The Greatest Night in Pop, a brand new documentary that chronicles the recording of the 1985 charity single “We Are the World” is now streaming on Netflix, and it’s a must-watch for followers of ’80s music. Not solely does it function unbelievable archival footage of among the largest pop stars of the period, but it surely’s additionally stuffed with enjoyable anecdotes—like that point Michael Jackson’s pet snake received unfastened in his home, and terrorized poor Lionel Richie.
Richie and Jackson have been employed to co-write a tune, to lift money to assist battle famine in numerous African nations. Richie—who’s now 74, and who produced the Netflix doc—received phrase from tune producer Quincy Jones that he and Jackson had just some weeks to jot down the tune, as a result of they hoped to report simply after the American Music Awards, when many artists could be gathered in Los Angeles. Richie remembers going over to Michael Jackson’s home in California in January 1985. But the songwriting session was interrupted by an surprising customer—Jackson’s boa constrictor, who, apparently, had been unfastened in the home.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I see some albums falling over,” Richie says within the documentary. “And I hear [imitates hissing noises]. I look over my shoulder—there’s the biggest fricken’ snake.”
Here, Richie launches into a reasonably strong MJ impression, full with a mispronunciation of his personal identify. “Michael’s going, ‘There he is, Lion-el. Oh my God.’ He lost the snake in the room! ‘He came when he heard us singing, Lion-el, and he wanted to meet you, he wants to say hello to you.’”
Richie, nevertheless, very a lot didn’t need to say hi there again to the snake. “I was like, ‘I gotta out here, quick!’ I am screaming like it’s—this is the end. I saw this horror movie, and it’s not good for the brother!”
Talk a few tough work surroundings. Luckily, regardless of the presence of Jackson’s big snake slithering round, the 2 songwriters have been in a position to end a draft of “We Are the World.” The tune was recorded throughout an all-night session on January 22, 1985, in a room stuffed with 40 or so of the largest pop stars of the time, together with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper, and extra. The snake, fortunately, didn’t make an look within the recording studio.
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