What is Known About Diana Ross' Participation in WE ARE THE WORLD??

[Boogiedown]

We know that the project was spearheaded by two important people for her: both Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson...

any stories to be told?? .......bizarre or otherwise??

[Boogiedown]

What a beautiful manifestation:




So we can see that Michael shared with Diana his vocal parts

And she is standing between Michael and Stevie and the three are holding hands.

[Boogiedown]

more observations:

Michael is inserted , he and Diana do not sing together as are shown with other duets ... [neither do Bruce and Stevie.] Michael's voice is also thickened and the most enhanced .


Some performer's clothes change : Stevie wears three different outfits. {correction : two ]
Diana at some point is chosen? convinced? requests? to be first row wearing the WE ARE THE WORLD sweatshirt.

[marybrewster]

There's a great "behind the scenes" featurette of WATW hosted by Jane Fonda.

[Boogiedown]

There's a great "behind the scenes" featurette of WATW hosted by Jane Fonda.

thanks and here it is, but wondering what is it you find great about it Mz Brewster??

man that is one weird composite of faces on the video's image !!! lol!

added: Is that an actual photo from the session???

If so ......no wonder Michael wore sunglasses....

[Boogiedown]

oh wait I didn't have the whole thing, SORRY MB !!!!

[marybrewster]

oh wait I didn't have the whole thing, SORRY MB !!!!

Yes! This one. Let me know what you think.

[Boogiedown]

its great.

Do I think for one second Jane Fonda was there .....

[Boogiedown]

from
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebri...up-usa-5714491



The recording itself went through the night. And to this day, Ken still remembers the sheer relief and adulation he felt once artists had come through the studio door to record their part of the song.

“We finished at eight in the morning. Left in the studio was Diana Ross, Quincy, myself and Tom Bahler – who was the vocal arranger for the song,” he says.






“You know, we were just sitting on the floor of the studio, hugging and crying. But I knew this wasn’t the end. This was only the beginning.”

[sup_fan]

wow - kudos to you for identifying a topic that, if ever brought up, has been rarely discussed!!

I'm at work at the moment and so can't watch the video. but will later

didn't the artists sort of come in one by one and do their parts?

Diana was also in the Top 10 with Missing You when WATW was #1. she was the only artist on the song that had a Top 10 simultaneous hit

having just recently worked with Lionel on Missing You and recently with MJ on Muscles [[plus she and he were still quite close), it's no surprise they included her

what's more entertaining are the Jacksons that were NOT included lol

[reese]

wow - kudos to you for identifying a topic that, if ever brought up, has been rarely discussed!!

I'm at work at the moment and so can't watch the video. but will later

didn't the artists sort of come in one by one and do their parts?

Diana was also in the Top 10 with Missing You when WATW was #1. she was the only artist on the song that had a Top 10 simultaneous hit

having just recently worked with Lionel on Missing You and recently with MJ on Muscles [[plus she and he were still quite close), it's no surprise they included her

what's more entertaining are the Jacksons that were NOT included lol

They recorded the song after the American Music Awards of 1985. Some of the performers at the show like Diana, Lionel, Tina, and the Pointer Sisters also took part in WE ARE THE WORLD. Most of the Jacksons except Jermaine and Janet also participated.

They recorded as an ensemble first, then they did the solos. On subsequent days, Quincy brought back Ray Charles and James Ingram to do additional vocals.

[Boogiedown]

OMG no wonder they never dueted

[jobeterob]

I remember reading she had something to do with securing the participation of Bruce Springsteen

[Ollie9]

OMG no wonder they never dueted

A fair amount of caterwauling going on there methinks. LOL.

[Boogiedown]

They recorded the song after the American Music Awards of 1985. Some of the performers at the show like Diana, Lionel, Tina, and the Pointer Sisters also took part in WE ARE THE WORLD. Most of the Jacksons except Jermaine and Janet also participated.

They recorded as an ensemble first, then they did the solos. On subsequent days, Quincy brought back Ray Charles and James Ingram to do additional vocals.

and also Stevie was also brought back ....a



This American Music awards show was stellar in its own right albeit a little too Lionel heavy :




Diana is at the end .....and does NOT perform [??] her current Top 10 hit but instead a video is played....


there are credits at the beginning. They mention Gladys Knight .... but ??


here's Diana:



^this poster doesn't want to be generous but its link still works

[reese]

This American Music awards show was stellar in its own right albeit a little too Lionel heavy :




Diana is at the end .....and does NOT perform [??] her current Top 10 hit but instead a video is played....


there are credits at the beginning. They mention Gladys Knight .... but ??

