The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the only single from the album. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, "We Are the World" received a 4× certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. However, the song garnered mixed reviews from journalists, music critics and the public. Fans enjoyed hearing racially and musically diverse recording artists singing together on one track, and felt satisfied in buying "We Are the World", knowing that the money was going to charity. Other individuals, such as those in the rock community, were disappointed that the song did not challenge why famines occur in the first place, and felt that the lyrics were self-aggrandizing.
Honored numerous times—including three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award and a People's Choice Award—the song was promoted with a critically received music video, a home video, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and several books, posters and shirts. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of "We Are the World", which was eventually named the biggest selling single of all time. As of 2009, it has sold more than 20 million units and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US. Michael also wrote a demo for the ulmate collection in 2004.
We are the world
Michael Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause the world it seems it's right in this line
'Cause there's a chance for taking in needing our own lives
It seems we need nothing at all
I used to feel I should give away my heart
And it shows that fear of needing them
Then I read the headlines and it said they're dying there
And it shows that we must heed instead
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
Give in your heart and you will see that someone cares
'Cause you know that they can feed them all
Then I read the paper and it said that you've been denied
And it shows the second we will call
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
Now there's a time when we must love them all
And it seems that life, it don't make love at all
But if you'd been there, and I'll love you more and more
It seems in life, I didn't do that
We are the world, the world
We are the children, are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving, let's start giving
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
We are the world, are the world
We are the children, are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving, let's start giving
But there's a chance we're taking, taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
We are the world, shalom
We are the children, shalingin
We are the ones who make a brighter day, shalom
So let's start giving, 'cause that's what we're being
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
Come on, yeah
We are the world, shalom
We are the children, shalingin
We are the ones who make a brighter day, shalom
So let's start giving, 'cause that's what we're being
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Just you and me
Oh yeah, we got it
We are the world, shalom
We are the children, shalingin
We are the ones who make a brighter day, shalom
So let's start giving, cause that's what we're being
There's a chance we're taking
We're taking our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day
The song "We Are the World," written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985, was a charity single focused on raising money for famine relief in Africa. The song brought together over 40 popular musicians of the time, including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, and Ray Charles.
The lyrics suggest that despite differences among people, everyone shares a responsibility to help those in need. Verse one encourages listeners to pay attention to those who are suffering and to take action to alleviate their pain. In the chorus, singers proclaim "We are the world, we are the children," suggesting that collectively, everyone can make the world a better place. The second verse highlights the importance of generosity and giving, while the third verse bemoans the lack of love and understanding in the world. The repeated chorus is optimistic and hopeful, reminding listeners that by coming together, they can create a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a time when we should hear the certain calls
We need to be attentive to the needs of the world
'Cause the world it seems it's right in this line
The world is in desperate need and we must act now
'Cause there's a chance for taking in needing our own lives
We have the opportunity to help others and improve our own lives in the process
It seems we need nothing at all
Our privileged lives leave us feeling like we lack nothing
I used to feel I should give away my heart
I used to think that giving to others meant sacrificing something of myself
And it shows that fear of needing them
This fear made me hesitant to give to others
Then I read the headlines and it said they're dying there
Seeing the dire situations people face made me realize the importance of giving
And it shows that we must heed instead
We must pay attention and take action to help those in need
Give in your heart and you will see that someone cares
If we give from our hearts, we will see that others care too
'Cause you know that they can feed them all
Together we can provide for those in need
Then I read the paper and it said that you've been denied
Reading about someone being denied basic rights made me realize the urgency of the situation
And it shows the second we will call
We must quickly take action to help others in need
Now there's a time when we must love them all
We must show love and care to everyone, regardless of their circumstances
And it seems that life, it don't make love at all
The world can seem harsh and unloving, but we must rise above it with kindness
But if you'd been there, and I'll love you more and more
If we were in their shoes, we would understand the need for compassion and love
We are the world
Together, as humans, we make up the world
We are the children
We are all children of the world, regardless of age
We are the ones who make a brighter day
We have the power to make positive change in the world
So let's start giving
Let's begin by giving what we can to those who need it most
There's a chance we're taking
There is some risk involved in taking action, but it's worth it to help others
It's true we'll make a brighter day
Our collective effort will make a difference and bring hope
Just you and me
It starts with each individual taking action and doing their part
Come on, yeah
Let's do this together!
