Rated PG-13, 96 min.
Director: Bao Nguyen
Featuring: Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, and Kenny Loggins
Music lovers have been spoiled over the last decade with documentaries. From finding a South African phenom in SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN to getting close to stardom in 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, music docs have matured beyond the likes of VH1’s Behind the Music. But when the subject revolves around a singular musical moment/event, even the most passionate music lover has to wonder how many notes (stories) can be strummed before it starts to sound like a broken record.
THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, which transports us to the night “We Are the World” was recorded, could have easily been a 90-minute mediocre puff piece full of talking heads and anecdotes about the famous night. It does head that direction, taking us through its genesis of the song – Harry Belafonte’s humanitarian efforts in Africa and a call for support – and Bob Geldof masterminding the supergroup Band Aid and its recording of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Then, it concentrates on the details of the massive undertaking of writing the song, corralling most of the top music artists of the moment, and the confluence of creating magic out of chaos.
The documentary has no twists or turns in unspooling the song’s creation. It’s a straightforward account of the weeks leading up to and the night of the recording. Any controversy comes at the expense of personality conflicts and attitudes, including Al Jarreau being blitzed and Waylon Jennings’s disagreement with Stevie Wonder. During the recording session, Wonder tried incorporating Swahili into the song, to which Jennings objected. Upon leaving the recording studio, Jennings remarked, “No good old boy sings in Swahili.” What could have been a juicy morsel of controversy for the documentary is instead a blunt statement of fact. If artists are uncomfortable singing in another language and have it come across as distasteful, then the best practice is to avoid it altogether.
In reflection, it is karma to have Wonder’s addition to “We Are the World” be rejected. He was supposed to help write the song along with Lionel Richie, who was already preparing to host and perform at the American Music Awards, and Michael Jackson. But Wonder never returned Richie’s phone calls, and when he finally did, it was too late for lyrics.
To fully appreciate the success of “We Are the World” is to watch music producer Quincy Jones control the recording suite at A&M Studios. The archival footage is a gold mine of the master at work. Together with entertainment manager Ken Kragen, who used the timing of the AMAs as a perfect opportunity to get most of the artists at the event to come to the studio, Jones goes through an exhaustive set-up process. From deciding where the artists will stand (which is more involved than planning a wedding reception) to who will perform the solos, it’s like trying to arrange the best choir imaginable. For the forty-six artists participating, associate producer Tom Bahler had the colossal task of organizing the solos. He listened to every singer and matched each solo with the right voice.
Planning and organizing didn’t come easy. I was expecting Lalo Schifrin’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme to pop in as demo tapes and instructions were mailed to artists in mass (with the A&M Studios address blacked out to prevent being leaked to the media). Some artists were asked to participate and share their experiences in new interviews. Lionel Richie and Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, and Kenny Loggins are the primary contributors.
So much talent in a single space, Richie nails the atmosphere describing it as the “first day of kindergarten.” As the artists walked into the studio, Jones had a sign posted above offering one piece of advice: “Check your egos at the door.” The overnight session is a musical marathon as energy comes and goes as the minutes and hours elapse. Bob Dylan, mouth closed and looking out of place when other artists are singing high octaves, is dwarfed by his contemporaries. Even during his solo rehearsal and assurances from Jones and Richie, Dylan isn’t pleased with his vocals.
The Bob Dylan moment and other turns – like the possibility of Prince joining the group after Shelia E. volunteered – are highlights in offering irritations, even if they’re just minor scratches. Considering I felt Bao Nguyen’s previous documentary, BE WATER, played as a safe hagiography about Bruce Lee, some discomfort is essential to the creative process.
With THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, Nguyen does what music fans expect of the pop stars they idolize. He sticks to the essentials of what made “We Are the World” such a smashing success, presenting the plan, the execution, and the succeeding result of the charity single.
Grade: B
