attention because she was the current hitmaker of the moment, but her performance left a lot to be desired. She was not in the league of a Jagger, Hall and Oates, Tina Turner and Dylan. If she was, she wouldn't have been given a midafternoon time slot for her performance.

Madonna didn't start getting respect until Live To Tell the following year. At the time of Live Aid and WATW she was considered to be the flavor of the moment, but the critics and many of her peers didn't think she would last very long. Jagger made some catty comments about her to the press around this time as did Joan Baez and a few others.

Cyndi was the one who people thought was going to have longevity. Despite her cartoonish persona, she could sing, and songs like Time after Time gave her a depth. No one yet knew how Madonna could adapt to different changes in the industry yet.

Sheena Easton was greatly offended that she wasn't given a slot at Live Aid.

If you read the RS article that R145 posted, you'll see why certain singers were featured. Some were extremely hot at the time, others were clients of the same manager, etc.

[quote] She was not in the league of a Jagger, Hall and Oates, Tina Turner and Dylan.

Maybe because they had all been around for decades by then?🙄

Freddie Mercury and Madonna got the lion's share of the press attention at Live Aid.

Patti Labelle, who did an amazing set, barely got a mention. She deserved more attention.

[quote]3:01 Kim Carnes sings “When we” before Lewis and Lauper join her, giving her the shortest solo on the record at two syllables. Nevertheless, she got a solo, even though “Bette Davis Eyes” was four years behind her, while heavy-duty talent like Smokey Robinson and Bette Midler stayed on the bench. Coincidentally, Carnes (like Lionel Richie) was managed by Ken Kragen.

I always wondered why Kim Carnes was so prominent, when she was basically a one-hit wonder and that hit had been several years earlier. Nice to have a shark for a manager!

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

I like watching and listening to things like this just to hear the different voices together. But rather than writing new songs it would be better to take a few well known standards that can be connected to the purpose and mash them up, rather than creating a new shmaltzy number. One of the best all-star singles I've heard/seen was the CMA 50th Anniversary "Forever Country" single. It blended the different performers together in a more pleasing manner than most such singles and served it's purpose which was to celebrate the last 50 years of country music and be a love letter to the industry and its fans.

R157 Queen brought down the house in "Live Aid." Madonna did her part and I truly have never minded Madonna. But, Queen's performance in "Live Aid" is just the tops and is remembered the most fondly out of anyone else's performances.

Why didn't they give Bette her own line?

If they did a recording of this today, the video would show a battle over the front mic between Billy Porter in a huge dress and Lin. No doubt.

No alcohol or drugs, my ass.

R164 I’m surprised Budweiser hasn’t had that scrubbed from the internet.

I would ADORE a tell-all book about the behind-the-scenes drama of this recording.

Decent dirt here. Of course Miss Ross made sure she was front and center.

Yeah from Live Aid, the acts thar are most remembered are Queen, U2 and maybe Bowie. Madonna did wekk enough but wasn't a standout, I don't think.6

That Esquire article is great.

[quote]Joel saw Jackson wandering off frequently to “a remote part of the studio, with this makeup cosmetic kit. And he kept, like, putting his nose on. Because I think the tip of his nose was kind of falling off, and he kept dabbing at it with makeup or smearing it with something.”

Just watched this video for the first time in probably 20 years and wow, what a group! Steve Perry was definitely the best. Effortless.

I thought Kenny Loggins was a woman when he started singing (and before they showed him onscreen). Ha. I noticed Bruce didn’t join in with the chorus for the most part. I guess that was to preserve his voice from his later solo. He didn’t sound great, oh well.

Cyndi sounded fine, but Steve Perry’s part was the one that I replayed a few times.

Dan Aykroyd looks like such an 80’s dork. I love it.

I forgot how cute Daryl Hall was. I definitely would've.

Surprised that Elton John wasn't there. He was always front and center at these things. Same with Mick Jagger.

Umm...they are English...

The Brits let Jody Watley be in Band Aid, the least we could have done is taken one of theirs as a cultural exchange.

Annie Lennox tried to join, but they kicked her in the cunt bone, yelled, "Americans Only," and slammed the door in her face.

I even dislike the face Cindi makes when she's screaming. Like she smells something bad. Ugly singing.

The duet w/ Springsteen and Stevie Wonder toward the end is really nice.

It was really thoughtful of them to put the two potheads together (Willie and Dionne). Also convenient the that the first comment on the YouTube video includes timestamps for all the individual soloists. No more hunting for "when we"!

Dionne did a great job.

Weak race baiting, [R118]. Better luck next time.

I rewatched the video too, and I hadn’t even realised there were all these singers who were just in the chorus and didn’t have solo lines. Sheila E looks totally bored, like she’s already thinking about what she might eat when she gets home.

When the video was in heavy rotation I used to watch the chorus parts to see who didn't get a solo. Bette Midler, as mentioned above was in the chorus along with Sheila E, and Lindsey Buckingham. So was Dan Aykroyd, of all people.

Bette's recording career was ice cold at that point in time. It had been, what, 5 or 6 years since "The Rose", and she had only just recently re-emerged as a movie star with "Down and Out in Beverly Hills". I'm surprised she was invited at all.

I wonder if there was any tension between Bette and Diana Ross. I recall reading that they disliked each other in the 70's. They were both friends with Cher, so Cher tried to engineer a friendship between the two, but it didn't work. Diana was appalled by Bette's crassness, and Bette thought Diana was a stuck-up phony.

"Sheila E looks totally bored, like she’s already thinking about what she might eat when she gets home."

Or which woman she might eat.

