CoronaVinyl Day 186 (U): We Are The World by USA For Africa

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is "U," and other than UFO's Phenomenon, which I've already featured in CoronaVinyl, my only other "U" album is the seminal We Are The World by USA For Africa.  If you didn't know, in addition to being released as a single, there was a full album released in 1985 that featured "We Are The World" and nine other songs, mostly by artists who sang on the title track.

For those were are too young to know or were living under a rock in 1985, back in early 1985, around 50 musicians and entertainers, collectively calling themselves USA For Africa, gathered at A&M Studios in Hollywood to record "We Are The World."  As any fellow child of the '80s knows, this song was massive.  Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, it is a philanthropic anthem to provide food and other support to several countries in Africa that had been ravaged by famine.  I won't bother going through a list of everyone who sang on the song, but you can click here to see the list.  It's a veritable who's who of '80s pop/rock stars and actors.  I remember watching the video as a kid and being amazed that all of these gigantic stars got together in one room.  The song hit #1 in 17 countries and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.  More importantly, it has helped raise over $60 million for African humanitarian relief.  

As if the single wasn't great enough, the full album has songs from many of the contributing musicians, as well as some others who weren't part of the song.  There are songs from Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Chicago, Huey Lewis & The News, Steve Perry, Kenny Rogers, and The Pointer Sisters, as well as a Canadian charity song for the Ethiopian famine called "Tears Are Not Enough" by a group of Canadian musicians and entertainers that called themselves Northern Lights -- which included the likes of Neil Young, Bryan Adams, John Candy, Joni Mitchell, Geddy Lee, Burton Cummings, Anne Murray, Oscar Peterson, Paul Shaffer, and many others.  Click here for a list of all the performers.

The full album isn't on Spotify, but a YouTube playlist with the full album is embedded below.  Here is a track listing:

Side 1
1.  "We Are The World" by USA For Africa
2.  "If Only For The Moment, Girl" by Steve Perry
3.  "Just a Little Closer" by The Pointer Sisters
4.  "Trapped" (live) by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Side 2
1.  "Tears Are Not Enough" by Northern Lights
2.  "4 The Tears In Your Eyes" by Prince & The Revolution
3.  "Good For Nothing" by Chicago
4.  "Total Control" by Tina Turner
5.  "A Little More Love" by Kenny Rogers
6.  "Trouble In Paradise" (live) by Huey Lewis & The News

All in all, it's a great album, and it was predictably a success.  It reached #1 on the Billboard album chart after only two weeks -- matching a record set by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones -- and stayed #1 for three weeks.  It also topped the album charts in The Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, and was Top 10 in Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "We Are The World" by USA For Africa

I had to go with the title track.  It's such a classic and such an iconic song from the '80s.  I think my favorite part is the back and forth between Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder starting around the 4:55 mark.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Total Control" by Tina Turner
Turner was in the midst of a major career revitalization at this point, and "Total Control" shows why she was killing it.  It's a gritty, soulful song that showcase's Turner's fantastic voice.