[gentle music]
["We Are the World"]
- Hello, I'm Jane Fonda,
and this is A&M Studios
in Hollywood, California.
On the evening of January 28th,
along with several other people,
I was fortunate to be here
and to witness an
extraordinary event.
45 of the most
remarkable singers
in American popular music
had come together to
record a special song
and make a special commitment.
For many of us
watching that night
part of the thrill was seeing
so many diverse artists
working together so compatibly,
with serious purpose
but with a sense of humor
and spontaneous spirit.
After all, how often have
any of us had a chance
to see genuine legends like
Ray Charles, Bob Dylan,
Michael Jackson, Lionel
Richie, Diana Ross,
Tina Turner, Bruce
Springsteen, Willie Nelson,
oh, and so many more.
All in the same room,
sharing harmonies,
telling jokes and
even shedding tears.
Frankly it was a
bit like a dream.
The vision of an artist
community coming together
declaring that an
urgent common concern
was more important to them
than musical differences
or individual renown.
It was a dream too
good not to share.
And so in the next hour,
we would like to
give you a glimpse
of some of the more
enduring moments
of that memorable evening.
A few days before the
actual historic session,
another musical
meeting took place.
This time at Lionshare Studios
with Quincy Jones,
Michael Jackson,
Lionel Richie and Stevie
Wonder all present.
Somewhere soon make a change
We're all a part of
God's great big family
A brighter day, so
let's start giving
There's a chance
we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
When you're down and out
There ain't no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
The day is gonna come
When we stand
together as one
- [Jane] By the end of
the session it was clear
that the song not only
had shape and substance,
but also had enough
heart and soul
to inspire the kind
of affinity necessary
to bind together so
many diverse singers.
In fact, there was a
spirit of cooperation,
amiability and exhilaration
born at this session
that would eventually carry over
to the entire USA
for Africa project.
There's a chance for taking
- Hello?
Hello?
How ya doing Larry?
Man, are you kidding?
[laughs] Well, Stevie,
Michael and Lionel are here.
So we're just getting
ready to cut the track.
We're gonna cut
the bass right now.
[funk bass music]
[cackling laugh]
[drums thudding]
- [Lionel] Wait a minute.
[funk music]
[piano music]
- [Jane] The next night
Michael and Lionel
recorded a final rough
version of the vocals,
while drummer John Robinson,
bassist Lewis Johnson
and pianist Greg Phillinganes
laid down some
basic rhythm tracks.
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
- [Jane] Then Quincy and
engineer, Humberto Gatica,
did a mix of the song
and sent tapes of it
to the other artists
who were invited
to lend their voices
to the project.
Finally it was the night
of Monday, January 28th.
Trucks began arriving
here at the A&M lot
shortly after dark.
Over a 150 technicians and
crew members began assembling
a complex audio and video
network of equipment.
Nobody was receiving payment
for their effort or materials.
In fact, even the video
tape you're now watching
was contributed, and
there was more than
45 hours worth of it used.
[workers chattering]
By 8:30, A&M studies
had been transformed
into the temporary capital
of American popular music.
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
- [Jane] Michael
Jackson bypassed the
American Music Awards
to come in by himself and
record one final guide vocal
that Quincy could use as a map
for the song's chorus parts.
Then, a little after 9:00 p.m.,
the other singers and their
guests began arriving.
Many, like Cyndi Lauper and
Tina Turner and Lionel Richie,
were coming straight from
the American Music Awards,
where Tina and Cyndi had
performed and Lionel had hosted.
People who had been competitors
only a few hours before
were now meeting as
partners in deliverance.
Others, like Darryl
Hall, John Oates,
Paul Simon, Billy Joel
and Bruce Springsteen,
had flown in that same day.
- I'll be here, I
guess this is where
[speaker drowned out
by background noise]
[musicians chattering]
- [Quincy] When
I saw those faces
coming in the studio that night
after the American Music Awards,
and they just were just
checking one by one.
Ray Charles and just on and on.
And I started to feel that
everybody was on the case.
And they weren't
involved in egos,
and that's one of the key
words we had that night
was check your ego at the door.
- This is some powerful
magic gonna happen tonight.
I feel it.
