Supergroup songs recorded and sold for a greater cause are not exactly a rarity but none have quite reached the legacy of “We Are The World” — the 1985 charity single that gathered, in the booth, some of the biggest music legends of all time, and to sing a fantastically written and composed song, at that.
More than enough reasons, then, to warrant the making of The Greatest Night in Pop, a Netflix documentary about the making of “We Are The World,” which premiered on the platform on January 29, 2024, days after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop called upon some of the musicians, producers, and all-around heavyweights involved in the project, designed to raise funds for African famine relief, to share their experiences and recount what it took to get so many different, legendary voices to work together.
Who’s interviewed in The Greatest Night in Pop?
While a large part of the beloved artists featured in “We Are The World” have since died, Netflix managed to speak to some of the biggest names involved in the making of the song. Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, and also helped produce the documentary, is one of the main contributors to the film and is joined by Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis.
The musicians, engineers, and production crew who helped bring “We Are The World” to life were also interviewed by Nguyen for The Greatest Night in Pop, sharing the highs and lows of such a high-stakes endeavor.
All the legendary artists you’ll get to see in The Greatest Night in Pop
Not everyone got to speak to the makers of The Greatest Night in Pop about the epic recording sessions at Kenny Rogers’ Lion Share Recording Studio in January 1985, but fans of the song and the history-making 20th Century pop music landscape will still get to revel in exclusive behind-the-scenes footage featuring some of the greatest artists of all time.
Soloists in “We Are The World”
- 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
Chorus in “We Are The World”
- Dan Aykroyd
- Harry Belafonte
- Lindsey Buckingham
- Mario Cipollina (of Huey Lewis and the News)
- Johnny Colla (of Huey Lewis and the News)
- Sheila E.
- Bob Geldof
- Bill Gibson (of Huey Lewis and the News)
- Chris Hayes (of Huey Lewis and the News)
- Sean Hopper (of Huey Lewis and the News)
- Jackie Jackson
- La Toya Jackson
- Marlon Jackson
- Randy Jackson
- Tito Jackson
- Waylon Jennings
- Bette Midler
- John Oates
- Jeffrey Osborne
- Anita Pointer (of the Pointer Sisters)
- June Pointer (of the Pointer Sisters)
- Ruth Pointer (of the Pointer Sisters)
- Smokey Robinson
Other stars with archive footage cameos in The Greatest Night in Pop
According to IMDb, the following superstars are also featured in the Netflix documentary in archival footage.
- David Byrne
- Phil Collins
- Prince
- Madonna
- Sting
The Greatest Night in Pop is now available to stream on Netflix.