Netflix tip of the day: The Greatest Night in Pop
This new documentary is really the dream of every millennial — at least mine. The song We Are The World was everywhere for a long time, and as a big Michael Jackson fan, I played it to death (just like all his CDs and cassette tapes, to give away my age). I still think it's a beautiful song, but all those years I didn't know the story behind it. Sure, I knew it was recorded for a good cause (that wasn't hard to guess, since all the stars together were called USA For Africa), but I didn't know that the whole song almost didn't happen.
First, let's go back in time, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about. In 1985, the biggest stars in the world (Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie, and many, many more) released a song: We Are The World. They did this to raise money for Ethiopia, which was experiencing a massive famine. The song was a huge hit; it shot to number one on the charts and immediately broke the record for the longest number one hit — because the song lasts over seven minutes. It was also awarded two Grammys.
If these artists don't ring a bell, imagine Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Drake, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, The Weeknd, and Bruno Mars recording a song. The internet would seriously explode. So you can imagine that this song was also a pretty big deal .
It was such a big event that Netflix made a documentary about it, which is now online: The Greatest Night in Pop. You see footage from the past and watch new interviews with the stars. For example, Lionel Richie talks about how he wrote it with Michael Jackson, how Stevie Wonder suddenly stopped responding to phone calls, and how the biggest stars on earth could hardly leave the studio because they were snowed in.
No matter how old or young you are, this documentary is really a must-watch this weekend. Also check out the music video that is under the trailer, because it is not only a beautiful song but (in my opinion) still such an impressive clip.
