Transcription
What did you think of the horrendous interview that Quincy Jones did where he said that you were the biggest pain in the ass during the We Are the World recording?
>> And then I made the worst mistake. I said, "Listen, I'll put you right next to Michael."
>> Oh. And he didn't want to be next to Michael.
>> Done.
>> The jewelry was a pain in the [music] ass. I didn't realize it. I've always been polite to him, though, and I never would [music] to say to him that I hate the song. I told my manager that. He shouldn't have told her that.
>> So, you did not like the song? Which We Are the World stars couldn't get on? And who else didn't quite make the cut? Although a charity single originally recorded by the super group USA for Africa in January 1985 to support famine relief, the diverse group of legendary singers included many big personalities and even bigger egos. What became the biggest night in 80s pop representing music's ability to unite the world for change. [music] The night also entailed several superstar snubs and brought to light deep-seated rivalries in [music] its creation.
Initially the brainchild of songwriter and activist Harry Bellafonte after seeking shocking footage of starving children beamed onto the nightly news, he began recruiting fellow stars in December [music] 1984. One of his first calls was to Ken Craig, manager of around half of the highest charting US artists of the 1980s. I think every individual in the world in America especially [music] wants to contribute and they don't know how. And something as simple as a phone call from Harry Bellfonte to Ken Kra that set this thing in motion.
>> I get a call from Kim Kra. Bellfonte had called Lionel and and Ken and said Live Aid in Europe has done it. You guys are doing nothing over here.
>> It was Harold Bellfonte who called and he said listen we've got a situation here. We've got white folks saving black folks, but we don't have any black folks saving black folks. What are we going to do about that? And I said, "Let me get back to you, Harry." And next person I called was Quincy. And Quincy said, "Well, let's do something about this." And then, of course, I'm talking to Michael and then there's Stevie. And then we started a little a little buzz here. That's when I realized, okay, if two or three or four of us are gathered together, sounds like a good prayer here, then we can get something done.
>> And he said, uh, let's do a tour. I said, I you can't take that many maniacs on a on a tour. So, let's we instead let's do a 12-hour session with one song. Just before I did Thriller, I did an album with Donna Summer, a song called State of Independence. And on that I said I had a 16 bar phrase. I said I want the best watches in the world and I had onethird of We the World on that those 16 bars.
Its recording was set for after one of music's biggest nights the annual American Music Awards. Craig and his team of 50 set out piecing the lineup together at a furious pace. Quote, "I took the Billboard charts and decided I would not go to sleep each night until I [music] had confirmed at least two artists from the chart." He said Michael Jackson was still riding high off the success of his 1982 album Thriller, which sealed his place as the biggest artist in [music] the world. So once Craig confirmed that the song was to be written by Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones, they knew this was going to be big.
Although Jackson agreed to co-write the song, he wasn't too sure whether he should appear on the track himself. [music] Fearing of overexposure after years of media hype and backlash that came off the back [music] of his victory tour the year before. Michael feared such a high-profile project wasn't the best move for him at this time. However, the gloved one was convinced knowing the major boost he would bring to the cause and that it would be a positive publicity move for him.
Anyway, another key moment was when Bruce Springsteen came on board. Quote, "John Land was managing Bruce Springsteen, and I knew John," said Craig. Quote, I called John and said, "Can we get Bruce?" And he said, "Oh my god, Bruce is finishing up two years on the road touring constantly." I said, "John, [music] you personally are going to be able to take credit for saving millions of lives if you get your client to do [music] this." The next thing I know, John Lando called me and said, "Bruce is in." And from that day, I never made another outgoing call. The floodgates opened and mostly I had to turn people down.
However, the events organizers were aiming high and hope to not only bring together current leaders in rock and pop, but legendary voices of a generation. The likes of Donna Summer [music] and Barbara Stryand were pursued heavily. But it's worth noting that the selection of artists for the recording was a complex process and involved various factors such as availability, scheduling conflicts, and personal preferences. Craig confirmed Bob Dylan and cites only John Denver and Joan Bay as artists he didn't book but wished he had. Quote, "We really should have had Bay." He said, "Jeff [music] Bridges and I were driving out to live a together on one of the rehearsal days." Jeff turns to me and says, "You know, Ken, I feel like the seeds that were planted by Bob Dylan and Joan Ba and others in the '60s, and Lelay, Fallow, and the MI generation of the 70s have now in the 80s broken through the ground, blossomed, and are bearing fruit.
What was the process like [music] writing the song with Michael Jackson?
>> At the beginning, it was no terror at all because we had no deadline.
>> So that meant >> whenever you could write it, we can write it. There's no problem. Two weeks before that night, we had no song. Cranon calls on the phone and says, "Uh, Bruce is in. Dylan's in. Dylan, you mean Bob? Dylan, what are you talking about?" [sighs] Well, Ray's coming. Ray Charles Ray Ray is coming. Oh, so all of a sudden, we went from just la to panic.
