Qui c'è il pezzo dove si parla di We are the world, subito sotto trovate la traduzione sommaria di quello che c'è scritto:
We were trying to figure out who should write the song. first they said "Maybe Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie could write it". I said, "No. Stevie's the best, but don't bother him - he's in the middle of making a record." I suggested to Lionel that he ask Michael to do it with him. In those days Michael would like nothing better than to sit around and write, so those two took it on.
Two weeks before the session, I started calling Michael's house to listen to what they came up with, and sure enough he and Lionel were there hangin', sitting around talking about Motown and old times. I said, "My dear brothers, we have forty-six stars coming in less than three weeks and we need a damn song." Lionel came up with something first. He played a cassette with the melody on the title lines for Michael. Michael locked himself in his house for a couple of days and finished the rest. the lyrics were written by the two of them.
We needed a demo on the song "like yesterday". After recording the basic instrumental track, we'd have Lionel, Stevie and Smelly do "guide" vocals to teach the other artists the melody and lyrics in preparation for the main session. We were sitting in my den listening to the demo and Lionel said, "Q, I'm not sure about that minor part yet." I said, "I think the minor part is perfect, Skeet. It's a great contrast to the chorus. You both brought it home- it's just what we needed." Then we called Michael, who suggested that he and Lionel sing the leads, and everyone else sing the background.
Right! That would have really gone over great. I could just see Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner and Ray Charles and Diana Ross and all the others singing in the background. Forget it. But Michael was serious. I had to talk him out of it. He asked Lionel to convince me. But forty-four other divas when they have to be don't play that sh**. They were coming there to do something unselfish collectively for the benefit of starving people in Africa. We did change one line in the demo to avoid any implication of suicide: "There's a chance we're taking, we're taking our own lives" to "There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives."
We had forty-six stars coming.... forty-six fiercely independent nations. If concerned, any one of them could take your skin off layer by layer. If I hadn't worked individually with over half of these singers before, there was no way I would have even considered doing this. Tommy Bahler... got records of each of the artists in order to pin point everyone's range.
We planned the session like the Invasion of Normandy at Lionel and Brenda's house the night before the recording... Collectively [with Humberto Gatica, Ken Kragen, Tommy Bahler and Marty Rogel] we decided to mark the spots on the floor where everyone would be standing. We didn't want to encourage decision making during the session. Any decision. Where they would stand, what they would sing, when they would sing it- we had to think it through and spell it out... I had the sign put on the door that said, "Check your egos at the door".
January 28, 1985, the day of the session, we were scheduled to start at the A & M studio at 10pm. After the American Music Awards downtown, at 9pm a bunch of limos full of singers and security guards pulled up... They were on the case: everybody was really on a mission, ready to get busy.
When we walked into the studio we felt our first brush with divinity that night. We needed to put down a lead vocal on the first chorus as a guide. Sure enough, as planned, Smelly was standing at the mike, earphones on, ready to hit it, at ten o'clock. As we proceeded to put his voice on the first chorus, and then stack it- which means double it, to double it with himself- I knew this was going to be a special evening.
Si stavano domandano chi avrebbe potuto scrivere la canzone (we are the world). Fu suggerito Steve Wonder, ma Quincy disse di no perchè era nel bel mezzo della registazione del suo album così suggerì lui stesso Lionel Richie che a sua volta chiese a Michael di collaborare.
Due settimane prima della session Quincy ha chiamato casa di Michael per sapere a che punto erano con la canzone. Era sicuro che i due stessero chiaccerano dei vecchi tempi passati alla Motown. Quincy racconta di aver detto "miei cari fratelli, ci saranno 46 stars tra meno di tre settimane ed abbiamo bisogno di una maledetta canzone". Lionel fu il primo a fare qualcosa. Aveva registrato la melodia e passato il tutto a Michael che si è chiuso in casa e nel giro di un paio di giorni ha finito di arrangiare il resto. Il testo è stato scritto da entrambi.
Dopo aver registrato la parte strumentale, avevano bisogno di Lionel, Stevie e Puzzolo per guidare vocalmente ed insegnare agli altri artisti la melodia e le parole come preparazione alla session. Lionel non era convinto di alcuni punti, ma a Quincy la canzone piaceva molto. Alla fine Lionel e Michael suggerirono di cantare loro le parti principali e di lasciar cantare tutti gli altri nel coro.
L'idea ovviamente era assurda eppure Michael sembrava serio. Aveva chiesto anche a Lionel di convincere Quincy e lui fu costretto a parlarne più volte con Michael dell'impossibilità della cosa.
Parla anche di come hanno cambiato delle frasi per non farle sembrare ideali di suicidio. (sempre se ho capito bene ndDBG)
Ricorda le prove a casa di Lionel Richie la sera prima della registrazione, come l'invasione della Normadia. Erano 46 stars proveniente da tutto il mondo. Hanno segnato sul pavimento i punti dove ognuno si sarebbe collocato mentre cantava. I posti non furono imposti, ognuo si mise dove preferiva. Inoltre prima di iniziare Quincy disse a tutti "lasciate il vostro ego fuori dalla porta".
La registrazione iniziò il 28 Gennaio del 1985 agli A&M studio, alle 22 dopo che molte delle star tornava dagli American Music Awards.
Michael fu messo a capo per aiutare gli altri a fare il primo coro, così cantò come voce guida. Quincy sapeva che quella sarebbe stata una notte speciale per tutti.
[Modificato da dangerousbadgirl 13/10/2007 13:12]