As "The Greatest Night In Pop" (2024 release; 97 min) opens, we see a bunch of pop and rock superstars getting together to record a benefit single. We then go back to "December 23, 1984", and Lionel Richie gets together with Harry Bellafonte and producer Quincy Jones, to prepare for an all-star charity recording (to combat starvation in Ethiopia) barely a month later, the same night that the American Music Awards are held in LA. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary...
Couple of comments: if you are a certain ago, you will vividly remember the era, as the British and US single releases of "Do They Know It's Christmas Time" and "We Are the World" aimed to raise millions for the starving population in Ethiopia. This documentary captures how "We Are the World" came together, with a particular focus on the night of the recording itself, when 47 of the biggest names in the music business gathered. As I was watching this, this reminds us how pivotal Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson (who co-wrote the song) were. Also how petty Prince was (he declined to participate for no good reason, frankly for no reason at all). Also how extremely uncomfortable Bob Dylan looks the entire night. Also the immense pressure on getting it done in a single evening, as there was only one night to get it done, period. And last but certainly not least: how insanely young everyone looks (Springsteen, Billy Joel, etc.). It is frankly hard to imagine how this could ever happen again, at least on this level of magnitude. And whoever put up that sign above the entrance door to the studio "Check your ego at the door", kudos to you! All that aside, I must say that I was surprised how surprisingly entertaining this documentary turned out to be.
"The Greatest Night In Pop" premiered just a few weeks ago and the Sundance film festival. It started streaming on Netflix earlier this week, and I just caught up with it last night. If you are a music fan, I'd readily suggest this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: if you are a certain ago, you will vividly remember the era, as the British and US single releases of "Do They Know It's Christmas Time" and "We Are the World" aimed to raise millions for the starving population in Ethiopia. This documentary captures how "We Are the World" came together, with a particular focus on the night of the recording itself, when 47 of the biggest names in the music business gathered. As I was watching this, this reminds us how pivotal Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson (who co-wrote the song) were. Also how petty Prince was (he declined to participate for no good reason, frankly for no reason at all). Also how extremely uncomfortable Bob Dylan looks the entire night. Also the immense pressure on getting it done in a single evening, as there was only one night to get it done, period. And last but certainly not least: how insanely young everyone looks (Springsteen, Billy Joel, etc.). It is frankly hard to imagine how this could ever happen again, at least on this level of magnitude. And whoever put up that sign above the entrance door to the studio "Check your ego at the door", kudos to you! All that aside, I must say that I was surprised how surprisingly entertaining this documentary turned out to be.
"The Greatest Night In Pop" premiered just a few weeks ago and the Sundance film festival. It started streaming on Netflix earlier this week, and I just caught up with it last night. If you are a music fan, I'd readily suggest this out, and draw your own conclusion.