Talk:We Are the World/Archive 1

Writers

I think that I heard somewhere that Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote this entire song in one day. Does anyone know if that's true? Thyroidpsychic 00:25, 4 October 2006 (UTC) Is there any way of identifying all 45 performers? We can't leave out Dan Aykroyd. --Feitclub 21:52, Oct 30, 2004 (UTC)

How is this?

This should be a complete list of everyone on the song. Info came from http://www.inthe80s.com/weworld.shtml Hope this is what you wanted.--PLF4170 21:38, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Dan Aykroyd,

Harry Belafonte,

Lindsey Buckingham,

Kim Carnes,

Ray Charles,

Bob Dylan,

Sheila E.,

Bob Geldof,

Hall and Oates,

James Ingram,

Jackie Jackson,

LaToya Jackson,

Marlon Jackson,

Michael Jackson,

Randy Jackson,

Tito Jackson,

Al Jarreau,

Waylon Jennings ("Pop-Up Video" stated that he left the recording session due to a dispute over the lyrics.),

Billy Joel,

Cyndi Lauper,

Huey Lewis and the News,

Kenny Logins,

Bette Midler,

Willie Nelson,

Jeffery Osborne,

Steve Perry,

The Pointer Sisters,

Lionel Richie,

Smokey Robinson,

Kenny Rogers,

Diana Ross,

Paul Simon,

Bruce Springsteen,

Tina Turner,

Dionne Warwick,

Stevie Wonder,

Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers, Programming,

Paulinho da Costa - Percussion,

Louis Johnson - Bass,

Quincy Jones- Producer,

Michael Omartian - Keyboards, Producer,

Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards,

John Robinson - Drums,

---

See if you can find out which MTV employee made it into the video... MTV mentions it in one of their shows but the name is not in the article.  ALKIVAR™ 23:20, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

Image request

Does anyone have an image of the single or album cover that we could add to the article? Or a publicity shot from the studio? -- Scarequotes 01:03, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

Randy Jackson

This definitely confirms that the Randy Jackson referred to should link to the Jackson 5 one, not the American Idol one.

Lyrics

Are we allowed to just reproduce the lyrics like that ? Isn't it copyright violation ?

How about if we link the lines with who sung what ? -- Beardo 16:42, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

I have linked the artist with the part of the lyric he/she has sung -- Shankat 18:20, 30 March 2007 (India)

Hell no, you can't post the lyrics! That's called a copyright violation! I removed them. Ten Pound Hammer • ^{(((Actions • Words)))} 01:53, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

• See update below, under Partial lyrics. -Wikid77 (talk) 07:07, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Michael Jackson singing a guide

From the Trivia section - does this fact explain why Jackson doesn't appear to be in the room with the others when he sings the first chorus on the video? Yet when he sings the "when you're down and out" line later, he is clearly there with the rest. Bentley Banana 02:57, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

George Michael....?

It states that George Michael was on the song. Are we sure about this? Bentley Banana 16:41, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Looks like that portion has been redacted. He did sing on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for what it's worth. Evixir (talk) 20:50, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

This or Do They Know its Christmas

It would be interesting to know which sold and earnt more. --133.62.200.220 09:05, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Partial lyrics

Per the US Copyright Act (title 17, U. S. Code), Section 107, the fair-use excerpts must not constitute a "performable unit" of the song, so words have been omitted in many places.

The song lyrics are under copyright from 1985; however, some excerpts can be explained in technical analysis, under the 1961 fair-use citation of the US Copyright Act (title 17, U. S. Code):

"U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use" (legal notes), cites US Copyright Act (title 17, U. S. Code), Section 107, U.S. Copyright Office, webpage: CRgov-f1102. The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples for fair-use excerpts: "quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author's observations."