[quote] Bette's recording career was ice cold at that point in time. It had been, what, 5 or 6 years since "The Rose", and she had only just recently re-emerged as a movie star with "Down and Out in Beverly Hills". I'm surprised she was invited at all.

It wasn't until 1988 when she inflicted that dreadful "Wind Beneath My Wings" upon us. Thankfully WATW was recorded years before.

Carly Simon decided she wanted in at the last minute. She’d been in the studio recently wrapping up work on her soon to be released album for Epic Records - Spoiled Girl. The gatekeeper denied her an invitation saying they had to draw the line somewhere. There was only so much room available.

What a rejection for her that must have been! During the first half of the 80s, Carly’s commercial appeal was in decline.

The first couple of episodes were actually good, because it was more about them working the hotel and it was interesting. But as Betty said, it soon became them doing Golden Girls in a hotel lobby with Don Cheadle being Bea.

And as R10 points out, the show got incredibly depressing. What they did to Miles was unforgivable. And Betty did seem to get a lot of weepy, melodramatic storylines. There was also an episode where Rose befriends an old lady suffering from dementia whom she grows close to, only to have to say goodbye to her at the end.

The Bea guest appearance is just underwhelming.

I think R187 got lost

Blanche had her legs open for Huey Lewis and half of the News!

R.I.P. Ken Kragen

December 14, 2021

He produced The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the late 60s. He managed Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Jay Leno, and others. He organized Hands Across America.

"In 1985, he was instrumental in securing the talent that appeared on the fund-raising single and album "We Are the World". Harry Belafonte contacted Kragen, who was then managing Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers, about putting together a concert to help raise money for African causes. Kragen doubted that a concert would make enough of a difference and suggested a charity single instead, including about a dozen artists. However, response from musicians was overwhelming, and Kragen turned down several dozen artists who wished to appear on the song."

Can I have his stuff?

If Bette's recording career was ice cold at the time how was Cher's?

Chers recording career in 1985 was in the toilet.

Cher was a big movie star in 1985 with Mask.

For the record, Quincy Jones never said Cyndi was a pain in the ass - he said her jewelry was a pain in the ass, it was making too much noise and they couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from.

I'm trying to find Bette's standup routine where she talks about it. I recall she says "I stood next to La Toya! She wore a headband. I felt naked!"

"We are the rich. We are the famous."

I don't know about video, but it is on her standup album Mud Will Be Flung Tonight, which is on both Apple Music and Spotify. It is during the first track - Taking Aim

Oh, and here comes R197 scooping me with a better link.

Damn you, R197!

I wonder if Barbra was asked.

Can you imagine what a pain in the ass that would have been?

Maybe they didn't even ask Barbra because she would've been too much of a headache.

From R167's Esquire article:

[quote]Rock stars don’t all know one another, and some of the most famous humans on the planet were meeting for the first time. But in a strange and spontaneous instinct, many of them hugged. Joel hugged Jackson. Loggins hugged Springsteen. Diana Ross hugged Sheila E. while Bob Dylan stood behind them, not hugging anybody.

[..]

[quote]“It can be like half singing, half talking.”

[quote]Jones was talking to Dylan. The producer was reassuring him that he could do his solo. The unusual nasal sound of Dylan’s voice was what made him Dylan, but in that room of recognizable voices, he appeared nervous and unsure.

[quote]Dylan crinkled his eyes at Jones.

[quote]“Did somebody else sing it already, on the track?”

[quote]“Huh?”

[quote]“So I can hear it?”

[quote]Trbovich was filming all of this. And yeah, he says, Dylan was nervous. “But can I tell you something? I swear: Most. People. Do. Get nervous in front of a camera. I don’t care who they are. I remember, the first Academy Awards I did, I was a stage manager. And I remember Katharine Hepburn digging her nails into my hand before she walked out there to this live audience.”

[quote]“Tell you what, Bob,” Jones said. “Stevie!”

[quote]He and Dylan met Wonder over at a piano, and Wonder played the chords of the song. All three of them tried to sing like Dylan, in unison. Even Wonder was doing his best Dylan impression, right there, to Dylan, to show Dylan how to sing this part like Dylan.

[quote]“There’s a choice wehr makin’, wehr see-vin ah own lives. Iss choo we make a brightah dee, jes yooo and meee.”

[quote]Dylan was rocking back and forth by now, singing along with himself. Starting to feel it. Behind this little work session, the other players milled around. Ingram, Jarreau, Joel, Springsteen, Richie. But when it came time for Dylan to record his part, Jones gave a little nod, and the room pretty much cleared. Only Wonder remained, at the piano, as a kind of comfort. And Trbovich, camera ever on his shoulder.

[quote]Dylan stood, black leather jacket zipped up, one thumb hooked in a belt loop, holding the sheet music up to his face, and sang it three or four times.

[quote]“Is that sorta it? Sorta like that?” Dylan asked, barely looking up.

[quote]Jones walked out and embraced him, and for the first time that night Dylan’s face spread into a smile.

[quote] From [R167]'s Esquire article:

R201 none of that is exactly a revelation. Its all featured in the documentary (at the 37:45 minute mark). Jones was an awesome leader. He knew how to not only combine their voices. He also knew how to get the best out of all of those different personalities. Including Dylan who needed extra encouragement.

Barbra was on the 2010 version, singing alone in a studio.

This song forever reminds me of the defunct Fametracker boards.

In thread about We Are The World someone mentioned they liked figuring out who sang which bit and I commented “I have a tough time picking out Cyndi Lauper. And Dylan.”

I received a two paragraph response detailing that, actually, Cyndi and Bob have two of the most distinctive pop voices of the 20th century.

Jeez. That place.