However, despite its wider philanthropic intentions, the age-old battle between pop and rock, the commercial and the alternative almost destroyed the [music] project at the very last minute. Quote, "The night before at the rehearsal for the American Music Awards, I was approached by the manager of one of the rock artists." Craig said, quote, he said, "The rockers don't like the song and they don't want to stand next to the non-rockers on the stage, so we're leaving." I said to him, "Look, we're recording tomorrow. You're there or you're not." They went to Bruce, and Bruce said, "I came out here to save lives and feed people. I'm not going anywhere. If the boss was there, you had to remain." He really saved the day.
>> I was I felt like a like a fan. I mean, there was from the list of participating artists that they showed me, it was just unbelievable. I going [music] in, I felt, no, this they're not all going to show up. No. And I mean, it [music] was just a room full of 5-year-olds and we're all amazed that we're there with each other and [music] getting used to each other. Just I call it the first day of first grade. So, you're all in the room without your parents and we don't know exactly what we're doing. And Quincy's [music] the parent. I mean, it got me. Diana Ross asking for autographs.
>> And of course, you just couldn't get enough of that. Just to sit around and, hey, man, I just want to tell you I'm a big [music] fan.
>> Uh, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles were the two guys I was most in awe of. Couldn't even introduce myself to them. I just sort of hovered at hovered around them and watched them.
>> Yeah. Well, I think the the the most popular guy in the room was basically Ray Charles. [music] Ray would p play the piano and then Billy would play the piano and then Ray would play the piano and that was a love affair that was happening. That was just hilarious.
>> Was there any doubt you were going to go because I know when you talk to management [music] and they say, "Hey, Michael Jackson wants to do a song and everything and you go, what the is this song? My career's going pretty well. I don't really need to be a part of this." What convinces you to do We Are [music] the World?
>> I was going to be in LA anyway because it was one of those business weeks. It was Grammys [music] and right >> blah blah blah awards yada yada yada. So I was going to be in town. I said, "What the hell? This this could be fun, >> right?" Nobody knew what the song was going to be. I'm standing next to Cindy Looper and now we're all being filmed while all this is going on and she's leaning over me going, "This song sounds like a Pepsi commercial." [laughter]
>> So that's all I'm thinking of now. We're doing a Pepsi commercial. I felt when I first heard it, I was like, you know, because of Michael and we saw the ride, A Small World After All.
>> Uhhuh.
>> And when I first heard the song, I was like, oh, it's uh [music]
>> we didn't know whether Cindy was coming.
>> Mhm.
>> Cuz at the show, I said to Cindy, "Are you coming?" And she said, "I spoke to my boyfriend and he says he doesn't think it's a hit." And I said, "Don't miss the session."
>> You know what I thought? You know, I heard we say feed the world and I kind of got so into that that you know, we are the world, you know, it reminded me it it was catchy though and you know I was honored to freaking sing it. But what I didn't understand Yeah. What I didn't understand >> was what I began to when I got there and I started to watch Quincy Jones work. Of course, I was the bane of his existence because I had some jewelry on and I didn't realize I was worried about how I would look. I didn't want to look like a plain Jane.
>> You know, we took regular union breaks uh every couple hours. There would be 15 [music] minutes breaks and it was just the artist. So, we hung out. You know, I I found out that Bruce Springsteen is a very funny guy. He's a he's a really good joke teller.
>> Really?
>> Yeah. Who knew, right? Who knew?
>> It was a fun thing. Bruce and I uh you know, we knew each other. Uh, and when everybody's singing together, sometimes Bruce and I are in the chorus and sometimes we're not because there was a big pile of deli sandwiches on the other side of the room. [laughter]
>> Yeah.
>> And we kept going over to get a beer and a sandwich.
>> And uh, yeah, we had all kinds of I mean, Willie Nelson comes over. We're talking about golf. He says, "I hear you're playing golf." I said, "Yeah, yeah, we we put the clubs on the bus and it's [music] gives us something to do." He said, "We're doing it, too." And Bob Dylan comes over and says to us, he says, "Are you guys talking about golf?" And we said, [laughter] "Yeah." He says, "Wow, that's outrageous." [music]
>> It was Bob Dylan. Bob Bob is a sweetheart. But when Bob says, "I'll be there," you have to say to yourself, "Okay, did he get the right day? Is it the right time? Is he going to be there?" Surprisingly enough, Bob was one of the first there on the >> Wow. So, Wow. So, once Bob walked in and Bruce, then it was we had chosen.
>> You were good. What was it like working with some of the musicians on that project? The heavyweight.
>> Ridiculous. It was ridiculous.