With Wikipedia expanding information everywhere, it is very tempting for people to want to complete the lyrics, adding the missing words. However, the excerpts must not constitute a "performable unit" so please revert if the full lyrics are added (again). Thanks. -Wikid77 (talk) 07:07, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Comedian Lip-Sync Parody

I would like to reference the fact that comedian Kevin Meaney has done a lip sync parody of the song and video as part of his act in the article, but I don't remember what show I saw him doing it on. It may have been the first stand-up comedy series that MTV aired, or not. In it, he lip syncs the original song in the style of every singer in the video, including taking off an on a pair of sunglasses while alternating between Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen. Anyone know what show this aired on? I remember that it showed him doing his act, then went to commercial, and then his WATW parody ended the show.John ISEM (talk) 17:32, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Question about Lyrics

In the song, Willie Nelson sings: "As God has shown us by turning stone to bread...". Where does it say that God turned stone to bread? In Matthew, chapter 4, Jesus is in the desert fasting for 40 days, (like Noah durning the Flood and Moses durning the Exodus), when the Devil appears to Jesus and says: "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread". Jesus responds by saying: "It is written, One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God". According to the song, Jesus did what Satan ordered Him to do. I am aware a lot of people are not concerned about these lyrics, but, I am sure there are lot of Christians who find the sentence questionable to say the least. I like the song, and I wonder why they put it in, knowing a great many Christians would question it? Why risk offending 2 Billion followers of Jesus by singing Jesus did what the Devil told him to do? The song would have been so much better if it did not have that sentence in it. I also did not like the fact they told John Denver to 'beat it' when he offerred to join the group, according to VH1 pop-up video description of the song.204.80.61.110 (talk) 18:42, 4 June 2008 (UTC)Bennett Turk

• I read this Wikipedia article some years ago and back then it said that that part of the lyrics is incorrect. This information was probably removed from the article because there is no 'reliable' source (something like this won't do) that gives us this information. It's not enough, at least according to the powers that be, to mention the part where the devil talks to Jesus, because this doesn't prove that a god never turned stones into bread. Sometimes that's the way Wikipedia works. --82.171.70.54 (talk) 16:57, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

New Section called "Examples of people who were fed with the money that was raised"

I created a new section called "Examples of people who were fed with the money that was raised." I tried to find some examples to put in the section, but I couldn't find any. If anyone finds any, please add them. Thank you. Grundle2600 (talk) 13:21, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

Blaming the famine on "drought" is just making a defense for Ethiopia's communist dictators

The article blames Ethiopia's famine on "drought." That is wrong. Ethiopia's famine is caused by communism, not drought. Israel always has drought, but it never has famine. Communist North Korea always has famine, and capitalist South Korea never does. Communist China had famine, and after the communism went away, the famine went away. Same thing with the Soviet Union. And all of these communist dictators blamed the famine on "bad weather." Here and here are sources that prove that famine is caused by communism, not bad weather. Grundle2600 (talk) 13:41, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

Israel received Thirty million in farm subsidies from the US to alleviate crop issues that were occuring during that period. During 1983 and 1986 South Korea received subsides of almost 115 million which provided a cash surplus to prevent any shortages. I'm no communist lover but it certainly was not a free market during that period.--68.51.72.144 (talk) 22:16, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

"Communist China had famine, and after the communism went away, the famine went away" China never stopped being communist.

You are mistaken. In the late 1970s, China switched from collective farming, to private, for-profit farming. Food production skyrocketed, and their famine disappeared. China is becoming more and more capitalist. They sell lots of stuff to countries all over the world. They have many big, private corporations. Grundle2600 (talk) 21:59, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Merge

USA for Africa should be merged into this article. The group article is nothing more than the list of performers, which is redundant to this article, and a see also. This is the group's only song, so it is not independent of the main topic. They could and should be easily merged. Reywas92^Talk 22:40, 7 December 2008 (UTC)

• Oppose Merger - I think it just needs a bit of a cleanup and some citations. USA for Africa also organised Hands Across America and I think the group should have a stand-alone article. Pyrrhus16 (talk) 12:05, 13 December 2008 (UTC)
• Oppose Merger - Two separate notable subjects, two separate articles.--SouthernNights (talk) 01:30, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose merger - The song is highly notable on it's own merits. — R² 19:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Examples of people who were fed with the money that was raised

This is a legitimate section. I have looked and looked, but I can't find any sourced examples to put here. Does anyone have any links to a reliable source that could be used in this section? Grundle2600 (talk) 16:34, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Why would you make such a comment? What do you mean Examples of people who were fed with the money that was raised? This was only for the Ethiopian people. And they didn't even raise that much money anyways. 76.112.25.158 (talk)

They raised millions of dollars, and I don't see any evidence that any of it was used to actually feed people. Grundle2600 (talk) 21:52, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Where is Cocker?

