This Week in Music: January 28, 1985: “We Are The World” Recorded
The day was January 28, 1985. Just after 9 p.m., Michael Jackson arrived at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood by himself to do some solo recording. About an hour later, an entire cast of iconic recording artists started to pile into the studio space, one by one. With the likes of Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, and Bruce Springsteen, among many others, the ‘80s had never seen so much star power packed into one room.
The song recorded that evening was none other than “We Are The World” — a powerful anthem of unity that went on to sell more than 20 million copies and raise over $63 million for humanitarian aid. Though there were many artists who stood out with particularly powerful vocal solos, the highlight of the track stems from the vocal prowess and passion of Stevie Wonder. Rising above the melody of the song, Stevie’s presence on “We Are The World” truly makes the tune one of the most memorable pop songs of the ‘80s.
And keeping in-tune with that ‘80s nostalgia, the iHeart80s Party is coming this Saturday, January 28! The show takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and will feature live performances from more of those iconic ‘80s acts, including Rick Astley, Eddie Money, and New Kids on the Block — you can pick up your tickets here, or tune into iHeart80s Radio at 7:30 p.m. PT to catch the show live! And don’t forget that you can listen to all of your favorite ‘80s tracks, including “We Are The World,” on demand, here on iHeartRadio!