>> That was lots of fun. I enjoyed it very much. You know, there was I think Quincy had a sign on the door that, you know, keep your eagles outside. I keep out the door. So, I mean, you know, you had a lot of different personalities.
>> Is it true that uh [music] at the recording session, you put up a sign on the door? This is not true.
>> No, I put it in the letter. I put it in the letter, but it was not necessary, man. When you do something like that, you don't know it's going to work, man, and be that big. When we started up, we had Lionel and Kenny Rogers, Dan Akroyd, and Latoya. Those people came there to try to do something good for Ethiopia like they always do. I like to say to thank them and also apologize that the slogan keep your egos at the door ever got out of hand because it was never necessary. The cause itself I think was significant enough to command the teamwork and the love and every the giving that everybody gave that night and we're happy that we were able to share it.
Imagine I was I guess I was 31 or 32 [music] and I knew then that this was the career event of my life, right? Wow.
>> And now certainly 39 years later it still is. So that was pretty incredible.
>> Um well I mean when you look at that photo of everybody, aren't you like wow I can't [music] I mean it's it is pretty wild that you were all in one room.
>> Yeah, it was a moment in time, right? Craig remembers Eddie Murphy's manager rejecting [music] his request, but couldn't recall Madonna's excuse. Despite the music manager recalling that the future queen of pop was invited, Madonna's music collaborator Nile Rogers remembers that she was never asked to join and she wasn't very happy about it.
>> So Madonna wasn't invited to sing on the recording of We Are the World. And that was sort of a bit of a slap in the face because everybody was in Los Angeles for the American Music Awards. And I know, you know, no matter what she says, we all went to dinner together. And I know she felt bad because I know Quincy and I know Michael. So I'm going over to the recording just to hang out. And I said to to Madonna, I said, "Okay, we're headed over to&m." and I could feel her feeling bad about that.
After releasing her debut album and then the blockbuster hit Like a Virgin the year before, which made her a worldwide sensation, [music] Madonna attended the American Music Awards like everyone else and witnessed the industry buzz around the real event taking place after the show. She could have done it logistically, [music] but it's believed that the organizers wanted to use either Madonna or Cindy Looper. Looper arguably was a bigger star at the time with smash hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time under her belt. The racy singer had already proved she had the chops to hold her ground amongst a room full of the industry's finest vocalists. Craig's then associate Harriet Sternberg revealed, quote, "I wanted Madonna, but Ken wanted Cindy." As a result, Madonna held a grudge after performing at Live Aid later that year. After her set, she refused to go back on stage to perform the [music] charity single with all the other events participants, saying if they didn't want her for the original recording, then they certainly can't have her now.
>> I wasn't good enough to sing on the record. Well, I'm not singing the finale. And so, she comes out, she she does the thing with the Thompson twins with us. She does her set. We are the world. Bang. She's gone.
>> Why did you Why did it have to be Cindy Looper or Madonna? It's probably one of the It's probably one of the most interesting questions in the world because we had only a half a line to sing. Let me say this now. A half a line. You have to have an identifiable voice and of whatever reason it was just Cindy had that, you know,
>> right?
>> That was it. And so,
>> but you couldn't have both of them.
>> You know, it's hard to
>> You guys made a mistake.
>> You know, you know, I'm going to I'm going to say this now on national
>> [music]
>> uh and international television. You're right. You know, 2020 hindsight is always a fabulous way to put things together, but I have to [music] tell you something. I always also believe in divine guidance. In other words, exactly who was supposed to be there was there. Um I always kind of look back and say, well, what if we could have had this and what if we could have had that? We are the world was absolutely [music] perfect in its in its uh that was one night only to capture all of those people from that was ultimately a miracle that we pulled off.
However, the biggest controversy of the night was the inclusion or lack of of Prince. Organizer and the song's co-writer, Lionel Richie, believed that a somewhat duet with Michael Jackson and Prince would represent the unity needed to affect real change during a humanitarian crisis, as the professional rivalry between the two superstars that played out in the press was very much based in reality. Since the release of the film and soundtrack for Purple Rain the year before, Prince had become a pop powerhouse that rivaled the groundbreaking feats Jackson made just a few years earlier. and a metaphorical fight was on for the crown of Prince of Pop. Naturally being the biggest thing in music at the time and set to be one of the biggest winners at the American Music Awards that night, USA for Africa's organizers were keen to have the artist involved in the project. Craig stating, quote, "Prince's name is actually printed on the music because Quincy had the idea of having the two rivals, Michael and Prince, at the same microphone." Craig said, quote, "He was invited. He didn't show up. He didn't want to be in the room with so many people. Known for his perfectionism and professional primadana status, it's likely that Prince didn't feel comfortable being associated with a project he had no involvement in other than to attend, pitch in a couple vocals, and stand amongst legendary industry figures singing in a choir, a song he never composed or liked himself. Prince used to stop midsong at his own concerts to lecture the audience for singing offkey. And it's likely that the superstar would have found the recording session tedious on a night he should be celebrating.