Wasn't Joe Cocker singing the solo after Al Jarreau?

    No, that's Bruce Springsteen. 72.177.7.99 (talk) 18:42, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Bette Midler feeling naked?

There's a section in the Selected Vocalists section that reads "Bette Midler (standing next to LaToya, feeling naked)" -- what's the purpose of the 'feeling naked' portion? Looks to be a dig at LaToya more than anything else and I cannot find any references to this anywhere else. Recommend redacting that portion. Evixir (talk) 20:52, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Article Tone

Some of the sections of this article read more like a magazine article than an encyclopedia entry. In particular, this sentence in the "History" section seems to be completely superfluous:

There is no guarantee that a group collaboration, for charity, will create a song liked by the public.

That's just an adage that doesn't present any facts about the topic. The paragraph reads just as well without it, but I didn't want to make that large a change without comments from others. --Timrprobocom (talk) 20:46, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Conflict with another article

I'm surprised at the "impact section," which weasel-wordily states, "many lives were saved" (without a citation backing it up) and contains no criticism for the relief efforts. This is in contrast to the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia article, which (perhaps will undue weight) argues that famine relief efforts hurt more than helped. In addition to the lack of scholarly criticism in this article, there's also a lack of popular criticism; alternative acts such as Chumbawamba and We Care a Lot (song) satirized musician-based Ethiopia relief efforts (although I suppose Live Aid was singled out most of all). Isn't this worth stating? Calbaer Calbaer (talk) 10:42, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

The conflict with 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia should now be solved, the other points are yet to write. --Helge (talk) 07:51, 12 July 2009 (UTC)

[Citation needed]

Big blinking mile-high "Citation needed" on "The idea for the creation of a benefit single for African famine relief had initially come from activist Harry Belafonte". While Belafonte may have been the one to propose this particular project, Band Aid had already recorded and released Do They Know It's Christmas? - one of the biggest-selling records of all time - as a benefit single for African famine relief by this time (the Band Aid article even says "The Band Aid project inspired other charity records around the world, including We Are the World"). – iridescent 11:48, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

I meant for this particular benefit single. I'll reword it to make it more clear, as I can see where readers may misinterpret it. Pyrrhus16 12:05, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

No mention of the Band Aid supergroup and "Do They Know It's Christmas?" song being an inspiration for this

It's very odd indeed that no mention is made of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" as an inspiration behind this single. In November 1984 Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organised a British supergroup to perform this charity single for the Ethiopian famine; it was a Christmas No 1 in the UK in 1984, with its refrain "Feed the World". The US followed suit the next year with "We Are the World" - and yet this article makes no mention of the obvious debt. All came together in the Live Aid concerts of summer 1985. It's interesting that Michael Jackson chose to call his charitable foundation Heal the World: might he have got this idea too from the Band Aid single?86.172.137.232 (talk) 20:50, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Us-centrism: massive problem

Okay, having read on I'm now seeing huge problems with this article. It has been written from a solely US viewpoint. The first paragraph of the Legacy section is a near unquestioning hagiography. Okay, it's sourced, but surely we have a huge problem when the sources cited are clearly wrong?

• "We Are the World" has been recognized as a politically important song, which "effected an international focus on Africa that was simply unprecedented".[37] Absolute nonsense. Band Aid's effort did this the previous year.

• The author of the source is stating that "We Are the World" drew the most attention at that point. "Unprecedented" here is being used as a synonym for "unparalleled".

• The anthem has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the world felt inclined to follow.[37] Again, clear nonsense to anyone with any sense of historical perspective. "We Are the World" followed Band Aid. I don't lie to carp, but U-571 (film), anyone? Americans taking credit for soemone else's actions?