We are the world
We are the children
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Hi.
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
[musicians chattering]
- [Lionel] You saw
artists that have
just met for the evening
hugging each other or
comforting each other.
I will tell you though,
no one was intimidated.
- [Quincy] To walk
into their midst
and to feel an instant
sense of camaraderie,
an instant sense of belonging,
an instant sense of oneness,
is a very, very
unusual experience.
- Hold it everybody, please.
First, I would like
you to meet Bob Geldof,
who is really the inspiration
for this whole thing.
[clapping]
- Yeah, Bob!
- He just came
back from Ethiopia
and he'd like to talk to you.
- Oh, would I?
[chuckling]
Well maybe, to put
you in the mood
of the song you're
about to sing,
which hopefully will
save millions of lives,
I think it's best to remember
that the price
for life this year
is a piece of plastic
seven inches wide
with a hole in the middle.
That, I think, is
an indictment of us.
I think what's
happening in Africa
is a crime of
historical proportions.
And the crime is that
the Western world
has got billions
of tons of grain
bursting in its silos
and we're not releasing it
to people who are
dying of hunger.
I don't know if we in particular
can conceive of nothing.
But nothing is not
having a cardboard box
to sleep under in
minus 10 degrees.
Nothing is not having any
drink to get drunk on.
Not having water.
You walk into one of
the corrugated iron huts
and you see meningitis
and malaria and typhoid
buzzing around in the air
and you see dead bodies
lying side by side
with the live ones.
And on a good day
you can only see
120 people die slowly
in front of you.
In some of the camps,
you'll see 15 bags of flour
for 27 and a half
thousand people.
And it's that that
we're here for.
I don't wanna
bring anybody down,
but maybe it's the
best way of making
what you really feel and why
you're really here tonight
to come out through this song.
So thanks a lot, everybody,
and let's hope it works.
- [Woman] Thank you.
[clapping]
- We're gonna start out to,
well, number one I like
to just let everybody know
that the names down
here are for solos.
We're going to do
the ensembles first
and to get all the stacking
and all that carpentry
out of the way.
So if it's too high for anybody
they can just rest on this stack
and then we'll come back
and put it away, okay?
So we'll make a playback
[laughing]
and then start
chopping wood, okay?
[musicians chattering]
Can I hear it hum?
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
- Okay good, let's
put it on tape.
We are the world
We are the children
The highest point was
conducting that choir
because there was some
moments in that chorus
where I had goosebumps.
That's my truth box
and the goosebumps
were up all night long.
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
[clapping]
- That part'll be cool.
[musicians chattering]
- Whichever one
feels good to you.
Which one feels
better or brighter?
Brighter's the one
everybody leaning to, right?
- Maybe a changes.
- No, I think it should be
brighter all the way around.
- I feel like everyone
was singing brighter.
- This is brighter?
- No better, brighter.
Yeah, it's gonna
be brighter now.
- Better has more bite.
- I don't wanna
open a can of worms.
Stay with brighter.
- We don't ever sing this?
- Hi, Cyndi.
- No, no better, it's brighter.
It's true we make
a brighter day.
- It's true we
make a brighter day
just you and me,
instead of better.
Everybody say
brighter 'cause that's
what we're saying anyway.
Can we hear about four
bars without the track?
Acapulco, one, two, three.
- [Jane] When you
hear it on the radio,
"We Are the World" sounds like
one seamless,
flowing performance.
But working on it in the studio
was like making a jigsaw
puzzle part by part.
Including some pieces
that finally didn't fit.
Like this experimental
chorus by Michael.
We are the world, sha la
We are the
children, sha lingay
- [Quincy] Well, as usual,
Michael was real pro
and he worked so well with
all the other artists.
The chemistry was great, man.
We're giving
- All right?
- Mm-hmm.
We are the world, sha la
We are the
children, sha lingay
We are the ones
to make a sha la
Let's start giving
'Cause that's
what we're giving
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
Ah
- [Bette] Everybody sings great,
everybody has a wonderful ear.
Everyone caught on real fast.
It's great to watch Quincy.
I've never been in
the studio with him
and he's a master, so
that was a real thrill.
