We Are the World
1985 charity song
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Key Takeaways
- " We Are the World " is a charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985.
- With sales in excess of 20 million physical copies, it is the eighth-best-selling single of all time.
- " in 1984, the musician and activist Harry Belafonte decided to create an American single for African famine relief.
- Jackson and Richie completed the writing the night before the first recording session on January 28, 1985.
- "We Are the World" was released on March 7, 1985, by Columbia Records.
"We Are the World" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones for the album We Are the World to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. With sales in excess of 20 million physical copies, it is the eighth-best-selling single of all time.
After the British group Band Aid released the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984, the musician and activist Harry Belafonte decided to create an American single for African famine relief. The agent Ken Kragen enlisted several musicians for the project. Jackson and Richie completed the writing the night before the first recording session on January 28, 1985. The recording brought together some of the era's best-known recording artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Tina Turner.
"We Are the World" was released on March 7, 1985, by Columbia Records. It topped music charts throughout the world, became the fastest-selling US pop single in history and the first single to be certified multi-platinum, and was certified quadruple platinum. Its awards include four Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award.
"We Are the World" was promoted with a music video, a VHS, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and books, posters and shirts. It raised more than $80 million (equivalent to $235 million in 2025) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States. Another cast of singers recorded a new version, "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
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