We are the world, shalom
We are part of the world community and wish for peace and wholeness for all
We are the children, shalingin
We come in different shapes and sizes, but we are all children of the world
So let's start giving, 'cause that's what we're being
We exist as human beings to give and serve others
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imagineFabian
* Lionel Richie 0:25
* Stevie Wonder 0:32
* Paul Simon 0:42
* Kenny Rogers 0:54
* James Ingram 0:59
* Tina Turner 1:05
* Billy Joel 1:12
* Michael Jackson 1:18
* Diana Ross 1:32
* Dionne Warwick 1:48
* Willie Nelson 2:02
* Al Jarreau 2:08
* Bruce Springsteen 2:14
* Kenny Loggins 2:21
* Steve Perry 2:27
* Daryl Hall 2:35
* Michael Jackson 2:41
* Huey Lewis 2:48
* Cyndi Lauper 2:53
* Kim Carnes 3:01
* Bob Dylan 3:48
* Ray Charles 4:41
* Stevie Wonder & Bruce Springsteen 4:53
* Bruce Springsteen 5:31
* James Ingram 6:13
* Ray Charles 6:27
@user-oh3ux8de1k
After watching the Netflix doc ,I have so much Respect for Lionel Richie.
This man had to host the American Music awards.
Performed 3 times at the awards .
Won 4 awards
Then race to the studio, help Michael and Quincy arrange.
Then help all the other singers with their problems.
Then keep Al Jarreau from getting drunk.
He made sure people had food .
Stayed til it was completely finished which was damn near 7:00 am .
Lionel was running on Empty.
@andrewguzman2964
(EDIT ONE YEAR LATER: TY GUYS SO MUCH FOR 10K (ITS UNBELIEVEABLE). LONG LIVE MICHAEL!
0:25 Lionel Richie
0:37 Stevie Wonder
0:41 Paul Simon
0:51 Kenny Rogers
0:58 James Ingram
1:05 Tina Turner
1:10 Billy Joel
1:17 Michael Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1:30 Diana Ross
1:47 Dionne Warwick
2:00 Willie Nelson
2:07 Al Jarreau
2:13 Bruce Springsteen
2:19 Kenny Loggins
2:26 Steve Perry
2:33 Daryl Hall
2:40 Michael Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2:47 Huey Lewis
2:52 Cyndi Lauper
3:00 Kim Carnes
3:05 Cyndi Lauper
3:06 Everyone
3:46 Bob Dylan
4:21 (Bob Dylan)
4:27 4:37 (Ray Charles)
4:40 Ray Charles
4:52 5:20 Stevie Wonder
Bruce Springsteen
5:05 Stevie Wonder
5:30 Bruce Springsteen
6:12 James Ingram
(Ray Charles)
6:26 Ray Charles
6:53 (Ray Charles)
@ShiroTube1206
0:26 There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
0:32 When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
0:41 And its time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon & Kenny Rogers)
0:48 We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
0:59 That someone, somewhere will soon make a change (James Ingram)
1:06 We are all a part of Gods great big family (Tina Turner)
1:12 And the truth, you know, (Billy Joel)
Love is all we need (Billy Joel & Tina Turner)
1:18 We are the world. We are the children.
We are the ones who make a brighter day So let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
1:31 There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Diana Ross & Michael Jackson)
1:48 Send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
1:55 And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick & Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread (Willie Nelson)
2:08 So we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jarreau)
2:14 We are the world, We are the children (Bruce Springsteen)
2:21 We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving (Kenny Loggins)
2:27 There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives (Steve Perry)
2:35 It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)
2:41 When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
2:48 But if you just believe, there's no way we can fall (Huey Lewis)
2:52 Let us realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
3:01 When we stand together as one (Kim Carnes & Huey Lewis)
3:08 We are the world, We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving
There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (All)
3:47 It's true we'll make a brighter day just you and me (Bob Dylan)
4:27 We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day just you and me (Ray Charles)
4:53 We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving ( Stevie Wonder & Bruce Springsteen )
5:06 There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a brighter day just you and me (Stevie Wonder)
@luckyme98
There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon/Kenny Rogers)
We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change (James Ingram)
We're all a part of God's great big family (Tina Turner)
And the truth (Billy Joel)
You know love is all we need (Tina Turner/Billy Joel)
( CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Michael Jackson/Diana Ross)
Well, send'em you your heart so they know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick/Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread (Willie Nelson)
And so we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jurreau)
( REPEAT CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children (Bruce Springsteen)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Kenny Logins)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Steve Perry)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)
When you're down and out there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall (Huey Lewis)
Well, well, well, let's realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
When we (Kim Carnes)
stand together as one (Kim Carnes/Cyndi Lauper/Huey Lewis)
(REPEAT CHORUS AND FADE )
(additional ad-lib vox by Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, James Ingram)
Sent by Chris Sammond
@jeffreylardizabal3964
and a great chorus of songs: Little did most people know across this world; but -
On April 11, Saturday, in the year of our Lord, 2020,
A very quiet revolution occurred.
We here at #LYLSAN appreciate all those who took
the task before them, and drove it home as if their
their own lives depended on it.
It was a very simple task:
LET YOUR LIGHTS
SHINE ALL NIGHT
#LYLSAN
They did.
Some.
But.