One world
- [Ray] All the
people that are here
are ultra in their own right,
and of course I'm just so
happy to get to see them.
So let's start giving
- [Diana] You know,
when I close my eyes
and try to listen to
the voices behind me,
and I turn around and
look at their faces,
I just love it.
Ah
- [Stevie] It's
something out of a dream
to see all of that
energy together.
It's what I've
always wanted to see.
It's a kind of energy that
really can change the world.
It's incredible.
One world
So let's start giving
- [Woman] All right!
[musicians clapping]
- [Jane] All in all,
Quincy and the group
worked for about
four hours that night
until nearly 2:00 a.m.,
recording all the
necessary parts
to complete the song's
tightly-woven chorus.
Just before the chorus broke up,
there was this spontaneous
tribute to Harry Belafonte.
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day da da day
da da day day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
[cheering]
[clapping]
- The chorus sounded like
that in the beginning.
[laughing]
- [Man] Well, we're
just gettin' warmed up.
Get down we're
workin' all night
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
[laughing]
- [Woman] What a choir!
Stay here 'til
we get it right
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day da da day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day day day
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
A beautiful bunch
of bright banana
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
It's highly deadly
black tarantula
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
I said day, da day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Again day, da day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Ri vuh bo pay bo pay oh
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
I'd like to sing
and drink a rum
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day we say day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day we say day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
If you drink too much
I'll have to stay
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
You're gonna have to be
driven home by me or Ray
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
[laughing]
Day we say day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
Day we say day-o
Daylight come and
we wanna go home
[vibrating air through lips]
[laughing]
[clapping]
- [Man] Harry!
[whistles]
[clapping]
[shouting]
- Cover, folks.
All right, I will give
you five minutes, okay?
Get yourself together--
- [Jane] In addition
to the meticulous
recording of the song,
there were some other matters
the artists had to
attend to that evening,
including a 2:30
a.m. photo session
for a 12-page article which ran
in the April issue of Life,
detailing the evening's events.
2:30 in the morning may not be
the best hour for many of us,
but there was a
sense of fellowship
in the studio that night
that seemed to fuel
everybody's spirit and stamina.
[camera clicks]
[musicians chattering loudly]
- [Lionel] Mass
hysteria broke out
because everybody wanted
everybody else's autograph.
I realized that there was a room
of everybody being
fans of everybody else.
- [Kenny] Everyone wanted
a memento that we could
all keep ourselves and
we had the sheet music
and had all the other
artists sign it.
I don't think there
was one out there
that didn't get
everyone to sign it.
[Ray plays piano]
- [Jane] During the
evening, all of the artists
signed 100 USA for
Africa posters.
Later, these posters would
be sold, with the money
going to the project's
Famine Relief Fund.
[musicians chattering loudly]
- And it would be the
best line in the tune.
- I'm just gonna move around
'til I get a line I like.
[laughing]
[performs vocal exercises]
- [Jane] Then at 3:00
a.m., it was time
to start the rehearsals
for the montage
of 21 lead vocals and
duet and harmony parts,
that would give the song its
unique character and flow.
While Quincy read over the
various parts with most singers,
often showing them the
precise phrasing he wanted,
others worked their
parts out in pairs.
Stevie Wonder and Ray
Charles teamed together,
for example, reading
their lines with the use
of an electronic
Braille machine.
When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
- [Man] Hello!
[laughing]
He got it.
- Yes!
- Can I go now?
Oh no. [laughing]
We are the world
We are the world
We are the children
- Those two lines.
- I can do that, okay.
- You open up the
chorus, you know.
- All right, great.
[speech drowned out
by background noise]
There comes a time when
we heed a certain call
- Me and you together.
When the world must
come together as one
- Two, three...
When the world must
come together as
When the world must
come together as one
- [Jane] The exact order
of the vocals and the job
of deciding who would sing
solos and who wouldn't,
and how to match up so
many dissimilar voices,
had been made a
couple of days earlier
by Lionel, Quincy, and
Quincy's associate producer
and vocal arranger, Tom Bahler.
As God has shown us
By turning stones to bread
We all must lend
a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
- [Lionel] We ceased
being individuals.
We were a family so strong,
so committed to something,
that it was frightening.
