We Are the World

USA for Africa

About We Are the World

"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of fewer than 30 retail singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. Following Band Aid's 1984 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" project in the United Kingdom, an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte, who, along with fundraiser Ken Kragen, was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality. Several musicians were contacted by the pair, before Jackson and Lionel Richie were assigned the task of writing the song. The duo completed the writing of "We Are the World" seven weeks after the release of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", and one night before the song's first recording session, on January 21, 1985. The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time. 


Year:
1985
795 
#6

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There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
Oh, there's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and mee

We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day, so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There is a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, let me hear you!

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, yeah

We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
And we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world, we are the world (are the world)
We are the children, yes sir (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!

We are the world (dear God) (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (all right, can you hear what I'm saying?)
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives

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USA for Africa

USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year. This super group was inspired by Bob Geldof's Band Aid. more »

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Written by: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


17 facts about this song

Creation
"We Are the World" was co-written by American artists Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985.
Purpose
The song was created to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States.
Collaboration
This single involved a supergroup of famous musicians, collectively called 'USA for Africa'.
Producer
The song was produced by American music mogul Quincy Jones.
Musicians Involved
Among the influential musicians who contributed to this song were Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan.
Grammy Awards
"We Are the World" won three awards at the 28th Grammy Awards - Record of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Song of the Year.
Massive Sales
The single sold more than 20 million copies worldwide at the peak of its popularity.
Inspirational Role
This project played a key role in inspiring other musical crowd-funding projects for humanitarian causes, such as the British Band Aid and its song "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Music Video
The music video was directed by Tom Trbovich and features all the artists involved in separate clips and ensemble recordings.
Remakes
The song has been remade several times for different charitable causes, most notably in 2010 for the earthquake victims in Haiti.
Chart Success
"We Are the World" topped the music charts in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
Historical Context
The song was created at a time when famine was ravaging Ethiopia, and this context gave birth to the charity single trend in music history.
Opening Lyrics
The song begins with Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder singing the opening lyrics, while Michael Jackson leads the chorus.
Impact
"We Are the World" raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States.
Duration
The song runs for just over seven minutes, making it one of the longer pop songs to be released as a single.
Recording
The song was recorded over a marathon overnight session after the American Music Awards in 1985.
Logo Designer
The logo for USA for Africa was designed by Michael Jackson's sister, La Toya Jackson.

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    "We Are the World Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/32080607/USA+for+Africa/We+Are+the+World>.

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    We Are the World

    165.8M
    1M     39,673

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1985

    Billboard #1


    Album

    We Are the World [Video]

    • #1
      We Are the World

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