• This is factually accurate as it has been credited as such. That aside, perhaps Band Aid's song wasn't as influential as "We Are the World"? Using an example - Bill Bailey was the first person recorded doing the moonwalk. Now, a source may say something like, "Michael Jackson has been credited with creating a climate in which young R&B singers from around the world feel it necessary to moonwalk on stage". Indeed, Bailey was the first. That doesn't mean that he was the specific influence for the R&B artists, because it was Jackson that inspired them. Arguably, Jackson took the moonwalk to a new level, which is perhaps what the author thinks "We Are the World" did for these type of recordings.

"This is factually accurate as it has been credited as such" Um, just because somebody says something doesn't necessarily make it true. I feel like I am knocking my head against a brick wall if this hyperbole is allowed to remain in the article. It didn't create the climate. period. DTKIC did. It's a historical fact. 86.147.162.146 (talk) 14:08, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

Allow me to clarify - the sentence in the article is factually accurate because WATW has been credited as such. The article doesn't state that this is the truth, because it is a matter of opinion which will vary between individuals. Pyrrhus16 19:42, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

• Since the release of "We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made within popular music to create songs that address humane concerns.[80]. No, I think that would be "Since the release of "Do They Know It's Christmas?"."

• As above, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was perhaps not as influential as "We Are the World" on that score.

Ridiculous!!! If there was no DTKIC, there would have been no WATW! Simple as! If anything, you could argue that DTKIC is more influential, as it is the granddaddy of the lot. 86.147.162.146 (talk) 14:08, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

And I could argue that WATW is more influential, as it has sold around 5 times as much as DTKIC has. However, I've added that it is according to The New York Times' Stephen Holden.

• "We Are the World" was also influential in subverting the way music and meaning were produced, showing that musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively and creatively.[40] Again, WATW aped the way DTKIC was produced. So the influence cannot be claimed by WATW.

• Nowhere does it say that "We Are the World" was the first do this. It just states that it was influential, which it was. Another example - "Michael Jackson was influential in American music, showing that a poor boy could grow to become a music icon." Notably, Elvis Presley demonstrated this before Jackson. That doesn't mean that a successor may also show this.

• "We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid, demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but a political and social movement.[82] Oh, what a surprise. No mention of DTKIC, the precursor of all these.

• If I could add DTKIC to that sentence, I would. However, I have to go with with what the source says. It doesn't mention DTKIC; I can't do anything about that.

• Since the release of "We Are the World", numerous songs have been recorded in a similar fashion, with the intent to aid famine victims throughout the world. Um, no, that would be "Since the release of DYKIC ..."

• Yes, since the release of both DTKIC and WATW. Both are influential, nobody is diminishing Band Aid's song. But this article is about WATW, not DTKIC, and shouldn't be turned into some type of platform for the British song. This isn't a competition. We are talking about the songs WATW has specifically influenced. Pyrrhus16 23:18, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

There seems to be some major historical revisionism going on here. No mention of the clear inspiration for this song - the single released in November 1984 which led, eventually to the Live Aid concerts. I am very concerned by such a blinkered US-centric view of a song which is claimed to be of international importance.86.172.137.232 (talk) 21:23, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

In case there's any doubt, compare the videos Band Aid, Nov 1984 We Are the World March 1985 - supergroups, filmed in the studio, performing segments artist by artist, to raise money for famine relief. 86.172.137.232 (talk) 21:42, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

To be honest, I have to agree with 86.172 on most of this. You're understandably coming from a Michael Jackson and Motown background, and the sources are naturally going to emphasise WOTW, but there seems to be a huge selection bias here when it comes to sourcing. WOTW was clearly directly derived from DYTIC in both concept and format, and you're hugely overstating WOTW's influence relative to DYTIC (remember, DYTIC is the second biggest selling single of all time in Britain and on its release outsold every other single in the charts added together); it's beyond belief that someone as savvy to musical trends as Jackson wouldn't have been intimately familiar with the project, especially given Paul McCartney's participation. – iridescent 22:03, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

From a quick read I also agree with IP. DTKIC is not even mentioned in the lead for instance. Garion96 (talk) 09:50, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

It is now noted in both the text and footnotes that WATW followed DTKIC and was considered the American response. Pyrrhus16 20:02, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Still nothing in the lede about DTKIC: its mention comes far too late in the text. It's like writing about Michael Jackson without mentioning the Jackson Five: the career and progress of the one came directly out of the other. I'm not trying to turn this into a competition between DTKIC and WATW. I just think that for this to be a featured article, and yet to omit a massive part of the story of the genesis of WATW, would be a travesty.

I have major problems, still. Pyrrhus seems to have brushed aside our objections with an 'oh well., it's what the cites say so it must be true.' But if the cited "facts" are clearly no such thing, should they be allowed to remains - or at least remain unchallenged, without caveats? To read this article, you'd think WATW achived everything and DTKIC nothing in raising global awareness. WATW has to be set in its proper historical perspective. This just reads like a hagiography, and is seriously unbalanced.86.147.162.146 (talk) 14:08, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

"Do They Know It's Christmas?"

Iam the IP that made comments during the peer review, and I was kind of surprised that the article only mentioned "Do They Know It's Christmas?" once, apparently other users notice the same US-centrism that I saw back then, apparently the main contributor couldn't find sources stating that this song is based on DTNIC. Well here is a reliable source satting that song is an American version, not just song that followed DTNIC:

"This all started with a phone call from Harry Belafonte," Ken Kragen, president of the United Support of Artists for Africa foundation, said in Billboard. The singer telephoned Kragen with the idea of staging a concert by black performers to raise money for Africa. Kragen felt a concert would not raise enough money. "So we began to discuss alternatives. I suggested an American version of Band Aid."

Band Aid was the name adopted by the union of British artist who recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" That effort, organized by Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats, sold over 3 million copies in Britain alone. Belafonte acknowledged Band Aid's groundbreaking effort in Billboard. "After the success of Band Aid, and particulary Bob Geldof, it was obvious that USA for Africa was an idea whose time had come."

Taken from: Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. Billboard Books. p. 605. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6. 190.233.3.81 (talk) 18:31, 27 October 2009 (UTC) 190.233.3.81 (talk) 18:52, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

• Here is another source:

It was veteran performer Harry Belafonte who initially came up with the idea for an American project to benefit famine relief. Belafonte had been impressed by the efforts of Bob Geldof, the former frontman of the Boomtown Rats, who had organized the union of British artist known as Band Aid. The group's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold more than a million copies in the UK.

"I had spoken to Geldof", says Belafonte. "I said thought we should do that in the U.S." Belafonte telephoned personal manager Ken Kragen, who enlisted his client Richie. Richie asked Wonder to sign on, while Belafonte contacted Quincy Jones to produce the record.

Taken from: Rosen, Craig (1996). The Billboard Book of Number One Albums. Billboard Books. p. 287. ISBN 0-8230-7586-9. 190.233.3.81 (talk) 18:52, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

editsemiprotected

We Are The World (song by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) - Soloist (second last) is not Ray Charles but Stevie Wonder.

Wonder is already listed toward the beginning of the list, so doesn't need to get re-added later on. Pyrrhus16 17:08, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

Somos El Mundo

A spanish version of the song was released today, also to aid Haiti. It follows pretty much the same premise as the english version, with popular Latin artists featured in the song. I feel someone should add this, either as a new section of the article, or as part of the "We Are The World 25 For Haiti" section. --98.149.214.120 (talk) 01:04, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

We Are the World: The Next Generation

It seems a new version of this song was recorded. http://urbanbridgez.com/ubgblog/2010/03/01/youth-version-remake-of-we-are-the-world/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1TZ9giKgXo Should an article be created about this song or just a mention of it here on the We Are the World page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.167.92.26 (talk) 00:39, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

we are the world

we are the world is 20 years old at the year 2010 but the song we are the world haiti 25 is new the all i like that song because they got all of the singers and renew the song

                          this is for people who live in pennsauken nj:
                        the pennsuken intermedate school the 5th grade of 2010  music
                      consert there are singing we are the world in may 2010 if u go to 
                     the school they'll tell u the correct date it is the night concert
                   if u miss the show check on youtube and they are going to be on tv cannel
                   19  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.168.243.253 (talk) 22:28, 29 March 2010 (UTC) 

