"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Artists for Haiti | ||||||||
Released | February 12, 2010 | |||||||
Format | CD single, music download | |||||||
Recorded | February 1, 2010 Henson Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) |
|||||||
Genre | Pop, R&B, hip hop, pop rock | |||||||
Length | 6:56 (Long Version) 3:25 (Short Version) 7:30 (YouTube Version) |
|||||||
Writer(s) |
Michael Jackson Lionel Richie |
|||||||
Producer(s) |
Quincy Jones (exec.) Michael Jackson's Estate (exec.) Lionel Richie (exec.) RedOne Mervyn Warren Patti Austin Humberto Gatica Wyclef Jean Rickey Minor |
|||||||
|
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the 1985 hit song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine relief in Africa. Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original "We Are the World"—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title "Live 25". Following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti, which devastated the area and killed thousands of people, it was agreed that the song would be re-recorded by new artists, in the hope that it would reach a new generation and help benefit the people of Haiti.
The song was recorded in fourteen and a half hours by over eighty artists on February 1, 2010. It was produced by Quincy Jones, and executively produced by Lionel Richie, and Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean. A music video directed by Paul Haggis was released to accompany and promote the song. The song was also recorded in Spanish by a Latin supergroup and was named Somos el Mundo. The song was directed by Emilio Estefan and his wife, Gloria Estefan.
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is musically structured similar to "We Are the World", but includes a rap verse which was written by some of the song's hip hop artists. Michael Jackson died months before the song's release, but his material from the 1985 recording sessions was incorporated into the song and music video, as per the request of his mother, Katherine. His sister Janet duets with him on the song, and his nephews Taj, TJ, and Taryll—collectively known as 3T—feature on the track's chorus.