I remember taping this show on my first vcr but I had no idea how much I didn't keep.

I kept none of my faves like the Pointer Sisters or Tina Turner winning their awards. I did keep their performances though, as well as Lionel's and Diana's paying tribute to celebrities who had passed the year before.

Gladys and the Pips presented an award at 1:51:47

[Spreadinglove21]

Was this the AMA where Lionel Ritchie attempted to turn "Outrageous" into a National catch phrase as he said it every time he accepted an award, or had mic time?

[Boogiedown]

Gladys and the Pips presented an award at 1:51:47

Thank you reese. Strikes me as a bit odd that all four of them are there just to be presenting an award, but this reflects the cohesion of these four that they would all be there. Maybe they were performing in LA and it lined up for them to attend....I don't think they were nominated ...

[Boogiedown]

wow - kudos to you for identifying a topic that, if ever brought up, has been rarely discussed!!

I'm at work at the moment and so can't watch the video. but will later

didn't the artists sort of come in one by one and do their parts?

Diana was also in the Top 10 with Missing You when WATW was #1. she was the only artist on the song that had a Top 10 simultaneous hit

having just recently worked with Lionel on Missing You and recently with MJ on Muscles [[plus she and he were still quite close), it's no surprise they included her

what's more entertaining are the Jacksons that were NOT included lol

If you mean Janet.....it isn't as though she wasn't around ....they show her in the audience at the Awards show ... Brother Michael failed to mention the session to her??


another topic that's not been looked at .... after Lionel Richie hosts the AMAs both in '84 and '85; the next year Diana Ross hosts ....how did she do ??

[Boogiedown]

Diana was also in the Top 10 with Missing You when WATW was #1. she was the only artist on the song that had a Top 10 simultaneous hit

are you sure about this ? I ask because Lionel announces on the AMA that MISSING YOU just went Top 10, that was January 21 . WATW hit number one around April 7. That means MISSING YOU was in the Top Ten for 2 months ....which is possible ...

[JohnnyB]

are you sure about this ? I ask because Lionel announces on the AMA that MISSING YOU just went Top 10, that was January 21 . WATW hit number one around April 7. That means MISSING YOU was in the Top Ten for 2 months ....which is possible ...

Lionel may have meant Top 10 R&B. Missing You struggled on the pop charts while rising to #1 R&B. The song was falling from its #46 peak when it rebounded into the pop top 10. Many feel that the attention given to the song during the AMA’s is the reason it became a top 10 pop hit.

[reese]

Lionel may have meant Top 10 R&B. Missing You struggled on the pop charts while rising to #1 R&B. The song was falling from its #46 peak when it rebounded into the pop top 10. Many feel that the attention given to the song during the AMA’s is the reason it became a top 10 pop hit.

I was just getting ready to write this when I saw your post.

The next year, Diana performed CHAIN REACTION on the show. It had already bombed at #95 on the pop chart. But after the performance, pop radio took renewed interest and a remix was issued. Unfortunately, it only reached #66 the second time around.

[reese]

Thank you reese. Strikes me as a bit odd that all four of them are there just to be presenting an award, but this reflects the cohesion of these four that they would all be there. Maybe they were performing in LA and it lined up for them to attend....I don't think they were nominated ...

Not really odd. They saved the performance slots for the host and the hottest acts of the preceding year and Gladys and the guys had not had a hit since 1983. But I think they won for Favorite Soul Group at the 1984 ceremony. Plus being there reminded folks that they were still around, as their next album LIFE was due to be released in a few months.

[reese]

If you mean Janet.....it isn't as though she wasn't around ....they show her in the audience at the Awards show ... Brother Michael failed to mention the session to her??


another topic that's not been looked at .... after Lionel Richie hosts the AMAs both in '84 and '85; the next year Diana Ross hosts ....how did she do ??

Diana actually hosted in 1986 and 1987, as well. I thought she did a great job.

[Ollie9]

I wonder if Barbra Streisand was ever asked to participate?. Would have loved to have seen she and Diana in the same studio.

[Boogiedown]

Not really odd They saved the performance slots for the hottest acts of the preceding year and Gladys and the guys had not had a hit since 1983. But I think they won for Favorite Soul Group at the 1984 ceremony. Plus being there reminded folks that they were still around, as their next album LIFE was due to be released in a few months.