Which "related" songs and videos should be included in article for 1985 original

Referring to previous comments for "Somos El Mundo" and for "...The Next Generation," and for Pyrrhus16's 1 April 2010 revert/removal of description of We Are The World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition): The general principle is that a song's or video's notability should govern whether a new article is generated (or whether it is mentioned in an existing article). More specifically, notable covers may be mentioned in the article of the song or video of which it is a cover. I think it might be good for someone to research notability of "Somos El Mundo" and "...The Next Generation" for possible inclusion in a new "Remakes and Covers" section that would be a renamed version of the current "25 for Haiti" section. (Just an idea.) RCraig09 (talk) 13:36, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

Despite its name, We Are The World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition) is musically a closer cover of the 1985 original We Are the World than of the 2010 celebrity remake We Are the World 25 for Haiti because the YouTube version excludes the celebrity remake's rap segment and makes minimal use of Auto-tune. Accordingly, I think mention of the 2010 YouTube version should be re-introduced (unreverted) here, in the "25 for Haiti" section in the present article. I see Pyrrhus16's point (in his/her edit summary "undo, cover of a remake should be kept in the remake article"). However, substantively, the YouTube version is as properly a remake of this 1985 original as the 2010 celebrity remake that continues to merit its own section in the present (1985) article. Pyrrhus16 if you see this comment, please respond below. Thanks. RCraig09 (talk) 13:36, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

I added descriptions for the 2010 YouTube remake and Somos El Mundo. The YouTube version has the same lyrics as the 1985 original and is therefore a cover of it, despite its being a "video response" to the 2010 celebrity Haiti remake. To Pyrrhus16: you did not respond to my April 2, 2010 note on your UserTalk page (it has since been put in your Archive #8). Discussion is welcome here. Also, I again suggest someone form a more comprehensive "Remarks and Covers" section as I mentioned above on April 1, 2010--on the theory that remakes are legacies of this 1985 original. RCraig09 (talk) 04:53, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

I believe that Jeffrey Osborne should be listed as a soloist

A few months back I added Jeffrey Osborne to the list of soloists and removed him from the chorus, based on visual evidence of Osborne soloing at the 6:12 mark of the song. It was subsequently changed back by another contributor, stating that "Other sources list him in the chorus only & he doesn't appear to solo on the video." Well, other sources can be wrong, and I would argue that they ARE, because he very clearly solos on the video (and in the audio, if you recognize his voice), starting at the 6:12 mark. I believe that Osborne should be credited appropriately, but am loath to edit it again if my view is not the consensus one. Crafty is as Crafty does (talk) 19:58, 17 November 2010 (UTC)Crafty

Bob Geldof calls his own song one of "the worst songs in history"

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sir-bob-geldofs-tacky-curse-of-christmas/story-e6freuy9-1225961709521

(Below this point was an unsigned, verbatim transcription of the linked content. I have erased it, as it severely - and maybe purposely - damages this page code. Leaving the link. XKuei (talk) 00:42, 27 June 2011 (UTC))

Breaking Singles Chronology

Hello everyone. Just letting you guys know that this article is currently breaking Michael Jackson's singles chronology, as you navigate from I Just Can't Stop Loving You. As strange as it would seem, my suggestion would be removing it from the singer's chronology, for it was officially released as a "USA For Africa" song, not his. Thank you. XKuei (talk) 00:35, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Garry Trudeau / Doonesbury info - how to add?

Despite many years' experience in editing Wikipedia, I occasionally find I want to add something to an article but can't figure out where it fits. Could someone else put this information into the article at an appropriate spot? In some ways it pertains to the recording, and in other ways, to the media/reception.

Cartoonist Garry Trudeau was invited to witness the recording, did so, and published several cartoons in his Doonesbury strip, eventually creating a book titled Check Your Egos At the Door (named for the instruction given to the artists by Quincy Jones). Trudeau, his book-publishing company, and his syndicating company all agreed to distribute their shares of the profits to USA for Africa. Many details are covered in this 1985 Orlando Sentinel article:

Diane Hubbard Burns. "'Doonesbury' recruits cartoonists for war on hunger," Orlando Sentinel, November 5, 1985.

