PLAY PODCASTS
"We Are the World" by USA for Africa: Everything You Didn't Know
Season 1 · Episode 109

"We Are the World" by USA for Africa: Everything You Didn't Know

Too Much Information

May 12, 20232h 12m

Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.

Show Notes

Jordan and Alex discuss one of the best-selling singles of all time. It's a song that boasts more top tier talent than perhaps any other. It's also a song that brings new meaning to the phrase: “Well, it’s the thought that counts..." They'll give you the backstory and behind the scenes drama of that one night in January 1985 when 40-something of the biggest stars in music crammed into a single studio, checked their egos at the door and worked through the night to record a sub-part tune by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie that raised some $80 million for African famine relief. You'll find out why a terrified Michael Jackson was reduced to curling up in the fetal position in the bathroom, why mega-talents like Prince and Madonna blew off the session, and why the proceedings were nearly torpedoed by Cyndi Lauper's earrings and a buffet. You'll also learn about Bob Dylan's intense stage fright, the surprising reason why Huey Lewis was given a solo when Smokey Robinson was NOT — plus all the reasons why Ray Charles and Bruce Springsteen were the MVPs of the session. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.