‘We Are the World’ Is Reborn for Haiti

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Twenty-five years after the original ”˜We Are the World’ sessions, an updated version of the song was recorded on February 1, with proceeds going to ease suffering in Haiti. “Everyone came with their heart out,” says producer Quincy Jones. Legends such as Brian Wilson, Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett turned out at Henson Studios in LA to sing with younger stars like Will.i.am, the Jonas Brothers, Usher, Kanye West, Pink and Indian wonder composer AR Rahman.

Organisers Lionel Richie and Jones had been planning to commemorate the anniversary of ”˜We Are the World,’ but they weren’t sure how until the Haiti disaster struck; after that, “the mission was clear,” says Richie, who wrote the original with Michael Jackson. None of the singers from 1985 ”“ who included Jackson, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen ”“ were present: “We wanted to pass the baton to the next generation,” says Richie. The song and video are debuting at the Winter Olympics.