The article also mentions the fact that the Doonesbury series showed fictitious rock star Jimmy Thudpucker contributing to the song — though discovering the large number of participants meant there was only time for him to sing one word, "the" — and discusses a follow-up effort to have cartoonists across the United States contribute hunger-themed panels on the country's Thanksgiving Day. Thanks! Lawikitejana (talk) 12:41, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

Long At Number One On American Chart

Does nobody know how long this song was at number one on the US Billboard pop chart? Nowhere in the article does it say, and that's a statistic that shouldn't be left out of the article. It says something about it stayed at number one for a month on some other chart, but what about the main pop chart? Imagine my surprise when I came here looking for the answer and it was nowhere in the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1011:B024:9FD5:1D7E:5BEC:62D5:3CD4 (talk) 21:39, 12 August 2012 (UTC) It was number 1 on the US BillBoard chart for 4 weeks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.93.81.189 (talk) 12:28, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

"all-time singles"

What's an "all-time single" as opposed to another kind?--Wetman (talk) 03:28, 7 March 2015 (UTC)

"Michael Omartian co-producer"

Michael Omartian did not co-produce this song, despite claims from other sources. The credits on this record do not name him as producer or co-producer. Rather he was an arranger and keyboardist. His website even says "arranger, keys".

June Pointer

I'm deleting June Pointer from the Chorus listing as per Ruth Pointer's account in her bio Still So Excited! which states that of the Pointer Sisters only Ruth & Anita sang on "We Are the World": Ruth's account is corroborated by the group shot on the record sleeve - file link below - in which of the three members of the Pointer Sisters only Anita & Ruth appear--Cherrylimerickey (talk) 00:25, 5 February 2016 (UTC) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World_%28album%29#/media/File:Wearetheworldsingle.jpg

@Mlpearc: I'm not 100% clear on this template: if you haven't yet seen it please check my entry at User talk:Mlpearc --Cherrylimerickey (talk) 01:57, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm puzzled: my entry at User talk:Mlpearc has evidently been archived without any response from the user. As I explained in that entry: I verified June's absence from the record sleeve photo from a larger image file: http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7600000/We-Are-The-World-michael-jackson-7644288-1592-1072.jpg - but under any circumstances the photo is not my basis for deleting June's name from the chorus: I simply cited the photo as corroboration for what Ruth Pointer states in her autobiography Still So Excited!: my life as a Pointer Sister: here is the relevant passage -

As for Bill Whitmore, June's husband/manager, he embarrassed us by causing a scene because, as a nonsinger, he wasn't allowed inside the studio to begin with. Others such as Jane Fonda, Ali MacGaw, and Dick Clark all patiently watched on a TV monitor in another room. But that wasn't good enough for Bill. His response was that if he didn't go in neither did June. Nobody else was allowed to bring family or handler inside, and damned if Anita or I were going to argue that an exception be made for Wild Bill. So away he marched with June

As I mentioned in my entry at User talk:Mlpearc I'm prepared to integrate this info into the article rather than just delete June's name. I'm holding off for now to allow for any commentary: if there is none then hopefully there'll be no objections after the fact --Cherrylimerickey (talk) 21:55, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

The response I solicited from the party who reverted my edit was: I have no interest in discussing this. Happy editing, Mlpearc. Presumably then no objection will be raised when I have followed through on my stated intent to edit this article in accordance with the account given by Ruth Pointer in her autobiography. My plan is to list The Pointer Sisters as chorus members under the group name which is how they are credited on the both the "We Are the World" 7" and 12" singles, and also on the We Are the World album. I will then add the details as provided by Ruth Pointer in her autobiography as quoted above: this info will be in a codicil whose exact format I have yet to work out. --Cherrylimerickey (talk) 02:18, 6 February 2016 (UTC)

Have followed through with my stated and uncontested intent to update this article factoring in Ruth Pointer's statement re the non-involvement of June Pointer in the recording of "We Are The World". I've converted the USA for Africa musicians section from List format to Table format, and have noted Ruth Pointer's allegation below the listing of the Pointer Sisters in the Chorus column, with Ruth Pointer's quote in a collapsible table. --Cherrylimerickey (talk) 04:09, 6 February 2016 (UTC)

