Netflix
PARK CITY, Utah—A history lesson for any millennial or Gen-Z music fan who might think “We Are the World” is that 2010 abomination spearheaded by Wyclef Jean, The Greatest Night in Pop (which premiered Jan. 19 at the Sundance Film Festival, ahead of its Jan. 29 bow on Netflix) is a nostalgic look back at the creation of the insanely popular and well-known 1985 charity single. Featuring copious behind-the-scenes footage as well as the participation of many song contributors, Bao Nguyen’s documentary doesn’t strive to make the same transformative impact sought by its subject. Still, as far as celebratory backward glances go, it’s compelling enough to temporarily brighten one’s day.
“Nothing will ever be the same after tonight,” proclaimed Lionel Richie on stage at the American Music Awards on Jan. 28, 1985, and while that may not have been technically true, it was certainly a monumental evening for the recording artist. Tasked with hosting the televised awards gala, Richie also won a boatload of trophies, thereby establishing himself as a solo artist in his own right (this, after he’d left the Commodores) and cementing his standing as one of the decade’s Billboard kings. Richie discusses the overwhelming insanity of that production in The Greatest Night in Pop, albeit only in the context of his genuine triumph: organizing the after-show get-together at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood where he, his manager Ken Kragen, producer Quincy Jones, and superstar Michael Jackson assembled a who’s-who of the pop-music universe.
The impetus for that gathering was “We Are the World,” a ditty designed as a fundraising tool for African famine relief. Inspired by Harry Belafonte, who himself was motivated by Bob Geldof’s Band Aid single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, the song was intended as an unparalleled chart-topper. From the start, however, there were problems. At the front of that line was the fact that wrangling disparate luminaries was a logistical nightmare. The solution, it turned out, was to record the song in a single night, immediately after the American Music Awards, since so many hit-makers would already be in one Los Angeles location. Just as pressing an issue, though, was the tune itself, which Richie and Jackson furiously wrote on deadline, this after Stevie Wonder—whom Richie initially tried to enlist—failed to return his calls.