USA For Africa - "We Are The World"

[PaNdeM0niuM!]

MONSTER song !!
one of my all-time favourite songs.

I love cyndi in this song.

[BillboardBoy]

It's OK. The last time I heard it is when it was an LDD on American Top 40 four or five years ago.

[Michael1973]

I still have the album. :o

Didn't they mark the 10 year anniversary of this song in 1995 by having radio stations around the country all play it at the same time?

[imbondz]

tears are not enough!

[DaveZ35]

No. 1 smash! I believe that it took Madonna's "Crazy For You" to know it out of the top spot!

[tico]

Monster jam!

[Hervard]

billboardboy said:

It's OK. The last time I heard it is when it was an LDD on American Top 40 four or five years ago.

Yeah, I remember it was shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

It was a good song, but I definitely got tired of hearing it literally everytime I turned on the radio back in April, 1985.

Our choir sang it at our spring concert that same year. It was alright, but it definitely didn't hold a candle to the original, especially since the soloists weren't allowed to ad lib like some of the artists did in the original (i.e. Steve Perry singing different notes in his part, which was in the chorus, and, of course, Cyndi Lauper really belting it out).

[derek]

I may have listened to this song too many times or somethin, but I think it's REALLY cheesy. I know it was made more than 20 years ago for a worthy cause, but it's just too much for todays radio (or listener, in my case). I like the AIDS Worldwide / 9-11 Version of "What's Goin On?" better than this (it's not an insult, I just like the other better, lol).

[stevie nice]

As a musical arrangement I couldn't stand it. What made it even more hateful to me IMHO, is that it was recorded specifically because our British brothers did BandAid and we didn't want to be shown up.

[A Thug Named Slickback]

I was never a big fan of this song... The video is hilarious to watch today.

[Hervard]

cuidado said:

I was never a big fan of this song... The video is hilarious to watch today.

And why is that?

[Whi$tlin' Pete]

Does anyone know how many copies of the single were sold? In Billboard, it was shown as platinum with the number 4. If it were 4 times platinum it would mean 8 million copies sold, (2 million copies to be certified platinum, x 4) but I believe that Billboard meant that 4 million copies were sold. In that case, it should have been symbolized with a 2 following the triangle for double platinum status.

[mst3k]

ariens2172 said:

Does anyone know how many copies of the single were sold? In Billboard, it was shown as platinum with the number 4. If it were 4 times platinum it would mean 8 million copies sold, (2 million copies to be certified platinum, x 4) but I believe that Billboard meant that 4 million copies were sold. In that case, it should have been symbolized with a 2 following the triangle for double platinum status.

It actually was certified 4 times Platinum by the RIAA (for sales of 8 million copies). So the Billboard notation was correct.

[johnnywest]

skydk35 said:

No. 1 smash!  I believe that it took Madonna's "Crazy For You" to know it out of the top spot!

Only reached #2 in R&R.

[areyoureadytojump]

The video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfgPIgdFTE0

[Hervard]

johnnywest said:

skydk35 said:

No. 1 smash!  I believe that it took Madonna's "Crazy For You" to know it out of the top spot!

Only reached #2 in R&R.

Like heck it did! It was #1 for three weeks. It was also the first song ever since I'd started tracking the R&R charts (in early 1983) to reach the top spot in just its fourth week on. Many songs had hit #1 by their fifth week, but this one made it in less than a month.

The song did only peak at #2 on R&R's AC chart, so maybe that was what you were thinking of. But it definitely hit #1 on R&R.

To answer Michael1973's question, I believe they did mark the ten-year anniversary of this song by having radio stations around our country playing the song at the same time. It wasn't on the same day (January 28), though. I believe it was two days after or something like that. Only one station that I could tune in was playing it at the time.
I believe sometime in 1985, stations all played it simultaneously, but I don't remember the date.