No, no, no. You need to re-read the Ruth Pointer biography and then investigate this way more thoroughly -- in her autobiography, Ruth says Bill Whitmore took June Pointer from the recording sessions WHEN SOLOISTS WERE BEING CHOSEN. She never says June did not did not sing on "We Are The World." You are making an assumption that June Pointer did not sing on the CHORUS. She did -- the proof, quite simply, is THE VIDEO. Just watch it and you'll see June Pointer, in the front row, singing between Sheila E. and Marlon Jackson. --User:mantrajny 4 June 2016

Merger proposal

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

I believe the article USA for Africa should be merged/deleted and redirected to this article. While this article is FA status, the USA for Africa article is entirely unsourced and apart from the lead consists of just two sections, an (incomplete) list of performers on "We Are the World", and the tracks on the accompanying We Are the World album. Both this article and the We Are the World article cover these two sections in far more detail, so there is no need for the separate USA for Africa article. Having just one article for "We Are the World"/USA for Africa would make it much easier to maintain. Richard3120 (talk) 02:30, 27 September 2015 (UTC)

No objections stated. Proceed. GenQuest ^{"Talk to Me"} 15:57, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Checked – first link is good but the second has failed. Richard3120 (talk) 17:27, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

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 Done Richard3120 (talk) 17:05, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

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 Done Richard3120 (talk) 20:36, 29 September 2017 (UTC)

disambiguation text incorrect

The disambiguation subtitle lists this as a “USA for Argentina song” but the correct attribution is “USA for Africa” and I have no idea how to fix it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Morgan greywolf (talk • contribs) 14:19, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

Sorry, I'm lost... where does it say anything about Argentina? Richard3120 (talk) 14:37, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

Look in the mobile page under the title. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Morgan greywolf (talk • contribs) 22:37, 20 January 2018 (UTC)

I’ve changed it to USA for Africa. You can change it by going on the desktop version of the website and editing the Wikidata linked to the article. TheSturgenator (talk) 14:55, 28 January 2018 (UTC)

cannot edit artist list?

Clicking edit takes you to edit a completely different section? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 103.93.68.42 (talk) 03:30, 7 April 2018 (UTC)

Nothing about John Denver being snubbed

John Denver asked to sing on We are the World and was told he could not, because, he was considered too "pop" for a song that would mostly be sung by rock and rollers according to producer Ken Kragen. There are references that back up this statement. Shouldn't it be included in the article on the song. 204.80.61.100 (talk) 17:23, 1 February 2019 (UTC) Bennett Turk 204.80.61.100 (talk) 17:23, 1 February 2019 (UTC)

Dance Club Songs position

The article claims the song topped this chart, but the reference is a deadlink, and a manual search of Billboard's archive doesn't reveal a listing for this song getting onto that chart at all (which makes sense - can you really imagine DJs dropping this song in a nightclub?). Is this fake information or is a different chart meant, and if so what.....? -- ChrisTheDude (talk) 15:10, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

This edit seems to be the problem. Prior to the edit, it was listed as "US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles". The edit changed that to "US Dance Club Songs".

The target article, Dance Club Songs, explains,

During the first half of the 1980s the chart maintained eighty slots until March 16, 1985 when the Disco charts were splintered and renamed. Two charts appeared: Hot Dance/Disco, which ranked club play (fifty positions), and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, which ranked 12-inch single (or maxi-single) sales (also fifty positions, now reduced to ten and available through Billboard.biz only).

There certainly were 12" "Maxi-Singles" that were anything but dance (extended remixes, extra b-sides, etc.) I'd suggest correcting the link and leave it with a "cite needed" tag, as I have little doubt that the retail activity from this song would have gotten a 12" single to #1 easily (assuming there was one). If you can find a working cite, that would be even better (of course). - SummerPhD^v2.0 18:00, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

• Found it :-) [1] This chart doesn't appear on Billboard's online archive, presumably because it's no longer published..... -- ChrisTheDude (talk) 19:40, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

Steve Porcaro

Wasn't he on synthesizers? Why isn't he listed?

BlueD954 (talk) 08:27, 3 December 2019 (UTC)