With sales in excess of 20 million physical copies, it is the eighth- best-selling single of all time , meant to raise money for the — famine in Ethiopia. Mega-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, Some major artists, such as Prince , did not participate.
It topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling U. The organization would provide food and relief aid for the — famine in Ethiopia , [ 3 ] [ 4 ] which killed about one million people. Belafonte contacted the entertainment manager and fundraiser Ken Kragen , who enlisted his clients Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers. In turn, they enlisted Stevie Wonder , to add more "name value". Jackson told Richie that he wanted to help write the song.
They sought to write a song that would be easy to sing, memorable and anthemic. For a week, they spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in Jackson's bedroom. Jackson's older sister La Toya recounted the process : "I'd go into the room while they were writing and it would be very quiet, which is odd, since Michael's usually very cheery when he works. It was very emotional for them.
Richie recorded two melodies for "We Are the World", to which Jackson added music on the same day. Jackson said, "I love working quickly. I went ahead without even Lionel knowing. I couldn't wait. I went in and came out the same night with the song completed: drums, piano, strings, and words to the chorus. The next meetings between Jackson and Richie were unfruitful; they produced no additional vocals and got no work done.
On the night of January 21, , the night before the first recording session, Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody. The studio, on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, was filled with session musicians, technicians, video crews, retinue , assistants, and organizers as the celebrity musicians entered. Richie sat down at the piano to teach everyone the song.
