We Are the World (album)

We Are the World
Studio album by USA for Africa & Various Artists
Released April 23, 1985
Recorded Various
Genre Various
Length 41:37
Label Columbia/CBS Records
USA 40043
Producer Quincy Jones, Various
Singles from We Are the World
  1. "We Are the World"
    Released: March 7, 1985
  2. "Tears Are Not Enough"
    Released: May 1, 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

We Are the World is a 1985 album that contains USA for Africa's "We Are the World", a superstar charity recording for famine relief efforts in Ethiopia.

In addition to the title track, the album includes nine previously unreleased songs by donating artists, including Prince, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (a rendition of Jimmy Cliff's obscure "Trapped" recorded live at Meadowlands Arena on their Born in the U.S.A. Tour, which achieved considerable album-oriented rock radio airplay and topped the Mainstream Rock chart), Tina Turner and others. In addition, "Grace", by Quincy Jones, is not included in this album but appeared as the B-side of the title track when it was released a month earlier.

The album also includes another famine relief fundraising song, "Tears Are Not Enough," which was performed by Canadian supergroup Northern Lights.

Prince and The Revolution recorded "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" for the album. A rare live version of the song was included on Prince's The Hits/The B-Sides.

Reception

The album sold over 3 million copies. According to Billboard on April 27, 1985, it reached number one in 2 weeks, something only formerly accomplished by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Track listing

Side one
  1. USA for Africa – "We Are the World" (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie) – 7:02
  2. Steve Perry – "If Only for the Moment, Girl" (Randy Goodrum, Steve Perry) – 3:44
  3. The Pointer Sisters – "Just a Little Closer" (Robbie Nevil, Mark Mueller) – 3:53
  4. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – "Trapped" (Live Version) (Jimmy Cliff) – 5:11
  5. Northern Lights – "Tears Are Not Enough" (David Foster, Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance) – 4:21
Side two
  1. Prince & The Revolution – "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" (Prince) – 2:45
  2. Chicago – "Good for Nothing" (Richard Marx, Robert Lamm, David Foster) – 3:35
  3. Tina Turner – "Total Control" (Martha Davis, Jeff Jourard) – 3:38
  4. Kenny Rogers – "A Little More Love" (Thom Schuyler, Fred Knobloch) – 2:54
  5. Huey Lewis and the News – "Trouble in Paradise" (Live Version) (Johnny Colla, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Huey Lewis, Mario Cipollina) – 4:34

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1985) Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[2] 5
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[3] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] 6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[6] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[7] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 31
US Billboard 200[10] 1

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[11] Platinum 15,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Production credits

References

  1. ↑ We Are the World at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – USA for Africa – We Are The World" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – USA for Africa – We Are The World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – USA for Africa – We Are The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – USA for Africa – We Are The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – USA for Africa – We Are The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – USA for Africa – We Are The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. ↑ "USA for Africa | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ "USA for Africa – Chart history" Billboard 200 for USA for Africa. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – USA For Africa – We Are The World". Recorded Music NZ.
  12. ↑ "American album certifications – USA For Africa – We Are The World". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Preceded by
No Jacket Required by Phil Collins		 Billboard 200 number-one album
April 27 – May 17, 1985 		Succeeded by
No Jacket Required by Phil Collins
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.