Netflix has shared the trailer for an upcoming documentary about the making of the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop tells the story of how 46 of music’s biggest stars came together in a single day to record one song that would become a global sensation in the truest sense of the phrase. As Lionel Richie explains in the trailer, he and Michael Jackson co-wrote “We Are the World” after Harry Belafonte called him directly to ask if he could write a song to raise money for hunger relief in Africa.
The Greatest Night in Pop compiles footage of that day in Jim Henson’s studio, where Richie’s newly-assembled supergroup recorded the song live — for better or for worse. The Grammy-winning track featured the voices of just some of the biggest stars of the era, including Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis, all of whom contribute new interviews for the documentary.
The Greatest Night in Pop premieres January 29th, and you can check out the trailer below.
Produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, “We Are the World” went on to raise $63 million — over $160 million when adjusted for inflation — for relief aid to starving people in Africa. Back home, it won four Grammy Awards and an American Music Award.