On the night of January 28, 1985, A&M Studios in Los Angeles became the playing ground of some of the greatest music icons the world has ever known. Netflix’s new documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, captures the chaos and the euphoria of the marathon recording of “We Are the World.” The charity single that was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones, and recorded by a supergroup of American musicians known as USA for Africa was created to raise funds for famine relief in Africa, particularly for those affected by the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia.
The documentary uses footage that has already been in the public domain but also provides an elaborate, well-structured story behind how the night came to fruition. Produced by Lionel Richie, who features excessively in the doc, The Greatest Night in Pop provides us a leeway into how the night, which helped generate over $68 million to offer food and relief assistance to individuals facing starvation in Africa, had all the possibilities of failing but didn’t.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, the documentary is slight and never truly feels like it wants to tell what and why the single was such a historical achievement – both for humanity and for pop music, but this entertaining look back moves you. It allows you to revel in the power of music and the unique idea of joining hands and coming together for a cause that is greater and bigger than the success and egos of all present that night. Unassumingly, the film takes us a few weeks before the night itself and tells us how Harry Belafonte, with the help of superagent Ken Kragen, dropped the seed for the single to be a reality.
It navigates through the Richie and Jackson writing process, the dilemma of not being too sure how many of the super artists will assemble, and above all, the idea that the recording would have to happen on the same night as the AMAs (American Music Awards). It’s an account that does feel very superficial at times, but the two specific moments – one where everyone sings for Harry Belafonte and when all these wonderful people go around the room taking each other’s autographs; make for an experience that is unforgettable. To reiterate, you witness The Greatest Night in Pop from the eyes of the Asian American cameraman who was capturing everything that went down that night, and unlike him, your experience is second-hand – even though you would like to invoice Netflix for your time, too.
The Greatest Night in Pop premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix on 29th January.
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) Documentary Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
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