USA for Africa
 Song
sung by supergoup USA
for Africa in 1985
 Written by Michael Jackson and
Lionel Ritchie
 Produced by Quincy Jones and
Michael Omartian
 Sales
are over 20 million
copies
 One of fewer than 30 singles
to have sold more than 10
millions copies world wide
 After
“Do They Know It’s
Christmas” Harry Belafonte
came up with idea for a
benefit single also for African
famine relief
 Historic
event brought
together some of the most
famous artists in the music
industry at the time
 Recorded
January 28, 1985
 Released on March 7, 1985
 Topped
music charts around
the world
 Fastest selling American pop
single in history
 Fans
enjoyed hearing racially
and musically diverse
recording artists singing
together on one track
 Won
Grammy Awards, American
Music Award, and a People’s
Choice Award
 Music video, home video, special
edition magazine, books,
posters, shirts
 Raised over $63 million from
promotional items
 Harry
Belefonte wanted to
have money raised by United
Support of Artists for Africa
(USA for Africa)
 He also wanted to set aside
money to help eliminate
hunger in the U.S. also
 They
started with Kenny
Rogers and Lionel Ritchie on
the list of artists
 Added Stevie Wonder for more
“name value”
 Richie
contacted Michael
Jackson- Jackson had just
released Thriller
 Jackson said he wanted to
work on writing the song as
well as singing
 It
was top secret that they
were going to record the
song- they could not let the
location out or else the artists
would not have participated
 Night
of the American Music
Award ceremony
 45 of America’s top musicians
participated
 50 artists had to be turned
away
 Sign
posted: Please check
your egos at the door
 Stevie Wonder greeted
everyone and told them that if
it was not recorded in one take
that he and Ray Charles would
drive everyone home
 They
changed a part of the lyrics
after several hours of recordingand at that point Waylon
Jennings left the studio
 The lyrics were changed to a line
in Swahili and he said no “good
ole boy” every sang in Swahili
 Recording
started around
10:30 pm and finished around
8 am
 Opens
with Lionel Richie, Stevie
Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny
Rogers, James Ingram, Tina
Turner, and Billy Joel singing the
first verse
 Michael
Jackson and Diana
Ross sang together next
 Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson,
Al Jarreau sang second verse
 Bruce Springsteen, Kenny
Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall
sing second chorus
 Michael
Jackson, Huey Lewis,
Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes next
 Bob Dylan and Ray Charles
sang a full chorus
 Stevie Wonder and Bruce
Springsteen sang a duet
 Ray Charles and James Ingram
adlib at times
Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul
Simon, Kenny Rogers, James
Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel,
Michael Jackson, Diana Ross,
Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al
Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen,
Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl
Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper,
Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan, Ray
Charles

Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte,
Lindsey Buckingham, Mario
Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E, Bob
Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes,
Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La
Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson,
Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon
Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates,
Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, June
Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Smokey
Robinson
 Record
became the fastest
selling American pop single in
history
 Became the best selling single
of the year
 Song became the biggest
single of the 1980s
 Biggest
selling single in both
US and pop music history
 First single to be multi
platinum
 20 million sales of the single
 Record
of the Year
 Song of the Year
 Best Pop Performance by a
Duo or Group with Vocal
 Best Music Video
 Cargo
jets carrying food,
medicine, clothing
 Stopped in New York, picked
up high protein biscuits, high
protein vitamines, medicine,
tents, blankets, and
refrigeration equipment
 Harry
Belafonte- visited Sudan
that same month
 Since its release- the song has
raised over $63 million for
humanitarian causes
 90%
of money to go to birth
control, food production,
African relief
 10% to domestic hunger and
homeless programs in the uS
 Recovery
and development
projects were launched
(agriculture, fishing, water
management, manufacturing,
reforestation)
 Helped in Mozambique, Senegal,
Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso,
and Mali
 Performed
together at Live Aid
 At Bill Clinton’s inaugural
celebration there was a
performance (1993) with Clinton,
Chelsea, and Hillary all singing it
with many performers (Kenny
Rogers, Diana Ross, Michael
Jackson, etc)