USA for Africa / Image: We Are the World — The Story Behind the Song, Image Entertainment (20th Anniv. 2 DVD Set)

In VERY GOOD condition! As pictured! Buy with confidence!

Product Details

• UPC: 0014381263626
• Catalog Number: USA2636DVD
• Product Type: 2 DVD Set, 20th Anniversary Special Edition
• Brand / Label: Image Entertainment / USA for Africa / Paul Brownstein Productions
• Subject: The making of "We Are the World" (recorded January 28, 1985)
• Release Year: 2004
• Genre: Music Documentary
• Style: Pop, R&B, Rock — all-star charity recording
• Video: NTSC, Color, 1.33:1
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo
• Program Runtime: 52 minutes
• Bonus Runtime: 206 minutes
• Hosted by: Jane Fonda
• Directed by: Tom Trbovich
• Executive Producer: Ken Kragen
• Written by: Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
• Conducted and Produced by: Quincy Jones
• Manufactured: Made in U.S.A.

Product Features

• Format: 2 DVD set in standard keepcase
• Disc 1: Main documentary "The Story Behind the Song" (52 min), hosted by Jane Fonda
• Disc 2: Bonus features — 206 minutes including previously unseen outtakes, 10th Anniversary Special, Live Aid performance, 1986 AMA and Grammy performances, Life magazine reprint, karaoke track
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 / 2.0 Stereo
• Video: NTSC, Color, 1.33:1
• Condition: Very Good — discs and packaging in excellent used condition
• Manufactured: U.S.A.

Overview

On January 28, 1985, 45 of the most famous names in popular music gathered at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles after the American Music Awards and recorded "We Are the World" in a single night. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, conducted and produced by Quincy Jones, the song raised tens of millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa and became one of the fastest-selling singles in history.

The Story Behind the Song is the definitive documentary of that session — originally broadcast in 1985 and now expanded for this 20th Anniversary Special Edition into a 2 DVD set with over three hours of bonus material. Hosted by Jane Fonda, the main program reconstructs the night from the inside: the logistics of assembling 45 stars, the writing and arrangement process, the studio dynamics, and the recording itself. The tone is intimate and often funny — Ray Charles arriving at 2 a.m., Bob Dylan being coached through his solo, Quincy Jones's instruction to leave their egos at the door.

The bonus disc runs to 206 minutes and covers the song's aftermath: previously unseen outtakes from the session; the 10th Anniversary Special; the Live Aid performance; the 1986 American Music Awards and Grammy Award presentations; and a bonus reprint of the original 1985 Life magazine cover story that documented the night. A karaoke track rounds out the package.

The roster reads like a roll call of 1985 pop culture: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Huey Lewis, Smokey Robinson, Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Harry Belafonte, and more than two dozen others.

Interesting Facts

• "We Are the World" was recorded in approximately ten hours and released on March 7, 1985; within weeks it had raised over $50 million for African famine relief through USA for Africa.
• Quincy Jones placed a sign on the studio door reading "Check your egos at the door" — the instruction has since become one of the most quoted lines in pop music history.
• The session was deliberately scheduled for the night of the American Music Awards so that the maximum number of artists would already be in Los Angeles; Ken Kragen, who organized the event, had called in favors accumulated over decades in the music industry.
• Bob Dylan famously struggled with his solo line during rehearsals; Stevie Wonder offered to demonstrate it, reportedly by mimicking Dylan's voice, which caused considerable amusement in the studio.
• Bruce Springsteen, who had never met many of the other participants, reportedly arrived nervous and was described by observers as visibly moved to be in the room with legends like Ray Charles, whom he called "the Statue of Liberty walking in."
• The song won four Grammy Awards in 1986, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and remains one of only a handful of singles to be certified multi-platinum in multiple countries simultaneously.

Artist Roster (45 participants)

Dan Aykroyd · Harry Belafonte · Lindsey Buckingham · Kim Carnes · Ray Charles · Bob Dylan · Sheila E. · Bob Geldof · Daryl Hall · John Oates · James Ingram · Jackie Jackson · LaToya Jackson · Marlon Jackson · Michael Jackson · Randy Jackson · Tito Jackson · Al Jarreau · Waylon Jennings · Billy Joel · Cyndi Lauper · Huey Lewis & The News · Kenny Loggins · Bette Midler · Willie Nelson · Jeffrey Osborne · Steve Perry · The Pointer Sisters · Lionel Richie · Smokey Robinson · Kenny Rogers · Diana Ross · Paul Simon · Bruce Springsteen · Tina Turner · Dionne Warwick · Stevie Wonder · plus additional session participants

Publishers

Distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment. Program Content: © 1985 United Support of Artists for Africa. Compilation and Bonus Material: © 2004 USA for Africa. DVD Package: © MMIV Image Entertainment, Inc., 20525 Nordhoff Street, Suite 200, Chatsworth, CA 91311.

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