‘We Are The World‘, the first major group charity single in American music, celebrates its 40th anniversary next year in 2025. Inspired by the success of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ in the United Kingdom the previous year, featuring major musicians such as Wham!, David Bowie, and U2, legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte wanted to use the influence of U.S. artists to further aid famine relief, for the charity U.S.A. for Africa.
In collaboration with music industry heavyweight Quincy Jones acting as producer, and with Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie penning the lyrics to the song, ‘We Are The World’ quickly became one of the most successful songs in history. Having sold over ten million copies worldwide, in promotion with tie-in merchandise, the song raised $80 million – or $210 million, adjusted for inflation for 2024.
With the new Netflix documentary detailing the song’s creation and success, the song will be of renewed interest to younger generations – many of whom will be unfamiliar with some of the artists who were some of the biggest stars in 1985. For those who want to know about every artist featured on the famous track, here is your essential guide to the singers featured on the song.
‘We Are The World’ singers, in order
The following is a list of singers on ‘We Are The World’ in order of appearance on the 7-minute-long track, with timestamps where their segments begin, according to the original 1985 recording.
- Lionel Richie – 0:26
- Stevie Wonder – 0:39
- Paul Simon – 0:43
- Kenny Rogers – 0:53
- James Ingram – 0:59
- Tina Turner – 1:06
- Billy Joel – 1:13
- Michael Jackson – 1:19
- Diana Ross – 1:32
- Dionne Warwick – 1:48
- Willie Nelson – 2:02
- Al Jarreau – 2:09
- Bruce Springsteen – 2:15
- Kenny Loggins – 2:21
- Steve Perry – 2:28
- Daryl Hall – 2:36
- Huey Lewis – 2:48
- Cyndi Lauper – 2:54
- Kim Carnes – 3:02
- Bob Dylan – 3:48
- Ray Charles – 4:27
This simplified list does not include where their respective segments end, as the crossfade effect means there are a lot of vocal overlaps in the final production of the track – even if the artist is off-screen in the music video.
There are also several duets on this track, such as Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, as well as Paul Simon and Kenny Rogers.
Other singers who did not have solos on the original track, but joined in for the chorus, include:
- Dan Aykroyd
- Harry Belafonte
- Lindsey Buckingham
- Sheila E.
- Bob Geldof
- Huey Lewis and the News (Johnny Colla, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, and Sean Hopper)
- Jackie Jackson
- La Toya Jackson
- Marlon Jackson
- Randy Jackson
- Tito Jackson
- Waylon Jennings
- Bette Midler
- John Oates
- Jeffrey Osborne
- The Pointer Sisters (Anita, June, and Ruth Pointer)
- Smokey Robinson
All solo singers listed in the first list are also part of the main chorus of the song.