A better day just you and me
[cheering]
- By 4:00 in the
morning, everybody felt
comfortable with their parts.
In fact, everybody
seemed quite invigorated.
But just prior to the
recording of the solos,
something happened
to remind all of us
of the underlying serious
purpose of the event.
Stevie Wonder brought two
guests into the studio.
Two Ethiopian women
who had seen famine
spreading across their homeland.
As one of these women
spoke to the artists,
it was as if the reality
of the tragedy in Africa
had just come closer to home
in an unforgettable way.
- Yma's from Ethiopia.
- [speaks in foreign language]
In English, on
behalf of my country
we thank you for
all you have done.
Thank you very much.
[clapping]
- What we'll do is, we
have mics in front of us,
but what we'll do is,
you lean in on your part.
Then when the other
person comes in,
when you duet with someone,
whatever the case is,
when your part
comes up, lean in.
Don't sing back here.
You sing back here we'll
never know your voice.
- Step in or lean.
- No, come on in.
In other words, even
though they have your name
back here.
- Right.
- [Man] Might be
your regular thing.
- You follow?
- [Man] Yeah.
- This is a real recording.
The names are back there,
but the mics are up here.
Come to the microphone.
- Testing, one, two.
- One, two, two, two.
- [Man] Let me know
when you're ready!
- [Woman] Ready.
- Ready.
- Are they ready?
[piano music]
There comes a
time when we heed
- Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Guys [claps hands]
wait a minute!
We've gotta stop making
noise during takes, please.
[mumbling]
[giggling]
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must
come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it's time we
lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can't go on
pretending day by day
That someone somewhere
soon will change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth you know
love is all we need
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
Won't you send
them your heart
So they know that
someone cares
And their lives will
be stronger and free
As God has shown us
By turning stones to bread
And so we all must
lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
Whoa, there's a
choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
When you're down and out
There seems no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well,
let us realize
Oh, that a change
will only come
When we stand
together as one
- My fault, I didn't go down.
I'm a big out of tune,
I didn't go down.
[musicians chattering quietly]
- [Man] Said that we
had a lot of bracelets.
- Oh, is that?
Oh, my earrings!
Oh, sorry.
[laughing]
- I'm gonna do everything
I can to sing that in tune,
which I think will be a real
nice gesture on my part.
[laughing]
- [Paul] Can I help?
- It's good.
- It's tough, it's far [drowned
out by background noise]
Can I help?
Put out a little
more energy there?
- I don't know that
it's, it wouldn't hurt.
[plays piano]
- [Lionel] Thank you.
- [Man] All right.
- E.
[laughing]
E.
Hate E.
- [Man] You hate E.
[musicians chattering]
- Time of the morning
where we must be
as accurate as possible.
- [Man] Here we go.
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
- [Jane] After maybe only
a half a dozen takes,
the main sequence of
solo vocals was finished.
Now there were only a
few fill-in items left.
[clapping]
- Fish burger!
Fish burger! [sings]
[musicians chattering]
- Say we are the world,
we are the children.
So let's start giving.
You said there's a
choice we're making.
We're saving our own lives.
It's true, you know,
we make a better day.
You'll be half
singing, half talking.
After your thing,
modulates, you know.
- Okay, did somebody
else sing it already
on the track so I can hear it?
Choice we're making
We're saving our lives
It's time to make
a better world
For you and me
- Me, yeah.
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
For you and me
- Is that sorta it?
Sorta like that?
- [Man] Yeah!
- [Lionel] Bob wanted
to be a part of this
because there were people dying,
and he made his fame and his
fortune on public awareness.
That's what he's known for.
So for him to be in that
room was ever so fitting.
I saw the real reason
why he is Bob Dylan.
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
- [Lionel] The guy is
probably one of the hardest
working cats I've ever
met before in my life.
I kept waiting for
him to get tired,
and sit down and rest.
He kept saying, "I'm
gonna do it again."
We are the world,
we are the world
We are the children,
we are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving,
so let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
Yeah, we're saving
our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
- [Bruce] I didn't get any time.
Somebody asks you to take
one night of your time
to keep people from
starving to death someplace
it's pretty hard,
just can't say no.