Lionel Richie told Access Hollywood that he tried to persuade Prince to join the recording session. Quote, I mean, I sat on the phone with him for the longest time. Richie said, quote, I said, Prince, we're all down here waiting on you. He says, Can I do it in a separate room? Richie said this was typical of Prince who was known for his eccentricity and privacy. I would love to tell you that's different from anything else he's ever done. Richie continued, quote, "That's just Prince. Of course, he's not going to be at a group of singers at the time when we want him to show up."
>> Were people able to request who that they wanted to share the mic with, or was that an assignment that you and Quincy Jones came up with, or how did that work?
>> That was an assignment that it was Quincy and myself and two other wonderful people that I see, their names escaped me, right?
>> Their job was to remember, everybody has a certain key they sing in. Yeah. So to make this actually really special [music] is that their job was to go around and put the right key in the place where these guys [music] can can sing it to their best. Uh and I'm telling you that was a day we had in my house trying to decide who was going to sing what part. I kept saying to Quincy, "Is everyone going to go in a booth and sing their part?" He said, "No, we're going to put them in a circle and they'll be perfect every time we sing." Why? Because you're standing [music] and looking into the rest of the class. You're going to be perfect every time, you know. And it was true. [music]
A little intimidating. In fact, did I say a little intimidating? Intimidating.
>> Was it intimidating for you?
>> I mean, now that I talk about it now, it was terrifying.
>> 46 artist. Creative artist. The one thing you never say is, "I'm not sure about this. What do you think?"
>> We have [music] 46 creative artists in the room.
>> Right. They need a leader. Stevie walks in and says, "I think we need to do uh I think we need to do something in the language tutu." No, no, Willie Moingu.
>> And the funny things happen like Bob Dylan was shy to sing on his own. So Stevie Wonder comes out and is telling Bob how to sing like Bob Dylan. We are the world. We are the children. [laughter] And and Dylan's like, "Okay, I think I can do that."
>> Bob is over the microphone going And [music] Steve uh Steviey's at the piano going, "It's a choice we're making. We're saving." So I walked over to Bob and said, "I think you can need to go see Stevie. I think he's got it." And so Stevie said, "Bob, it's a choice we're making. We're saving our own last." And Bob said, "Yeah." [laughter] And the went right back over and nailed it.
>> He didn't know what to do.
>> He was shy to sing on his own with everybody else. But Stevie wanted teaching Bob Dylan to sing like Bob Dylan was that was a moment. And I understand you didn't know at the time that you'd have a solo. What was that like to have a solo in front of all in that group?
>> Well, you know, frightening of course, but he says, "Smelly, get over here." He called Michael, they call Michael Smelly. He says, "Sing the line for Huie." And he sang the line. He He says, "Sing it, Huie." I sang it. [music] He says, "You got it." And then uh so from then on, it was nerve-wracking. Right. I learned for the first time that you're the guy that recommended me for Prince's [music] line, but but it's in the documentary, but I never knew until then. You know,
>> it's funny. Yeah. Michael came up to me and said, "Well, Prince isn't going to be here. Um, who should sing the solo line?" I said, "The best singer in here is [music] Yui Lewis."
>> Gee, great.
>> Because he didn't know it, but he came and we told him at the very last minute, "Prince is not coming. [music] You're taking Prince's part." Wow.
>> He had a nervous breakdown.
>> Nerve-wracking, right? I mean, you're doing this in front of the greatest singers in the world. You can't see it on the clip or in the documentary, but when I'm singing my part, my right leg is shaking. Yeah. Recording. I had Michael right here and Cindy over here. And Michael and I shared a number of things. I mean, he didn't miss a trick. He was so on it. And, you know, he's got the aviator shade. You think that he's just kind of But he knew right what was going on. And we got to it was a really a fun session.
>> They kept [music] saying, "Okay, now you have to sing really high." I was like, "Okay." And I kept trying different things cuz we were the bridge.
>> You were with Kim K's.
>> Yeah.
>> And [music] I I had to I wanted to be polite, too. I didn't want to step all over her,
>> right?
>> You know, so I came up with something that I thought was a good background part, you know, that you wait for like Mary Clayton to sing, you know, that was my hero. And you know, there were a lot of people who wound up didn't getting not getting a solo uh shot. Harry Bellfonte, B. Midler, Smoky Robinson, on and on and on. Were any of those people pissed not to be getting on the mic for a line?
>> No, actually, we kind of No, it wasn't that kind of an attitude. Uh, I must admit at that particular point, everybody kind of was was told ahead of time that you would have a solo part. We didn't we didn't surprise you when we got to the set. So So everyone knew that they had either a on camera live part or just going to be in the choir.
