Today's episode is about "The Greatest Night in Pop", a 2024 Netflix doc about the making of "We Are the World", directed by Bao Nguyen.

The move has two acts - Act 1 is a heist film-style tick-tock about how the concept came together at the behest of Harry Belafonte, the song got written despite Stevie Wonder ghosting Lionel Richie, and the Avengers of 80s Pop was assembled just in time for the recording.

Act 2 has us in the room during one very long night as Quincy Jones triest to wrangle several dozen superstars and capture performances from everyone from an eager Huey Lewis to a truly miserable Bob Dylan.

Plus: how Sheila E was unsuccessfully used by the producers as a honeypot to get Prince to the recording, why Waylon Jennings muttered, "ain't no good old boy ever sung in Swahili", Diana Ross' unexpected moment of sweetness, and much much more.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts
 
Twitter: @RockDocsPod
 
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Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt