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WE ARE THE WORLD 25
We Are the World 25 for Haiti
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"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a 2010 song and charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti. It is a remake of the 1985 hit song "We Are the World", which was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine in Africa.
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[edit] Background
Main article: 2010 Haiti earthquake
On January 12, 2010, at 21:53 UTC, (4:53 pm local time) Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake, the country's most severe earthquake in over 200 years.[1] The epicenter of the quake was just outside the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.[2] It has been estimated that the death toll could reach 200,000.[3] Widespread damage resulted from the quake. The capital city was devastated. Before the earthquake, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie had planned to organize a re-recording of "We Are the World" on January 28, 2010 — the 25th anniversary of the original recording of the song. However, because of the devastation caused in Haiti, these plans were postponed.[4]
[edit] Recording
  Earthquake damage in Port-au-Prince
The new version of the song was recorded on February 1, 2010. Over 75 musicians were involved in the recording, which was held in the same place as the original. Also similar to the 1985 process, some of the participating musicians were already in Los Angeles to attend an awards ceremony: the 52nd Grammy Awards.[5] The new version features updated lyrics and music, as well as a rap segment pertaining to Haiti.[5][6] Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones revealed that Michael Jackson's younger sister Janet duets with her late brother, as per a request from their mother Katherine Jackson. In the official video, there is archive footage of Michael Jackson from the original 1985 recording.[7]
The production team for the song include RedOne and musical director Rickey Minor. Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean also serves as a producer.[5] In addition, Wyclef Jean sings the first line of the second chorus in Haitian Creole. At the time of the recording, numerous artists commented on the process, the 1985 version of the song and co-writer Michael Jackson. R&B singer Jordin Sparks revealed that despite being born after the release of the original, the song had a "huge impact" on her.[8] Celine Dion said that the release of the song would not only benefit the Haitian people, but also serve as a remembrance of "the passion [Michael] Jackson had for helping those in need".[8] Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones echoed Dion's sentiments and further stated that if the singer were alive, he would have wanted to be just as involved as he had been a quarter of a century ago.[8]
[edit] Artists for Haiti musicians
Conductors
Soloists (in order of appearance)
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  Janet Jackson duetted with her older brother Michael on the recording
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Chorus
[edit] Release and promotion
The 2010 version of "We Are the World" released under the name Artists for Haiti debuted on American TV channel NBC on February 12 during their coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.[9][5] Paul Haggis, an Academy award-winning film director, is involved with the production of a 3D music video to accompany the new version of "We Are the World".[9][6] The official video for this version includes some archive footage of Michael Jackson.
The song has been promoted under various titles and capitalization styles. The official web site refers to it as both "We Are The World 25 For Haiti"[10] and "We Are The World 25 for Haiti".[11] The album cover artwork spells out "WE ARE THE WOR1D 25 FOR HAITI." iTunes refers to it as We Are the World 25 for Haiti. Earlier names included "We Are the World — 25 for Haiti,"[12] and others.
[edit] References
- ^ "Magnitude 7.0 – Haiti Region". http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2010/us2010rja6/. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
- ^ "Major earthquake off Haiti causes hospital to collapse – Telegraph". telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/6977308/Major-earthquake-off-Haiti-causes-hospital-to-collapse.html. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
- ^ "Haiti says 200,000 may be dead, violence breaks out — Reuters". reuters.com. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66B5IZ20100115. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
- ^ Johnson, Billy (January 21, 2010). "'We Are The World' Re-recording Reportedly In The Works". Yahoo! Music. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/244202/we-are-the-world-re-recording-reportedly-in-the-works/. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Duke, Alan (February 2, 2010). "Stars gather for 'We Are the World' recording". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/01/haiti.we.are.the.world/?hpt=Sbin. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ a b Gunderson, Edna (February 2, 2010). "New voices unite for 'We Are the World'". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2010-02-02-we-are-world-main_N.htm. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ^ http://ibtimes.com.au/articles/20100211/michael-jackson-haiti-earthquake-relief-we-are-world.htm
- ^ a b c Vena, Jocelyn (February 2, 2010). "Michael Jackson's Influence Lives On In 'We Are The World' Remake". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1631044/20100202/jackson_michael.jhtml. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ a b "Stars in US re-record We Are the World for Haiti". BBC News. (February 2, 2010). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8492766.stm. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ We Are The World 25 For Haiti, We Are The World Foundation, retrieved 2010-02-13
- ^ The Song, We Are The World Foundation, retrieved 2010-02-13
- ^ Vena, Jocylyn Michael Jackson's Influence Lives On In 'We Are The World' Remake, 2010-02-02, retrieved 2010-02-13
[edit] External links
[show] Artists for Haiti musicians templates
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World_25_for_Haiti" Categories: 2010 Haiti earthquake relief | All-star recordings | Songs against racism and xenophobia | Songs written by Lionel Richie | Songs written by Michael Jackson | Charity singles | Debut singles | Pop ballads
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