‘We Are the World’ turns 40 with special release: How to listen

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Published  November 24, 2025 10:58am CST
FOX Local

Image: Black Box Media Agency

The Brief

    • "We Are The World" turns 40 this year, and has been re-mastered and re-released to celebrate the anniversary.
    • The song is one of the most iconic songs in music history, bringing together more than 40 of the era’s most celebrated music artists.
    • The song served as a 1985 charity single for African famine relief.

One of the most iconic songs in music history turns 40 this year – and has been re-mastered and re-released to celebrate the occasion. 

‘We Are the World’

The backstory:

The song, written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, served as a 1985 charity single for African famine relief and featured more than 40 of the era’s most celebrated music artists. 

Stars such as Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen crammed into a Los Angeles recording studio for an all-night session hoping to make music history. 

FILE - Music and movie stars sing 'We Are The World', a song written to benefit famine victims in Ethiopia, 28th January 1985. Among them: Al Jarreau, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Cindy Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, James Ingram, Bob Dylan, Dionne Warwi …

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By the numbers:

The song became the fastest-selling record in music industry history and a worldwide phenomenon, raising over $100 million for humanitarian aid and shining an international spotlight on the Ethiopian famine.

RELATED: 'We Are the World': New Netflix documentary chronicles the making of music history

Re-mastered and re-released

Presently:

The song has been re-mastered and re-released in honor of its 40th anniversary, with spatial and high-resolution audio.

The re-release serves as a tribute to the groundbreaking collaboration of artists and an industry whose collective effort created a legacy unlike any other in music history. 

Here’s where you can listen. 

Also:

Last year, a new documentary was released on Netflix that chronicled the song’s making and the night it all came together. 

"The Greatest Night in Pop" is streaming now on Netflix. 

The Source: Information in this article was taken from a press release from Black Box Media Agency about the song’s re-release. Background information was taken from previous FOX Television Station reporting. This story was written from Detroit.

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