Here's another proof that I'm genuinely 100 per cent Egyptian – just like the Sphinx, my nose is about to fall off. Assuming that this “Lion-man” is my great greater greatest grandfather, I guess it's alright to say that the nose thing runs in the family! However, it seems I'm far more flexible than him – it took an army to bring down his nose, but mine is collapsing due to a sever case of flu. As I've been telling my friends, the last time I checked I had no piggy tale, which means this is not swine flu. I'm not complaining because flu is nothing compared to… let's say famine and starvation. This week I'm celebrating the 25th anniversary of something extra special – the release of “We Are the World” by U.S.A. for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa), which was released on March 7, 1985. Walking in the footsteps of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, who wrote the British smash “Do They Know It's Christmas” for super group Band Aid to raise funds for famine relief in Africa, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote “We Are the World”. It was co-produced by Quincy Jones, who is arguably the world's finest producer. Supposedly, this song is also the brainchild of artist Harry Belafonte, who appeared on the song, along with some of the biggest artists in the music industry at the time. Now let me tell you who sang what and the order they did it in – An amazing group of singers performed together as a choir and of course many of them didn't get to sing solo parts, or else the song would have been three years long. Stars like Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler, the Jacksons and even Motown legend Smokey Robinson, didn't get to sing solo parts, but who cares? They weren't doing this for glory – it was simply for a noble cause. A for the soloists, the first verse was sung by Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner and Billy Joel and the second and shorter verse featured Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson and Al Jarreau. The chorus was performed by Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and for the second one… it was a chance for rockers Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry and Daryl Hall to engage. Then Michael, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper and Kim Carnes added the bridge and as the chorus was repeated it was sung by Bob Dylan, then Ray Charles till it reached the peak with the Wonder/Springsteen duet. The song went on with Ray and James Ingram doing the final duet. That's a very impressive list of artists. As you might know, such projects are not easy to handle – guide demos were recorded by Michael and Lionel and a copy was sent to each of artists who took part in making this song. On January 28, 1985, the army of artists gathered in a Hollywood studio late in the evening. Actually it was right after the American Music Awards were presented, so some artists went straight from the ceremony to the studio. Others were in another state and flew all the way to contribute to this amazing recording. Being the hard working artist he was, Michael arrived earlier than the others to record his solo part as well as a chorus by himself. When the rest arrived recording started and the first part was the group singing then only soloists remained in the studio and the recording session lasted till the morning. Artists were exhausted and it seems they were about to starve as well – Tina Turner was thrilled when they finished and wanted to eat “fish burger”. How could she? I wouldn't do this… I have a flu and they say fish is not recommended in such a case. As I told you earlier, “We Are the World” was released on March 7, however, it didn't enter the chart at number one. This doesn't happen in the States – it was the highest new entry of the week, at number 21 and took four weeks to reach the number one spot, which is half the time a single usually takes to reach its charting peak, as some people say. On the brighter side of things, this single was the first since The Beatles' “Let It Be” to enter the official US Top five within two weeks of release. Naturally, “We Are the World” was exceptionally successful – it topped music charts in many countries and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. It sold more than 20 million copies and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid. Knowing that the money would go towards a good cause, some people bought five copies of the record. It became the fastest-selling American pop single in history, 800,000 copies sold in three days. It later became the biggest selling single of the year, the decade and the biggest selling single in both US and pop music history, with 20 million copies sold worldwide. As expected from such a song, “We Are the World” won trillions of awards, including four Grammy Awards. Last month a “We Are the World” remake was recorded help victims of Haiti's earthquake. The new version featured an army of artists, including veterans like Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett, as well divas Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton, it didn't sound half as good as the original. Now, let's go back to the more important issue – my record-breaking nose. I can't believe I finished six boxes of tissues in two days. I really feel drowsy and should go back to bed. Now I know that after a shower people shouldn't go straight to the balcony. Send me bowls of chicken soup to: [email protected]
