A documentary titled “The Greatest Night in Pop” chronicles the events leading up to the January 25, 1985, recording of the famous song “We Are the World.” The movie offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the momentous occasion when 46 of the most well-known celebrities in the world came together to record a hit song in a single night in a Los Angeles studio1. This massive project aimed to break previous fundraising records for aiding the hunger in Africa. Produced by Bruce Eskowitz, Larry Klein, Harriet Sternberg, George Hencken2, Lionel Richie, and Julia Nottingham, the documentary is directed by Bao Nguyen. Many of the people that were present are interviewed, including Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, and Smokey Robinson. Several musicians, engineers, and production staff are also included.

Release Date of The Greatest Night in Pop

Netflix will start streaming the movie on January 29, 2024, after it had its debut on January 19, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival.

The full cast and crew of “The Greatest Night in Pop” include:

• Kim Carnes
• Sheila E. 
• Quincy Jones
• Cyndi Lauper
• Huey Lewis
• Kenny Loggins
• Steve Perry
• Ruth Pointer
• Lionel Richie
• Bruce Springsteen
• Dionne Warwick

Please note that the specific roles of the cast members are not provided in the search results. You may find more detailed information on the official Netflix site or other reliable source.

About

Production credits for The Greatest Night in Pop go to Lionel Richie, Julia Nottingham, Larry Klein, George Hencken, Bruce Eskowitz, and Harriet Sternberg. It chronicles the arduous process of writing a legendary charity song.

They put together 46 of the biggest stars in music at the time and produced an entire album in one night, which became an enormous hit. In 1985, there were no cell phones or internet to keep us all updated. The Greatest Night in Pop captures precisely that, illuminating the genuine efforts of the artists and crew responsible for creating such a tremendous success in a single evening through never-before-seen footage and anecdotes.

Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie co-wrote the iconic song, which included vocals by a wide range of performers, including Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, Smokey Robinson, and many more.

The plot 

Organizing 46 of the biggest artists in the world to record a hit song in a Los Angeles studio in a single night appeared unfeasible from a logistical standpoint (all without cell phones or email, by the way). Oh, and the motivation for this audacious undertaking? to smash financial records in order to support aid for the famine in Africa and permanently change popular culture worldwide.

Nothing at all, no pressure.

That’s exactly what occurred on January 25, 1985, during the “We Are the World” recording session. A new documentary film, “The Greatest Night in Pop,” directed by Bao Nguyen (Be Water), tells the tale of the concept, the song, and the long, crazy night in the studio with some of the most important musicians of the 20th century.

This narrative starts with a call from Harry Belafonte,” alluding to the late singer and activist’s suggestion to record a song with the top singers of the day as part of a benefit performance. “To consider how that has resonated, even forty years later, to a song that the majority of people sing today.

The film, which includes never-before-seen material, reveals how Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, who is also the film’s producer and both of whom were enjoying enormous success that year despite never having collaborated, co-wrote the now-iconic song “We Are the World.” Other well-known musicians of the day joined them thanks to their celebrity. Along with some of the musicians, engineers, and production team that helped make it happen, the film also includes interviews with many of the people who were present, such as Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis.

Quincy Jones was your production manager. Ken Kragen, the renowned entertainment manager, and his team are responsible for organising such incredible talent. According to Nguyen, the song is being written by some of the most well-known musicians of all time. They were the squad that could have brought this song to life. However, they also had a very little window of time in which to do everything once more.

Richie, Julia Nottingham, Bruce Eskowitz, Larry Klein, Harriet Sternberg, and George Hencken are the producers of The Greatest Night in Pop; Angus Wall, Amit Dey, and Becky Read serve as executive producers. The movie makes its debut on January 24 at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Summary

The Greatest Night in Pop, a film directed by Bao Nguyen, is set on January 25, 1985, in Los Angeles, and it tells the story of that historic event. Furthermore, it will explain how the organiser managed to pull off the seemingly unachievable feat of having 46 of the world’s most well-known vocalists record a song in a single evening. It’s amazing that this happened before cellphones and the internet were widely used.

Known as “USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa),” a number of legendary figures in American music wrote and recorded the song. The extraordinary sales contributed to the relief efforts during Ethiopia’s catastrophic famine that occurred between 1983 and 1985.

Trailer of The Greatest Night in Pop

The Greatest Night in Pop, a new documentary on the creation of the 1985 charity record “We Are the World,” has a trailer available on Netflix. In addition to including interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, and others, the short reveals fresh video from that tragic day in Jim Henson’s studio. Watch it down below.

The Greatest Night in Pop, directed by Bao Nguyen, tells the story of how Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie collaborated on the song “We Are the World” and put together a supergroup of musicians to play it live in a studio. Decades after the song’s premiere, it reveals fresh information about the legendary tune and features never-before-seen footage and artist interviews.

Where and When Should I Watch?

The Greatest Night in Pop will make its international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. It will be accessible on Netflix on January 29, 2024.