“We Are the World” is a single released in March of 1985 by the all-star supergroup USA for Africa, which included some of the most talented and well-known musicians of the time. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (and co-produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, from an idea by Harry Belafonte), this effort to aid African famine relief became the biggest-selling single of all time, raising over $63 million to date. After the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, the similarly-formed supergroup Arists for Haiti decided to remake the single as “We Are the World 25 for Haiti.” It’s currently raising money and charting all over the world. But how does it compare to the original, on a strictly musical basis? Read my informed analysis after the jump.
VERSE 1
The original starts off with Lionel Richie, which makes sense, as he is the song’s co-author. He is then joined by Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. These are some amazing, timeless voices to kick things off. It’s clear they were already living legends even in 1985. The new one starts off with a kid named Justin Bieber. Exactly how old is this dumbo? ”We are the children” is supposed to be a metaphor. He is then joined by Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, and country singer Jennifer Nettles. Notice you wouldn’t have known who some of those people were if I hadn’t told you right before their names.
VERSE 2
The original continues with Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, and Billy Joel. A nice, era-representative melange of voices. The new one goes to Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, and Mary J. Blige. This is actually a pretty good group. So, well done there.
CHORUS 1
Here’s where things get wacky. See, in the original, we get a slow pan up to reveal a one-gloved, super-bedazzled figure that is Michael Jackson. In the new one, they show the exact same shot of Michael from the original, but then Janet Jackson pops up on the screen, apparently singing along (though I can’t for the life of me make out her voice under Michael’s). The original chorus is finished off by Diana Ross, the new one by Barbra Streisand. I kinda like that too.
VERSE 3
Right here, the original features Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, and Al Jarreau. Very solid, especially the Willie Nelson part. The new one features Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, and Jamie Foxx. So now things are getting especially weird. This is like when you go to Sizzler and you hop back and forth between the soup, salad, taco, and dessert bar, and your stomach is trying to digest all these outrageously different foods, and your body is sending you messages like “What are you doing!” That’s how this song starts to feel right around now.
CHORUS 2
For the second chorus, the original goes to Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, and Daryl Hall. A who’s who of classic rock. The new one goes to Wyclef Jean, Adam Levine, Pink, and gospel/R&B singer BeBe Winans (I’m gonna keep throwing in descriptions like that for the less household names). Wyclef is doing something really weird with his voice. I guess that’s how he sings or whatever. But I have to applaud the inclusion of Adam Levine, if only because he sounds so much like Stevie Wonder. I wish I was listening to a version of this song where Stevie Wonder performs.
VERSE 4
The original then kicks it to Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes. A REALLY hard combo to beat. Like, going from Michael to Huey to Cyndi, you just have a full-on eargasm. The new one continues to keep Jacko in the mix, but replaces the other three with Usher, Celine Dion, and Fergie. And Celine’s no Cyndi, but she recreates the whole “whoa whoa whoa” and “yeah yeah yeah” bits that Cyndi did in the original. And really, why mess with perfection?
MORE CHORUS
The original just goes to everyone for the next chorus, but the new one keeps handing out solos, to the likes of Nick Jonas, Toni Braxton, Mary Mary, and The Fray’s Isaac Slade. Then the original throws it to Bob Dylan, one of the most influential, revolutionary voices in the history of music. In the new one, this part goes to Lil Wayne. And I like Lil Wayne, but fuck, that is a serious disparity. This Dylan section is later completed by Akon, then T-Pain.
At this point in the original, soul pioneer Ray Charles jumped in. In the new one, this part is performed by Jamie Foxx doing an impression of Ray Charles. I don’t know if I am horrified or delighted by this. Possibly just both at once.
????
Now the new version really starts to do its own thing. Where the original just continued repeating the chorus with additional solos by Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, James Ingram, and Ray Charles, the new one goes into a pretty aggressive rap, performed by LL Cool J, Will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Iyaz, and Kanye West. Aside from that Bieber pipsqueak in the beginning, this is the biggest mark of the changing times. Hopeful lyrics being shouted in anger.
FINAL SCORE: WE ARE THE WORLD — 7. WE ARE THE WORLD 25 FOR HAITI — 1 (maybe).
I don’t know if they replaced everyone on purpose, but my biggest question while watching the new version was why some of the original performers didn’t come back for another go. Pretty much all those who are still around can probably belt it out just as good 25 years later. And I don’t think it was an age thing, considering one of the soloists in the new version is an 83-year-old man. My guess is they just wanted this single to have its own identity. To be as much a time capsule of pop music as the original was in 1985. Which they sort of succeed in doing. If a time traveler from 1985 heard this thing, we’d have to explain to them about Auto-Tune, and the modern evolution of rap and R&B, and– oh man, Miley Cyrus. ”Achy Breaky Heart” didn’t even happen till 1992! Better throw on a pot of coffee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzw6GiqZyD0
