Musicians can be a pretty wayward and fractious bunch, but when they pull together magic can happen. The star-studded official video for “We Are The World 25” shows how song can uplift spirits in the wake of a major disaster like the Haiti earthquake.
The song premiered over the weekend, one month after the devastating quake claimed the lives of an estimated 200,000 people in Haiti.
Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and Janet Jackson headed the all-star cast and appeared in the cover of the original 1985 single, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
The seven-minute video opens with footage of the devastation then pans to pop sensation Justin Bieber.
Also featured are Jennifer Hudson and Nicole Scherzinger, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Fergie. Josh Groban, LL Cool J, Nick Jonas, Lil Wayne, Jeff Bridges, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Wyclef Jean.
The video was broadcast on NBC during the Olympics and Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, introduced it.
“Twenty-five years ago Quincy Jones gathered an amazing group of artists and musicians to create ‘We Are the World.’ I’m so proud to be able to share a new version of that song, said Foxx,who also appears in the video,” he said.
The late Michael Jackson also appears in a taped segment, while sister Janet sings the new version.
To download We Are the World 25, visit iTunes. All proceeds will benefit earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti.
Keith Girard four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written one book on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War.