[Gary]

Rewinding The Charts: USA For Africa's 'We Are The World' Tops Hot 100
Articles /
Columns /
Chart Beat /

By Gary Trust | April 13, 2014 8:05 AM EDT

On this date 29 years ago, the all-star ensemble hit No. 1 - and helped launch a legacy of philanthropy

On Dec. 20, 1984, Harry Belafonte placed a call to nonprofit consultant/music manager Ken Kragen in hopes of staging a concert to raise funds to fight hunger in Africa - specifically Ethiopia, where famine killed nearly 1 million in 1983-84. Kragen, who managed Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers at the time, thought that a supergroup charity single would make more of an impact.

Kragen initially planned to recruit a dozen artists for the song, but industry response was so enthusiastic (seemingly inspired by the success of the then-current "Do They Know It's Christmas?," a similar charity single by British and Irish stars that would soon hit No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100) that 50 artists ended up in the group, dubbed USA for Africa (with the "USA" officially short for United Support of Artists). Richie and Michael Jackson wrote the song, producer Quincy Jones assembled the artists at Hollywood's A&M Studios in early 1985, and "We Are the World" was born.

On April 13, 1985, the superstar-spangled single, released on Columbia Records, topped the Hot 100 in just its fourth week, becoming the chart's fastest-flying No. 1 in nine years (since Elton John's "Island Girl" also needed just four frames to breeze to the summit). It additionally ruled Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Adult Contemporary and Dance Singles Sales charts and dented Mainstream Rock Songs and Hot Country Songs.

As impressive as its chart performances were, "World" has also helped raise more than $100 million to fight famine. Nearly three decades later, the USA for Africa foundation continues to raise funds and awareness for multiple African causes.

The week that "World" took over the Hot 100, Billboard noted that the song was touching not only consumers, but Capitol Hill, as the Recording Industry Association of America had mailed 12-inch copies of the single to each member of Congress on March 29. "Three working days later," Billboard reported, "the [RIAA] had received 51 letters and personal notes of congratulations and appreciation from the nation's legislators, including a number of Senate and House leaders."

One congressman "even enclosed a personal check to help in the all-star effort."

[Deleted]

I remember when all this happened very well. I did eventually get really sick of "We Are The World" being overplayed on the radio, but it was all for a good cause so whatever.

Bought the album instead of the single, still have it somewhere in all this mess.

[Glove Slap]

My great-grandfather who fought in WWII really really loved this song I remember.

Retrospectively, it's interesting to note some big names who weren't on it. Prince refused and Madonna wasn't asked.

[DJDaveMick69]

Still a great song.

[Deleted]

I always liked it.

[Soulsista]

I liked this.

Also hit #1 on the R&B chart.

[Deleted]

Excellent song in every way. Just... beautiful.

If this is its 29th anniversary, this article could've been saved for the 30th milestone next year.

[Harx]

I always thought that this song kinda sucks

I liked the opening but the rest was very average, especially for such an impressibe ensemble of artists. it's just boring. the cause was good but I think they failed pretty hard. charity song should evoke some emotions I guess? make you feel bad for people who need help maybe? make you feel needed to help and fix the problen? this song does nothing, it is just a filler.

[🇯🇲 lucy88 🇯🇲]

Iconic song. The remake one for Haiti was just atrocious...

[gonecountry]

I appreciate the sentiment of this one, but I always thought this song paled in comparison to Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid) or Tears Are Not Enough (Northern Lights, the Canadian alternative to USA For Africa).  Do They Know It's Christmas was the absolute best, by far.

[disman00911]

Despite the star-power featured in this song and fighting for a good cause,  I always thought that this song was so cheesy.  I think I saw this music video parodied on a Simpsons episode when I was younger.  Maybe that's why I remember this song's music video.  Also, this was the #1 song in American on the week I was born.  I prefer Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" over this one.

[Dreams]

The lyrics are cheesy but that melody is just undeniable.

[areyoureadytojump]

Geeky chart talk:

Someone on Facebook asked if WATW sold 8 million copies or 4 million copies.

The chart entry says the "Platinum" symbol which was 2 million at the time for singles followed with a "4." 2 times 4 is 8 million.

But...

The RIAA article in this issue of Billboard says it sold/shipped 4 million:

worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-05-11.pdf

[gonecountry]

well intentioned, but a very hard pass.