Not everyone knew about this, as we only had one billboard. We only had one city-wide radio spot. Neither the billboard nor the radio spot ran for more than a week. Everything else was sent out on Facebook and Twitter, as far as I know; at least, that’s how I was operating. I didn’t even ask the 199 initial people who signed up for this event - how they were spreading the word.
While we were doing this for 9 days (I started to reach out to people on April 2, 2020), some others came along.
Some of the groups they belonged to on Facebook ranged in size, anywhere from a few people, to some groups with sizes in the hundreds of thousands.
Remember, the task was simple:
Here’s the link to the billboard push I put out a few days before the event kicked off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oZ5s3Ak_yU
When the event kicked off last Saturday night, April 11, and went from 7pm EST, to 7am EST, we prayed all night for those on the front lines of this war with this virus, and played this Easter Vigil Music Roll, which is continuing
to grow with songs of praise and inspiration, and clips which acted as prompts for deep thoughts, such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch…
LET YOUR LIGHTS, SHINE ALL NIGHT
I have no idea how many people turned their lights on in America on April 11,
Saturday night.
But if you are on FACEBOOK and did so, and were one of those who might have taken a picture of it, I’d love to collect them for a collage, in order to make a digital APPRECIATION for those still working, and post it at some later date, in order that those who are still working would know, we really do APPRECIATE them!
And I’d like to do a lot more, as well, to help bring this “ONE NATION, UNDER GOD,” together.
Together we can.
Apart?
No.
Please post a picture (authentically taken that evening, not an archived from some other event), and tell us at #LYLSAN how you came to know of the event.
It would be of great interest to us at #LYLSAN to know, just how many people heard of it, as well, but may have not taken a picture of it. So post that as well, and use the hashtag #LYLSAN in the posting in order to bring it to our attention.
From tremendous feedback I received that night, this is probably not going to be our only rodeo.
I don’t know. But I’m not worried about it.
God’s got this!
And that was the bottom line up front message of the entire evening.
And we hope America started to get the message…
Looking forward to those postings. I’m working at home now, keeping my golfing skills in development (without breaking Quarantine of course:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4a0ywp5tHg ), as one day, I’d really love to be teaching golf full-time in retirement.
I’m already retired from 20 years of service in the Army, but life goes on, and God gave us life that we might have life, “more abundantly.” John 10:10 King James Version (KJV):
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
These times are extraordinary, however you want to slice the bread; and such times require extraordinary - ordinary.
A simple task multiplied times 332 million Americans, would truly be:
EXTRAORDINARY! Wouldn’t it?
Peace and God’s Blessings on America.
May we, together, as “ONE NATION, UNDER GOD,”
“...humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, that God would hear us from Heaven, and forgive our sins and heal this land.” - from 2 Chronicles 7:14
Thank you if you got the word, acted on it, and - especially if you videotaped it, like I did here, we would really love to see those posted: https://www.youtube.com/watch…
Ok, back to the front yard, and golf...
Keep the faith. Things are going to get better.
@Mikeyrocksslots
We lost a lot of talented singers since that historic day and will be missed forever...
-Michael Jackson
-Harry Belafonte
-Tina Turner
-Ray Charles
-James Ingram
-Al Jarreau
-Waylon Jennings
-Anita Pointer
-June Pointer
-Kenny Rogers
Thank you for bringing the wold together.
@awh4272
Who is here after the Netflix documentary!?! What a great show!
Edit: For those asking, the documentary was 'The Greatest Night in Pop' and it's available on Netflix!
@lisafields3403
I came straight here after watching the documentary what a time
@xiaozhongjin4036
So did I. Michael ... oh.. He was the greatest.
@rainemitchell398
Just finished watching it. Brilliant!
@bethdavis7413
I started watching it this morning before work. I remember the chills this song brought to me when I first heard it. So here I am just jamming to this song otw to work on repeat! Great way to start a morning
@shawnwoods7621
Me!!! I grew up during that time...missed those days...the 80s were it!
@imagineFabian
* Lionel Richie 0:25
* Stevie Wonder 0:32
* Paul Simon 0:42
* Kenny Rogers 0:54
* James Ingram 0:59
* Tina Turner 1:05
* Billy Joel 1:12
* Michael Jackson 1:18
* Diana Ross 1:32
* Dionne Warwick 1:48
* Willie Nelson 2:02
* Al Jarreau 2:08
* Bruce Springsteen 2:14
* Kenny Loggins 2:21
* Steve Perry 2:27
* Daryl Hall 2:35
* Michael Jackson 2:41
* Huey Lewis 2:48
* Cyndi Lauper 2:53
* Kim Carnes 3:01
* Bob Dylan 3:48
* Ray Charles 4:41
* Stevie Wonder & Bruce Springsteen 4:53
* Bruce Springsteen 5:31
* James Ingram 6:13
* Ray Charles 6:27
@elizabethbaumgardt2577
Thank you for this!
@hellobye7697
Thank u so much
@JoeLink56
Legend!!