I say odd because do groups typically show up at awards shows to present when they themselves aren't in the running [ or performing] as they are there really for that reason??

I'd like to see some examples. Not saying it's unheard of, but odd in that its uncommon. Having said that I agree with you 100% that doing so was very smart of them for visibility sakes and and again it really displays their shared commitment to advancing their group [ otherwise just Gladys being there could've sufficed.]

[Boogiedown]

Diana actually hosted in 1986 and 1987, as well. I thought she did a great job.

She must've done well to be asked to do it again right away. It might be interesting to compare her two stints .....the second year likely went more smoothly now on familiar turf ....just as Lionel seems very comfortable in '85 his second year . [but I haven't compared it to his hosting the '84 show which might make for an interesting thread elsewhere ....]

[Boogiedown]

I wonder if Barbra Streisand was ever asked to participate?. Would have loved to have seen she and Diana in the same studio.

Hmmm I have trouble hearing her voice on that. The poor man's Barbra, Bette Midler,
was there and she got nodda.

I read that John Denver wanted to attend but was turned down and big regrets on that decision were stated.

[Ollie9]

Hmmm I have trouble hearing her voice on that. The poor man's Barbra, Bette Midler,
was there and she got nodda.

Funnily enough i can hear her singing Diana’s part. Don’t agree about Bette, she is terrific in her own right.

[Boogiedown]

Funnily enough i can hear her singing Diana’s part. Don’t agree about Bette, she is terrific in her own right.

You don't like the Streisand comparison?

I was an early big fan of Bette. Saw her in one of her earliest shows and it was terrific... and then saw her again ...also good ... I also wrote her a fan letter [most unlike me]...[and got a reply!]. After her first couple of albums, her sound wore thin on me. But she is definitively a big name talent and for whatever reason : no solo for her!!

[khansperac]

Oddly enough, when this song was remade for Haiti, Streisand sang Diana’s part.

[Ollie9]

You don't like the Streisand comparison?

I was an early big fan of Bette. Saw her in one of her earliest shows and it was terrific... and then saw her again ...also good ... I also wrote her a fan letter [most unlike me]...[and got a reply!]. After her first couple of albums, her sound wore thin on me. But she is definitively a big name talent and for whatever reason : no solo for her!!

Nice you got a reply. I just don’t think of her as the poor man’s Streisand.

[Ollie9]

Oddly enough, when this song was remade for Haiti, Streisand sang Diana’s part.

Thanks for posting as i never realised.

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

the poor man’s Streisand.

It's a strange description for sure.

[Ollie9]

It's a strange description for sure.

Indeed it is. Not sure if it was a reference to them both being born jewish.
Answers on a postcard please Boog.

[Boogiedown]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poor%20man%27s



Well they both have comedic careers while also being serious singers, Streisand [arguably?] being the more elevated of the two.

If you had a dollar in your pocket, you went and saw Barbra, 50 cents, Bette.

[hey, fifty-cent bet ..... "FIFTY-CENT BETTE" .... coulda/ shoulda been a Midler album title ]


As far as their both being Jewish , that wasn't part of my comparison but I guess you could include that when lumping them together, they are both pretty relentless about pointing that out about themselves.

[Boogiedown]

So let's ponder this ..... are Diana and Stevie "dueting" here....are they warming up to sing a shared segment of this song ?? Or, why are they sharing a mic .... was it an idea that was falling flat and was dropped??

Did Stevie sound so terrible here that they then asked him back on a different day for further and more focused [less distracted] vocals ??

Is this why a fake segment of Michael and Diana "dueting" was then created??

[Boogiedown]

More pondering. Stevie is not feeling this. He is not smiling [beyond his singing style] nor having a good time.

Diana is being too aggressive and silly and is wailing with the same off-key note throughout. By the end, Stevie has lost his momentum as Diana out shrills him and at one point she even shakes and grips him to try to bring him around.

He may be having Syreeta flashbacks or is thinking, this is why I usually duet with guys ....

I believe he says @ 1:35 "I don't want to do this" [with Diana?] as Diana protests that she's "easy to get along with" and Diana chides him for being difficult and speaks for both of them to continue , that they are ready....and she goes right back to shrieking only now worse than ever right 'til the moment they cut it off.

In the end they get one snippet from Stevie @1:45 out of this for use in the finalized release.

From Diana, they use nothing.

So, how did Stevie wind up returning to add so much more at a follow-up session? Did he know he didn't accomplish his goal? Did he request a chance to perform more?

