A new documentary on has given fans a massive, much-needed dose of nostalgia with some of the biggest names in music.
The Greatest Night In Pop landed on the streaming platform recently, and already , with viewers heaping praise on the in-depth glimpse at how , Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick and many others managed to get into the studio for one unforgettable track.
The special transported music-lovers back to 1985 as gathered industry titans, hoping to raise awareness for the African famine relief, shortly after .
Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Bob Geldof, Cyndi Lauper and Bette Midler were just a handful of the 46 musicians who played a part in the stunning song.
In the trailer, Richie – – explained: ‘I received this call from Harry Belafonte and he wants to do some kind of a song for famine relief in Africa.
‘The greatest artists of a generation came together to save some lives. But we only had one night to get this right.’
However, it didn’t originally go to plan, with drama over solos, notes, lyrics and egos threatening to upstage the reason everyone had signed up.
‘There’s a full-on fight going on. The clock is ticking and we had so many disasters coming,’ the All Night Long icon added.
‘We now have a template with mumbles and no words. What do we want to do? We’re talking to the world so we have to talk this out.’
Thankfully, they managed to get themselves together in time, with We Are The World released on March 7, 1985 and going on to hit the top spot across the globe.
The Greatest Night In Pop premiered on Netflix at the end of January and included never-before-seen videos from the studio, as well as interviews with those taking part.
Fans couldn’t get enough of the documentary, raving about the scenes on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Five stars for the nostalgia value,’ Terry H enthused. ‘Gen X here and all these performers were at the height of popularity when I was graduating high school. Enjoyed this documentary and how it was put together.
‘Learned so much about how this song came together and now that I’m older can appreciate the logistical feat it was to pull this recording off. Loved it.’
Aintcare agreed: ‘What a trip down memory lane. The effort it took to bring this group of musicians together is simply astounding. The fact that they had all this footage is simply amazing.’
‘Very nostalgic documentary. I was smiling through the entire film,’ Kimberle M added. ‘You didn’t realize at the time how incredible it was that they were able to get this recording. Worth the watch.’
While many, many more revealed that they could have watched ‘hours more’ footage.
Honestly, same.
This is the latest in a long line of documentaries giving fans an insight into legendary musicians and their impact on the industry.
Last year, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s rollercoaster journey to superstardom, while Beyonce famously let Homecoming cameras into rehearsals for her celebrated Coachella performance in 2018.
The synopsis for the Greatest Night In Pop reads: ‘On January 28, 1985, dozens of the biggest names in music convened at a studio in Los Angeles, checked their egos at the door and recorded a song to benefit African famine relief that would alter global pop culture history.
‘The Greatest Night In Pop chronicles the massive undertaking to assemble the world’s most impressive supergroup in a world before cell phones and email.
‘That group of artists – led by the song’s co-writers and two of the most significant musicians of the 20th century – Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie – came from different worlds but united to record “We Are the World.”
‘Featuring never-before-seen footage, the film details the early planning stages, including the writing sessions with Richie and Jackson, and goes inside the famed Henson Studios where “We Are the World” was recorded.
‘Many of the artists who were there that legendary evening – Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis — reminisce alongside musicians, engineers, and production crew about one of the most storied nights in music history.’
The Greatest Night In Pop is available to stream on Netflix now.
