Entertainment Music R&B Music Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen and More Stars Look Back on Recording 'We Are the World' in New Documentary "We only had one night to get this right," says Richie in Netflix's upcoming film, 'The Greatest Night in Pop,' about creating the 1985 hit By Jack Irvin Jack Irvin Jack Irvin has over five years of experience working in digital journalism, and he’s worked at PEOPLE since 2022. Jack started in the industry with internships at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Tonight, and he worked as a freelance writer for publications including Bustle, MTV News, Shondaland, L’Officiel USA, Ladygunn, Flood and PopCrush before joining PEOPLE. In his current role, Jack covers daily music news and has interviewed both up-and-coming and established artists including Dolly Parton, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Normani, Carly Rae Jepsen and Coco Jones. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 9, 2024 05:00PM EST Getting dozens of music's biggest acts in one room to record the legendary 1985 charity single "We Are the World" was no easy feat. On Tuesday, Netflix unveiled the trailer for The Greatest Night in Pop, a new documentary chronicling the complicated writing and recording process behind crafting "We Are the World" through the eyes of several musicians who lived it: Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and more. The Bao Nguyen-directed film utilizes both archival footage and new interviews to tell the story of how Harry Belafonte enlisted Richie, 74, and Michael Jackson to write the benefit anthem to raise funds for African famine relief. Netflix's 'The Greatest Night in Pop'. Courtesy of Netflix Writing the song was one accomplishment, but then came the task of getting every single artist in the same studio for the now-iconic "We Are the World" recording session on Jan. 25, 1985. "The greatest artists of a generation came together to save some lives, but we only had one night to get this right," says Richie in the film's trailer, throughout which he recalls experiencing a "full-on fight" and "so many disasters." Also appearing in The Greatest Night in Pop are Smokey Robinson, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick and Huey Lewis, all of whom featured on the song. Netflix's 'The Greatest Night in Pop'. Courtesy of Netflix The documentary will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 19 before it becomes available to stream on Netflix starting Jan. 29. "We Are the World," produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, became a massive hit upon its March 1985 release, reaching No. 1 on charts in several countries and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. The song went on to win four Grammy Awards at the 1986 ceremony: record of the year, song of the year, best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal and best music video, short form. Lionel Richie in Cambridge in June 2023. C Brandon/Redferns Richie and Jackson's composition also proved beneficial for the cause, making a whopping $63 million in sales. During a 2016 interview at a Grammy Week event titled Arts & Ideas: Conversations @The Wallis, the Commodores musician recalled some of the chaos that went into the creation of "We Are the World." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I’m at Michael’s house trying to write ‘We Are the World,’ and his dog is barking, and his Mynah bird is yelling ‘Shut up’ [repeatedly at the dog]. I see albums falling over. I look again and see more falling over and there’s an albino python [coming toward me]. I will admit I was screaming like a white woman," said Richie at the time, per Billboard. He continued, "Michael goes, ‘Oh my God, Lionel. There he is, he wants to play with you.’ I know you want a spiritual tale about how we brought this song you, but that’s how it was for three days." Close