Page 87 - My FlipBook 1

hair carefully mussed. He let out a little laugh and tograph on the cover of The Genius of Ray Charles. “No,” Lewis said. “It’s gonna be brighter. [Singing
said, pretending to be modest, “Oh, would I?” “I said to myself, This is a good place to be in my to Springsteen] ‘It’s true, we make a brighter day.’ ”
life right at this moment,” Oates says. Wonder seemed to be the lone holdout. “Better
10:30 p.m. Jones pointed to more strips of tape on the floor has more bite,” he said.
RAY CHARLES WAS IN THE FRONT ROW. with names written on them in blue. He told every- Jackson had an idea for another change. He
He had ridden the wave through the door from one these were for the solos, which would be proposed adding some African-sounding lyrics
the anteroom into the studio, holding a Styrofoam recorded later, after they laid down the chorus. to the chorus:
coffee cup, suit jacket hanging from his shoulders, This was a little awkward. Anyone who didn’t We are the world . . . Sha-lum!
a guide at his elbow. Shuffling in like everyone else. see their name now understood that he or she had We are the children . . . Sha-lingay!
But in a room full of stars, including a half dozen not been given a solo. One piece of tape said, daryl Jackson stood before his peers and sang it him-
legends, Charles was of a higher order. hall, with stefe perry and michael jacksln on self, a cappella. Jones kind of nodded. The ensem-
Many of the participants didn’t know ahead of either side. The name of John Oates, Hall’s other ble tried it, with and without the instrumental track.
time that he would be there. They didn’t know who half, was not written on a piece of tape on the floor. Then Wonder presented the idea of singing a few
would be there—but they certainly didn’t know “I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed,” Oates lines in Swahili. A few people later said they could
Brother Ray would be there. says. “I was obviously not worthy. But at the same feel the energy getting sucked out of the room.
Lionel Richie: “When Ray came in and opened time it was cool. When Daryl and I perform together, Finally, Ray Charles, still holding a Styrofoam
his mouth, we just kinda all fell over in the corner Daryl’s the lead singer—he’s the guy. And he’s got coffee cup, his headphones around his neck, jerked
and said, ‘Wow, did you hear that? That’s Ray an amazing voice, and of course he deserved it. his head up and said to his old friend, loud enough
Charles.’ It was just brilliant.” Quincy and Lionel and Michael knew exactly what for all to hear, “Ring the bell, Quincy. Ring the bell!”
And then there was Oates—little John Oates from they were doing. You’re dealing with those three The genius had spoken. The sha-lum and Swa-
North Wales, Pennsylvania, in the middle of this pack guys, you’re dealing with guys who really know how hili ideas were put to rest. (The episode was chron-
of pop stars and rock legends, standing on the piece to make a record.” icled in great detail by journalist David Breskin for
of tape on the risers that had his name on it. He could Jones just kept talking, laying out the plan for the his excellent booklet We Are the World, published
have reached out with his left hand—right across Bob night. After the chorus, the risers would be disman- as a fundraiser soon after.)
Dylan’s head—and touched Ray Charles on his right tled and they’d do the solos. He turned and raised They took breaks, but the recording dragged on.
shoulder, the one closest to the camera in the pho- his hand to the control booth. “There was a table piled up with cold cuts—sand-
“Can I hear it, Hum?” wiches and stuff. Bruce and I kept wandering over
Humberto Gatica, the engineer, played the demo to the deli table, hitting on a beer or a sandwich,”
that Jackson, Richie, and Wonder had recorded—just Joel says. “It wasn’t like church, you know?”
those guys singing the chorus, plus every solo part. But it must be said: When the group sang together,
Some of the artists hadn’t listened to the tape Stern- hitting every note of the chorus Jackson and Richie
berg had sent, so they were hearing the tune for the had written, full volume, it felt like a new sound,
first time. And a few of them weren’t that into it. something human ears had never experienced.
Maybe more than a few. Henry Diltz was standing next to Jones, seeing it
“I don’t think anybody liked it,” Joel says. “There through his camera but hearing it with his whole
was a lot of, like, side-eye. There was a lot of look- body. “The heavenly choir,” he calls it.
ing at the other person, and I remember Cyndi Lau-
per saying, ‘It sounds like a Pepsi commercial.’ There 2:00 a.m.
was a couple of chuckles and a few grunts. That was PRINCE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
pretty much the consensus, I think. But nobody He was invited, and although he never quite con-
was gonna say, ‘I’m not doing that.’ ” firmed, he did perform at the American Music
Awards, and it was Jones’s understanding that he
11:45 p.m. was coming to the session. The great producer chose
THE LYRICS, AS WRITTEN, READ, “WE ARE THE a solo line for Prince, right after Jackson’s line—a
ones that make a better day, so let’s start giving . . .” clever juxtaposition of two artists who were reputed
But a lot of people seemed to be saying brighter to detest each other.
instead of better. “There was a spot being held for him,” says
Someone asked, “Is it brighter or better?” Sternberg, master of the attendance list. “Sheila E.
“Whichever one feels good,” Richie said. “Better was trying to get him there.”
or brighter? Brighter’s the one everybody’s leaning But Prince didn’t show. The next day, it was
to, right?” reported that he’d been hanging out at a restau-
Everyone looked at their sheet music. Paul Simon, rant, Carlos ’N Charlie’s, and that two of his body-
wearing a blazer over a checkered shirt buttoned guards had been arrested after getting in a fight with
to the neck, conferred with Tina Turner and Billy some photographers.
Joel. “Seems like they’re making a change,” he said. “I think I got Prince’s line,” Huey Lewis says.
“I think it should be brighter, all the way,” Joel said. After the chorus, Jones called Lewis over to where
“Me too. It felt like everyone was singing brighter.” Jackson was standing and said, “Smelly, sing him
Springsteen was looking at his music. “This the line.” And Jackson sang: “But if we just believe,
is brighter?” there’s no way we can faaalll.” Lewis sang it back
Huey Lewis leaned over his shoulder. “No—bet- perfectly, Jackson laughed—a tiny, Jacksonian
ter, yeah, that’s gonna be brighter now.” laugh—and Lewis smiled, raised his eyebrows, and
Springsteen: “Do I ever sing this?” said, “Can I go now?” (continued on page 92)

87 SUMMER 2020