So let's start giving
[clapping]
[whistling]
- Thank you, thank you.
- [Lionel] Well, that
takes care of that.
- I broke a legitimate sweat.
- Your take's good.
- [Man] Take care.
- [Woman] It's not over yet.
- Thank you.
[chattering]
- Make believe, are
you doing something,
are you going somewhere?
[chattering]
- You killed it.
And we made it through.
- [Quincy] Is is okay?
- Yeah.
[laughing]
[chattering]
- [Man] So New York time?
- It's only 20 after eight.
[laughing]
- [Jane] The night
session was finished.
Daylight had come and
it was time to go home.
The session may have been over,
but the work was hardly done.
In fact, the most
crucial part of the task,
the assembling of all
the various parts,
sequences, and solos,
pulling all of these
complex elements into
one cohesive package
that would play seamlessly
was still to be done.
That work was begun
a few days later
here at Lionshare studio.
Here, engineer Humberto
Gatica, and Quincy Jones
spent several long days
weaving the various threads
into a final, effective blend.
We are the world
We are the children
To deepen the
song's soulfulness,
Quincy brought a
handful of singers
back into the studio,
including Ray Charles,
the man who had
virtually invented
soul music over 30 years ago.
- [Ray] Are you
saying we'll or we?
- It comes out like we.
- It's true we?
- We make a better day.
- Okay, I just wanna
make sure [mutters]
It's true we make a better day.
Is that right?
- Yes.
- Yeah.
That's it.
- [Ray] Hello!
Howard, I give to you.
And we keep this here
in case I have to write
anything else, okay?
So you show me
what you want now,
and where you want it,
and then that's
all you have to do.
[thumps table]
- Okay.
- Let's go, one shoot through.
We are the world
- [Lionel] Every
word that you want
to use professional on
in the music business,
it's Ray Charles.
I call him the one take genius.
Let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Listen, you and me
Wooh
We are the world
We are the children
We make a better day
Oh yes I'm giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
Hey
[laughing]
I'm glad to say it
We are the children
To make a better day
Did you hear what I said
- All right.
[clapping]
- [Lionel] Ray Charles,
when he opens his mouth,
you know it's a standard.
And when he puts his
hands on the keyboards,
what else do you want him to do?
[piano blues music]
- [Ray] For me, I think
it is a great opportunity.
A wonderful chance
to participate
and contribute something
to a wonderful cause.
I'm honored just to be
asked to be a part of it.
- [Jane] Finally, Quincy
brought in James Ingram.
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones that
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
- Spit flying everywhere.
[puffs air]
[chuckles]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
For you and me
I messed up.
I messed up, I messed up.
Hey, everybody in the audience,
I messed up. [snapping fingers]
Hey, can you dig it?
There's another word we use
but we don't say
that on the radio.
[laughing]
But I messed up.
We are the world
We are the children
- [Stevie] Maybe it really
is that we have to be
kind of the voice for the
people through our song.
To really help those
people that have lost
their perspectives on
what life is about.
So let's make a better day
For you and me
- The recording of "We Are
the World" was quite an event.
Not merely a glorious,
star-studded evening,
but possibly one of the
most idealistic occasions
in pop music history.
In that way, it was
also a measurement
of just how much pop music
has grown in recent years.
And how many of its best artists
feel responsible to
the world around them.
But in many ways, what
happened that night
was just a start.
In the weeks following the
"We Are the World" sessions
several other groups of artists,
including Canadian,
Latin American, gospel,
and African pop stars, recorded
similar benefit singles
for the relief of
hunger in Africa
and other parts of the world.
Perhaps the most moving
response to USA for Africa
took place on the morning
of April 5th, Good Friday,
when over 8,000 radio
stations around the globe
played "We Are the
World" at the same time.
It was an utterly
unprecedented event
that reached and affected
millions of people
of all races and all beliefs.
But it's important to
point out that we aren't
just talking about
worldwide popularity
or massive record sales here.
When 8,000 radio
stations play this song
at the same hour, it
means that the world
is momentarily a
neighborhood of concern,
coming together to save
some hungry children.
And when you or I buy this
record, "We Are the World,"
that concern becomes
a concrete action.