Or , did they call Stevie and say there isn't much here for us to use , would you be interested in coming in again.

Who called who??

Or, another idea: did they know all along that there would be additional input from him, so this bit with Diana wasn't do or die ??

[Boogiedown]

this song flows so well that it does not seem to go over the seven minutes it does...

there are two distinctions [& possibly more?] that I notice that are particular to Diana's segment that stand out from the solos of the others. Can any one spot them?

[Boogiedown]

Also at about 10:40 when recording the chorus of everyone ....Diana 's voice clearly comes through [and in a good way]

[BobbyC]

I used to have an internet friend who worked as a sound technician [[something like that) on We Are teh World and I asked him specifically about what DR was like on the set. He said she could not have been nicer or easier to work with. He did say that all he remembered specifically was that she wanted to stand next to Michael Jackson in the video, and then she wanted to be by Stevie Wonder, so they put her in between them. He didn't see it as ego or anything--more like she knew them the best out of all the singers. My memory is a bit cloudy at this point, but I could swear that he said DR was originally supposed to be next to the Pointer Sisters, but didn't want to for whatever reason.

[Boogiedown]

I used to have an internet friend who worked as a sound technician [[something like that) on We Are teh World and I asked him specifically about what DR was like on the set. He said she could not have been nicer or easier to work with. He did say that all he remembered specifically was that she wanted to stand next to Michael Jackson in the video, and then she wanted to be by Stevie Wonder, so they put her in between them. He didn't see it as ego or anything--more like she knew them the best out of all the singers. My memory is a bit cloudy at this point, but I could swear that he said DR was originally supposed to be next to the Pointer Sisters, but didn't want to for whatever reason.

Good stuff! I've been wondering how Diana got placed between Michael and Stevie [had it been Michael that requested being beside her?] and your account of it answers my suspicions.

There is very little footage of Michael. He definitely was aloof [or they would've featured the footage*] and didn't take an active leading role in guiding the performances the way Lionel and Quincy did. He didn't seem as committed.

Also Quincy made it very clear that this was not to be anyone's time to show up glitzy and to come in your most regular street clothes ... this whole thing isn't about you .....but there was Michael showing up in his Bee Gees /Sargent Peppers. And then for some reason they went out of their way to include a pan up showing Jackson's sparkly socks and gloves. [??!!]
I bet Quincy had nothing to do with that !!

*Especially nothing with him and Diana. The two didn't try to actually sing together that entire night before resorting to a faked duet??

[Boogiedown]

I thought it odd that Michael wasn't at the AMAs since he / Thriller was nominated several times and was obviously in town that night. Now I see he skipped them so as to lay down a leading vocal track that everyone else could follow. Maybe he had intended to go to the awards show switching at the last minute and that is why he is garbed up.

Can't confirm if Quincy Jones had anything to do with the AMAs that night....

Stevie Wonder really got himself involved here....participating at the first gathering with Quincy and Michael and Lionel, appearing the night of the recording , and coming back to do more for a third time.

[to add some Diana here: it seems the USA FOR AFRICA sweat-shirt came her way right away ....]

[reese]

I thought it odd that Michael wasn't at the AMAs since he / Thriller was nominated several times and was obviously in town that night. Now I see he skipped them so as to lay down a leading vocal track that everyone else could follow. Maybe he had intended to go to the awards show switching at the last minute and that is why he is garbed up.

Can't confirm if Quincy Jones had anything to do with the AMAs that night....

Stevie Wonder really got himself involved here....participating at the first gathering with Quincy and Michael and Lionel, appearing the night of the recording , and coming back to do more for a third time.

[to add some Diana here: it seems the USA FOR AFRICA sweat-shirt came her way right away ....]

Michael was at the AMA ceremony in 1984, when THRILLER won big.

[Boogiedown]

Michael was at the AMA ceremony in 1984, when THRILLER won big.

strikes me as on the bizarre side that the same album that won the year before gets nominated again.
Sooo, if Michael had no intentions of going to the awards show are we left with the conclusion that the only clothing Michael has is his marching band stuff??

Also why were the Jackson girls all there at the awards show?? Reba [!?].... LaToya[!?] ....Janet?

then only LaToya shows up for the WE ARE THE WORLD session [NOT Janet!! not Reba] along with a couple Jackson brothers who crawled out of the woodwork ...