>> Was there a moment that [music] night when you thought we're not going to be able to pull this off?
>> Several times. It was just fatigue at [music] one point. Once you get to 4:00 in the morning and we're now putting on individual parts,
>> Springsteen left the building on the last thing we put on this record at 8:00.
>> 8:00 in the morning.
>> Morning.
>> Well, you know what [music] it was? There were two people actually uh just conspicuous conspicuously absent from that. And I must tell you, Prince and Madonna, but [music] we were trying to round people up. It was it was it was chaotic. I must tell you it it appeared that it was so organized in a lot of areas. But remember, we didn't have uh the internet back then. So getting music to people and having people listen to the song and do you want to [music] be a part of it in a very short period of time was very difficult.
Prince was at Carlos and Charlie's. I'll tell you the absolute truth behind this now since you want to really know the dirt. Um, and he [music] said, "I can come, but I want to record in a separate room." That was not what we wanted to hear. So, and then I made the [music] worst mistake. I said, "Listen, I'll put you right next to Michael."
>> Oh. And he didn't want to be next to Michael.
>> Done.
>> Oh,
>> done. So, no. I said, "Uh, Prince, are you there?"
>> He said, "I'll do a guitar solo."
>> Oh, really?
>> And then that [music] was Why do you think he didn't want to be next to Michael?
>> Well, it didn't want to be next to any of us. truth of matter because no, you know, Prince was the isolationist, you know, he was like, I'm going to be in my cubicle. So, we [music] didn't work like that.
>> We had everyone to stand next to each other. There's Paul Simon. There's Bob Dylan.
>> Yeah. So, check your ego back street somewhere. You know,
>> I I wanted him so badly to be there. But, you know, everyone had their own attitude at the time.
>> I'll say that in the nice way. In Alan Light's book, Let's Go Crazy, Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvine would claim he didn't show because quote, "He thinks he's a badass and he wanted to look cool and he felt like the song for We Are the World was horrible and he didn't want to be all around all those mother." According to the 2024 documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop, singer Sheila E was asked to attend the session. Knowing her relationship to Prince, the organizers hoped that her presence would encourage the purple one to make an appearance. Also, quote, "Man, you should [music] come. It's really cool." She told Prince, who was chilling at the Mexican restaurant Carlos and Charlie's after taking home three trophies and performing Purple Rain at the AMAs. Craig stated, quote, "Sheila E tried her best to get him there." He did call while we were recording. He reached Quincy and [music] said, "Can I come over and lay down a guitar track?" And Quincy said, "No, we've already done the basic tracks."
When it was made clear to her that she wouldn't get a solo moment in one of the songs verses, Sheila decided to leave, feeling [music] that she was being used for her association with Prince. One of the reasons Prince didn't go is because he was used to going into a recording studio and playing all the parts, not just him and another star. Him and nobody else. He went to a nightclub instead. And when he came out, his bodyguards beat up some paparazzi and [music] that made a box in the big article in the LA Times about the recording. So instead, Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis in the News fame sang the part that was meant for Prince [music] while he parted the night away on Sunset.
According to Rolling Stone, Prince's refusal to be involved was seen as selfish by some, but he was actually open to contributing to a song, just not that one. Embarrassed by his absence, Prince later [music] penned the B-side Hello, claiming paparazzi intrusion had stopped him attending. When the organizers decided that they were going to put out an album, Prince submitted a song right away for that. Quote, "Despite his absence from We Are the World, Prince was not indifferent to the plight of the people in Africa or elsewhere. He gave his money to charity frequently and generously, but without much publicity. For example, he donated $1 million to the Harlem Children's Zone in 2011, [music] which impressed its CEO, Jeffrey Canada." Quote, "I want to thank Prince. I am touched and blown away by his generosity." Canada said, quote, "Prince had his own reasons for not appearing on We Are the World, which may have been misunderstood or criticized by some. [music] However, to many of his friends and contemporaries, he was not a heartless or selfish person, but rather a unique and visionary artist who cared about the world in his own way. When asked in interviews, Prince once again made excuses, saying that he was too intimidated at the thought of being in the room with so many artists that he had long admired."
Jones [music] later said that he respected Prince's decision and understood that he had his own way of doing things, but he didn't want to sing along with the rest of the crowd involved. That also being the case during a rendition of We Are the World 10 years later at the 1995 American Music Awards, [music] where Prince appeared on stage with Quincy and many others and refused to sing along. Instead, he stood at the front sucking on a lollipop.
Grammy goes to We Are the World, Quincy Jones, producer. We are the world. Michael Jackson. [applause] [music]
>> It's so nice to be able to see this caliber of talent get together for this. I got a feeling that we're creating uh a shift in what's going on in the world today. When they called and asked for this, this was something that I really it's very close to.
