THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP: The Song That Altered Global Pop Culture History

"We came together as a family instantly, and the proof of that was at the end — we were hugging each other like we had been through boot camp together.” -Lionel Richie 

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, GRAMMY® Nominee for Best Music Film, 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 was directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by Julia Nottingham, the team behind the acclaimed Bruce Lee documentary Be Water.

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Legendary singer-songwriter Lionel Richie joins Scott Feinberg on The Awards Chatter podcast, recorded in Studio A at the iconic former A&M Studios in Hollywood—the same historic space where Richie and 45 other music legends came together nearly 40 years ago to record “We Are the World.” In this special episode, Richie reflects on that unforgettable moment in music history while discussing his career and the new documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which explores the making of the legendary anthem and its lasting impact on the world.