[JohnnyB]

strikes me as on the bizarre side that the same album that won the year before gets nominated again.
Sooo, if Michael had no intentions of going to the awards show are we left with the conclusion that the only clothing Michael has is his marching band stuff??

Also why were the Jackson girls all there at the awards show?? Reba [!?].... LaToya[!?] ....Janet?

then only LaToya shows up for the WE ARE THE WORLD session [NOT Janet!! not Reba] along with a couple Jackson brothers who crawled out of the woodwork ...

Regarding Janet, this was a year before her breakthrough with Control. I hadn’t expected her to attend as she hadn’t had much chart success. Rebbie had recently gained a bit of acceptance with Centipede, her only hit single. My question is, Why was Latoya included?

[BobbyC]

LaToya just showed up and Michael let her stay because they were basically best friends at the time

[Boogiedown]

Regarding Janet, this was a year before her breakthrough with Control. I hadn’t expected her to attend as she hadn’t had much chart success. Rebbie had recently gained a bit of acceptance with Centipede, her only hit single. My question is, Why was Latoya included?

So the three sisters had stars in their eyes from watching brother Michael's career catapult and decide to attend the AMAs for some exposure [however got no presentation opportunity, which is bizarre, because why not have all three of Michael's sisters presenting an award?] That would've made for good TV....the three sisters of the six famous brothers.

After sitting through the show Rebbie says, "Hey, its still girls night out, anyone want to go to Cantor's Deli?"
Janet enthusiastically chirps, "That sounds good!"
but LaToya says, "You two go. I'm beat. I think I'll call it a night." And scoots off by herself to the A&M studio.

[Boogiedown]

so LaToya shows up as do most of the Jackson brothers....not sure how pre-planned that was as the J5 weren't at the AMAs, but their presence took up quite a bit of chorus space edging out poor Bette Midler .

It is said that 45 hours of tape footage resulted....shame none has surfaced showing Michael interacting more ...especially with his siblings. "Hey, guys, nobody told Jermaine , right?."
Hard to believe that a lot of focus wouldn't have been made on filming Michael....again its curious he and Diana didn't attempt to sing together?? Diana seems more than willing, eager even , judging from what is shown with her and Stevie.
I know the original intent was for Prince and Michael to sing together, but once Prince was a no show, there wasn't a plan B for Michael's inclusion??
Michael and his family are about as far apart as possible on those bleachers.

And then there's poor Smokey: .....

[Boogiedown]

Poor Smokey Robinson is all but ignored in the song's video [you can see him briefly when the chorus is panned] as well as in the special on the evening.
Just the consequences of editing? Did Diana mostly ignore her old boyfriend? The Motown club that night seemed to be Diana Michael and Stevie.... and Lionel. Maybe Diana put her attentions on those she thought she might most benefit from by schmoozing.

But now comes this:

Smokey will get a voice at last and maybe some footage of him will emerge.

From RollingStone.com-

A new documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop, will dig into the history of the 1985 charity smash, “We Are the World.” The film will have its premiere at Sundance on Jan. 19 and then hit Netflix not long after on Jan. 29.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop will feature a plethora of previously-unseen footage as it traces the “We Are the World” story from the planning stages through the all-star recording session. The movie will offer a glimpse at Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson’s writing sessions and all the work that went into getting 46 of the globe’s biggest music stars in the same studio on the same day to record the hit track. [Producer Quincy Jones famously placed a sign on the door to the studio: “Check your egos at the door.”]
The Greatest Night in Pop will feature interviews with several of the artists who appeared on the song, including Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Dionne Warwick, Huey Lewis, and Kenny Loggins. Other personnel, including the session musicians, engineers, and production crew, will also share their recollections.


“We Are the World” was originally the brainchild of Harry Belafonte, who came up with the idea following the success of the Band Aid charity Christmas single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The song was recorded on Jan. 28, 1985, at Hollywood’s A&M Studios [now known as Henson Studios], with many of the artists heading right to the session after attending that night’s American Music Awards.
Upon its release in March 1985, “We Are the World” became one of the biggest songs ever made, selling over 20 million copies worldwide and becoming the first single to earn multi-platinum certification from the RIAA. It’s estimated the song helped raise over $63 million [in 1985 dollars] for humanitarian aid in Africa.

NOT adding new input [apparently] is Diana Ross. Odd since she gets so much attention in both the video for the song and of the recording session. As has been reported, she was the star that was there the longest, being one of the very last to leave that morning.

She has nothing she wants to say about it?