>> If this can be almost seen as a symbol to to for people to just begin to recognize, you know, and look around them a little bit.
>> I do believe that uh what we have done is going to take me longer and out of this experience, we may be able to save a few thousand lives. I hope that this is a thing that you don't worry about whether it's hip or square to do. I hope it just becomes fashionable.
>> We are so proud to be a part of an industry of people that in a time when the world is in need of of helping each other, this music industry of ours responded.
>> We actually thought we were going to wipe out hunger around the world. All we needed to do was just tell a few people and the rest of the world would take over and the whole world would run next door and save their [music] their nextdoor neighbors and their cities and their communities.
>> First, I'd like to thank God and I'd like to say thank you for choosing Lionel and myself to write We Are the World. I thank Quincy Jones and who's the greatest producer to me.
>> One important thing is that it made people aware of the fact that there were people that were starving in that part of the world in Ethiopia and various parts of Africa. It made people aware of the fact that there was a problem and it made many people give from their hearts to help that situation.
Its incredible success meant that since its release, We Are the World has raised over $80 million, the equivalent to [music] $214 million today, inspiring other musician-driven charitable efforts, demonstrating [music] that rock stars from different factions could put aside their musical differences and use their influence to strengthen global humanitarian efforts simply through the power of song. But aside from its skyrocketing fundraising figures and the self-congratulating awards that were won as a result, little has been reported as to what tangible benefit USA for Africa brought to the continent they were inspired to help. What did those many tens of millions of dollars actually get spent on? And were Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and their star-studded cast able to resolve the famine in some [music] capacity and affect lasting change that would make the world a better place? Or did millions of dollars given in good faith ultimately fall into the wrong hands due [music] to corporate greed or rampant corruption prevalent in tyrannical dictatorships?
>> More than $3 million worth of food and medical supplies bought with profits from the hit single We Are the World. Marlon Jackson is on board. Lionel Richie and Diana Ross saw the plane off from Los Angeles on Monday. I do I think it's going to mean a lot. It's already meant a lot in my life. I feel like I've done something. I can I sung a song and maybe I'll save a life even if it's one. So, it's important to me as an individual and so I I'm real moved by it. I really am.
The USA for Africa Charitable Foundation was set up by Ken Craig who helped bring the project together. As an artist manager, Craig handled the logistics even though he had no experience in international aid, especially at such an enormous scale. After the release of We Are the World, it took a while for royalties to roll in, which gave Craig and his staff time [music] to plan. In June 1985, the first USA for Africa cargo jet carrying food, medicine, and clothing departed for Ethiopia and Sedan. It stopped in route to New York where 15,000 t-shirts were added to the cargo. The jet's departure attracted a huge amount of press attention with USA for Africa originator Harry Bellafont visiting Sudan in the same month to represent the musicians who participated in the charity single.
However, it wasn't long after the charitable movement started to wne that criticism [music] for USA for Africa and the wider efforts of Live Aid started to surface. The first being that the stars effort actively depoliticized the Ethiopian crisis, portraying the famine as no more than a natural disaster. In Band-Aid's [music] Do They Know It's Christmas, one lyric read, quote, "Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers [music] flow." The message being clear, drought caused crops to fail, resulting in widespread famine. But the causes of the famine were more complex. A combination of poverty, drought, poor agricultural policies, and above all, the use of hunger as a weapon in counterinsurgency, which led to the crisis.
When the Durge, a military dictatorship, overthrew the Ethiopian Empire in 1974. They established Ethiopia as a Marxist Leninist [music] state under a military genta and enacted a provisional government. In response, various opposition groups of ideological affiliations ranging from communist to anti-communist [music] created armed resistance to the Sovietbacked Durge. Over the coming years, the Durge used military [music] campaigns and the Kaishabir, Ethiopian Red Terror, to repress the rebels. The regime of Colonel Mingitsu implemented a series of collectivist economic policies, including the nationalization of land and [music] industry. its main slogan of land to the tiller. Redistributed areas in Ethiopia that once belonged to landlords to the peasants [music] tilling the terrain. Although this was made to seem like a fair and just redistribution, the mismanagement, corruption, and general hostility to the Dur's violent and harsh rule coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare, separatist guerilla movements in Eratraa and Tigra resulted in a drastic decline in general productivity of food and cash crops.
Quote, "Crops, [music] livestock, and food stores were systematically destroyed by military offensives as part of a scorched earth policy aimed [music] at denying cover and irregular food supply to the armed opposition," said Dr. Elizabeth H. Bradley of Yale University, who worked on healthcare reform in Ethiopia. Quote, "The counterinsurgency strategies also contributed indirectly to famine as they required enormous military expenditure that could otherwise have been used to prevent [music] or alleviate famine. Although Ethiopia was prone to chronic dry periods, no one was prepared for the scale of drought that struck [music] the country in the mid1 1980s which threatened millions of lives.
Famine relief in Ethiopia [music] was largely dictated by foreign policy with all US relief efforts in Ethiopia coordinated by the National Security [music] Council. The Reagan administration did not take well to shoring up Russian stronghold. Since their arrival in Ethiopia less than 10 years before, the Russians have turned what US officials claimed would have been their Vietnam of Africa into a decisive strategic advantage. [music] They provided the Mingitsu government with a stockpile of chemical weapons and more than 4 billion worth of heavy arms with [music] between 5,000 to 8,000 Russian military advisers stationed in Ethiopia. A secret White House report dated May 5th, 1984 indicated that the administration was aware of a disaster situation in Ethiopia, but chose to keep hands off for political reasons. The administration accused the Ethiopians of selling what little grain the United States had committed to them to the Russians to purchase military supplies.
However, the devastating effect of the famine came to the attention of many in the West through a series of BBC news reports presented by journalist Michael Burk, which aired in October 1984. The reports described a biblical [music] famine and contained graphic images of thousands of Ethiopians, including children, facing acute malnutrition and starvation. In the years before online videos, social media, and internet [music] news, his words still managed to reach around the world with the footage being shown by more than 400 television stations worldwide. These harrowing reports caused a seismic outcry [music] and motivated musician Bob Galdah to spring into action and coordinate what would become Band-Aid without any understanding of the geopolitical complexities that were interwoven [music] into the humanitarian crisis and that the reporting was highly regulated and staged by the Mingitsu [music] government.
After the history-making success of Band-Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas, having raised [music] over $24 million, Harry Bellfonte proposed another effort because he believed African-Ameans should be doing more to help than a bunch of white guys over in Britain. Again, without much knowledge of the government's hand in the dire situation in Ethiopia. However, many may argue it was irrelevant whether the government caused the famine or not. Many thousands of Ethiopians were in a desperate state and outsiders had to intervene in order [music] to save lives. The sad truth is that aid cannot always be given to those most in [music] need, as it often can be used as a weapon of war in the long run, worsening the humanitarian situation in a region already [music] unstable due to warfare and political strife.
In 1986, a controversial article was featured in Spin magazine that sought to expose Bob Gildoff and live a charitable efforts, shedding light on the impact flooding [music] aid to a country run by a ruthless dictatorship had. Quote, "All this money had been raised. Where was it going? Was it actually doing good? [music] The Ethiopian dictator Mingitsu, until then deadlocked in the war, was using the money the West gave him to buy sophisticated weapons from the Russians. Ethiopia, [music] then the third poorest country in the world, suddenly had the largest, best equipped army on the African continent. The Band-Aid Trust then began shipping food and medicine to Africa only to realize that there was no adequate way to transport it once it hit the [music] docks in Ethiopia. The Marxist government's stubborn refusal to divert any of its fleet of vehicles from its ongoing wars and resettlement programs meant little food and medicine [music] left the port cities of Assab in Masawa. While priority was given to unloading military [music] hardware from Soviet ships, leaving hundreds of thousands of tons of food left to rot on the docks beside the Red Sea. Food [music] transported by live aid was confiscated by the government to pay its army in grain or to trade for arms from the Russians. Mingu also refused to allow aid to the delivered across the lines of his war with the rebels in Tigra and Iratria [music] and the northern portions of Wallow where 60% of the country's famine victims lived.
Quote, "Food has been given to Ethiopia for humanitarian purposes." Political writer Bonnie Hulcom noted. But it has served as bait in a trap that is part of an ongoing program to restructure Ethiopia society. An example of this took place on October 25th, 1985 when a unit of Ethiopian soldiers invaded a relief center at Korm in the province of Wallow. Korm was one of the largest feeding stations, attracting peasants from miles around. As the army poured into the center, 20,000 people fled in terror, but an unlucky 600 were rounded up at gunpoint, loaded onto trucks, and driven off. Those captured were the innocent peasant farmers, women, and children who were separated from their families, forced into the military, or placed on government-run collective farms far from their homes.
Quote, I take the position that AIDS should be stopped [music] until the situation can be turned around, said Bonnie Hulcom. Quote, more lives can be saved by stopping aid. Aid has always got political ramifications, just as famine has. It's not just a matter of feeding people. And that's where the story [music] ends.
As a result of the lack of effectiveness and controversies the wider live age charitable efforts attracted, USA for Africa had to change its [music] approach. Quote, "It's a dilemma," said Marty Rogal, executive director of USA for Africa. Quote, "We've tried to find things that could only be used for humanitarian purposes. Do you know what the problem is? I don't think there are any answers. There are only hard choices." Even though many donated under the presumption that they were helping those currently afflicted by the famine, about a year after the organization's creation, their general goals changed to focus on long-term programs that promoted self-reliance in its aided communities. Ken Craig revealing, quote, "We could go out and spend it all in one shot. Maybe we'd save some lives in the short term, but it would be like putting a band-aid over a serious wound."
>> You raised, I think it was 80 million at the time, and now it's double.
>> Yeah. No, we we raised a lot of money. Yes.
>> Did you get a chance to see that in action?
>> Oh, yeah. We kept thinking, "Okay, we're going to give away 5 billion. Okay, hopefully we'll raise 10. Once you get the [music] 40 and 50, whoa, what the heck just happened?" But I remember calling Quincy on the phone. I said, "Did we say we're giving away half the money or all the money?" He said, "Don't [music] try it, Lionel. Don't try it. [laughter] Don't try it. We're committing all the money." I Oh, yeah. I just want to be cuz once you get past 50 60 [music] I mean $60 million but then you realize we kept trying to stop we are the world. In other words, okay, we're we're winding it down and [music] then next thing we know 2 million comes in. It's it's still breathing. It's still breathing.
Craig also lowered initial expectations, [music] noting that experts predicted that with their involvement, it would take at least 10 to 20 years to make a [music] slight difference to Africa's long-term problems. The long-term initiatives included efforts in [music] birth control and food production. From the fund, over 70 recovery and development projects were launched in seven African nations. [music] Such projects included aid in agriculture, fishing, water management, manufacturing, and reforestation. Aside from Ethiopia, training programs were also developed in the African countries of Mosmbique, Sagal, Chad, Aratania, Bkina Faso, and Mali.
However, criticisms of USA for Africa and live a did not only extend to their practical use of funds, but the ideological message they promoted about Africa and its people. A legacy that still perpetuates this dominant narrative about a helpless continent beset by poverty, [music] dependency, and a nation who lacks agency. USA for Africa remains the unfortunate and inadvertent poster child for a development approach to [music] Africa. the desire for the West to identify and fix the challenges of poor countries [music] with the belief that money is the primary solution. In 2021, the development sector collectively sent 58.4 billion to Africa. And over the last 30 years, it's estimated that $1.2 trillion of aid has been spent on Africa. We are the world's [music] showy fundraising approach that they loudly trumpeted and advertised to the whole world about the need to help Africa and not just those suffering from famine in one region branded every African country with the same sense of hopelessness stunting trade and international investment [music] giving the false impression that so much money was raised. While in relative terms the total amount was so little it couldn't even make a dent in the economic situation in the vast [music] and diverse economies of Africa.
President William Rudo of Kenya [music] summed it up aptly when he said, quote, "We as Africa have come to the world not to ask for alms, [music] charity or handouts, but to work with the rest of the global community." While in hindsight, USA for Africa's messaging was problematic in some respects, their use of celebrity participation united American citizens to act, donate, and engage in global issues, raising awareness of countries in need and humanizing those living in cultures far away from their own.
Unfortunately, despite their efforts, death rates remained high for some time after the aid began arriving, with the Ethiopian civil war leaving at least 1.4 million people dead, with 1 million of the deaths being related to famine and the remainder from combat and other violence. The Durge dissolved itself [music] in 1987, establishing the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, PDRE, under the Workers Party of Ethiopia [music] in an attempt to maintain its rule. The Soviet Union eased off its support for the PDRE in the late 1980s and the government [music] was overwhelmed by the increasingly victorious rebel groups. In May 1991, the PDRE was defeated. Naratraa and President Mingu fled. He still lives in Har Zimbabwe [music] despite an Ethiopian court verdict which found him guilty of genocide. Responsible for the deaths of 2 million Ethiopians mostly during the 1983 [music] to 1985 famine.
The USA for Africa organization continues to operate, [music] largely funded by royalties from We Are the World. And although they've never released the exact number of aid recipients, [music] one testimonial that stands out is an Ethiopian man who made a public statement through BBC News after Michael Jackson died in 2009, highlighting the cultural shift Jackson's song and the We Are the World movement caused Ethiopia during the most desperate and hopeless of times. Quote, I was living in Adis Sababa, Ethiopia, which at that time was suffering from a long drought and famine. It was a terrible situation. Lots of people became sick and many more died. We received a lot of aid from the world and I was one of those who directly benefited from it. The wheat flour that was distributed to the famine victims was different to the usual cereal we bought at the market. We baked a special bread from it. The local people named the bread after the great artist, and it became known as Michael bread. It was soft and delicious. When you've been through such hard times, you never forget events like this. If you speak to anyone who is in Adis Sababa, at that time they will all know what Michael bread is. And I know I will remember it for the rest of my life.