The money from the record
sales and this program
goes to work
effectively and quickly,
addressing not just
immediate needs of hunger,
but also the long-term
matter of self-sufficiency.
So that the trend of
famine in these countries
can be reversed, and
brought under control
by those who are
the most affected.
This means that we
can save real lives,
give real people a chance to
find their own strength again
and to live without
the awful ever-present
fear of starvation.
The poet John Donne once said,
"Any man's death diminishes me,
"because I am
involved in mankind."
Today, in the words
of Michael Jackson
and Lionel Richie,
a pop song says,
"There's a choice we're making.
"We're saving our own lives."
The message is much the same.
If we're involved in mankind,
we can't look away from
what's happening in Africa,
because if we do, we
are gradually killing
our conscience.
And that might be the most
terrible death of all.
- It's so nice to be able to
see this caliber of talent
get together for what is
really a very tragic reason.
It's a shame it takes
something like this
to put this group together,
but it's nice to
see and know that
when it's all said and done,
these people do respond.
- I think it's a great thing.
I think that artists
should definitely
do something positive like this.
That's why I'm here.
- When they called
and asked for this,
this was something
that I really,
it's very close to me, because
I have been following it,
and I was determined
to do my little bit.
- I got a feeling
that we're creating
a shift in what's going
on in the world today.
About helping other people.
It's compassion, it's real new.
And it's wonderful,
it's a good feeling.
I was happy they
included me, really.
- If this can be
almost seen as a symbol
for people to just
begin to recognize
and look around
them a little bit.
I think we'll all be better off.
- People, usually unless
something immediately
touches somebody,
people don't react.
I think that when you
get all these people
together like this,
and just saying,
hold on, don't turn away.
It's hard to not not turn away,
but I think that's
what everybody here
is trying to say tonight.
- The money will
really get to go
where it's supposed to go.
It's got so much good
energy behind it.
- [Man] Amen.
- So many good, talented
people lending their names
to the whole idea, that
it's just gotta work.
- Once anybody is involved
in something like this,
once you've tasted this,
you can be sure that
everybody will have
a lifetime commitment
to just doing this
for the rest of their lives.
- When something like
this comes along,
that allows everyone
to participate
and feel that they're
making a contribution,
you rush to do it,
because otherwise you feel
that you're just a
witness to a tragedy.
- I do believe that
what we have done
is that we're taking
it one at a time.
And out of this
experience, we may be able
to save a few thousand lives.
I think that's how we
have to focus on it.
One at a time.
Catch a child, catch a
woman, catch an old person,
catch a young man, just do it.
- People are
basically real good.
I think that a lot of times
you gotta show 'em the way.
Somebody, some individual
has to take action.
Bob took action, I took action,
Harry Belafonte took
action, Lionel took action,
Michael Jackson took action.
We all basically did something.
- I'm appealing to
you to get involved.
I don't want anyone to
get the hunger program
out of your mind until
the hunger stops.
Until babies stop dying,
until communities stop dying,
until people stop
dying from hunger.
They're gonna need your help.
Anything you can do,
if you have any feeling
in your heart at all
about human life, and
the celebration of life,
give of yourselves,
give what you can.
There are people dying.
[gentle music]
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must
come together as one
There are people dying
Oh and it's time to
lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can't go on
pretending day by day
That someone somewhere
will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth you know
love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
Well send them your heart
So they know that
someone cares
And their lives will
be stronger and free
As God has shown us
By turning stone to bread
And so we all must
lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
When you're down and out
And there seems
no hope at all
But if you just believe
There's no way we can fall
Well, well, well,
well let's realize
Oh that a change
can only come
When we stand
together as one
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true you
make a better day
Just you and me
- All right let me hear you!
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
Come on now, let me hear ya!
We are the world,
we are the world
We are the children,
we are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving,
so let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world,
we are the world
We are the children,
we are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving,
so let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
Yeah we're saving
our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones to
make a bright day
So let's start giving
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who
make a brighter day
So let's start giving
All right, did you
hear what I said?
There's a choice
we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we
make a better day
Just you and me
All right, I'm
gonna say it again!
We are the world
We are the children
["We Are the World"]