New Netflix 'We Are the World' documentary!!

Yeah, that’s what I thought initially. However, to be fair, I now think the tape presented during the deposition was recorded after the demo. Why?

Because, on that tape Michael can be heard singing many of the lyrics which ended up on the final version, which were not present on the demo version. Furthermore, Michael’s account of what happened is that he went into the studio, recorded what he had written, and then presented it to Richie.

So, there was no writing session with Richie before the initial demo was recorded, which certainly makes sense. I’m not one to strip away credit from Michael with pleasure, trust me, but in cases such as this one it seems plausible that there is some truth in Barnes’ claims.
That's kinda jumping to conclusions, even if the tape was recorded after the demo, that does not prove barnes is telling the truth. It could simply mean that the lawyers used the wrong tape or incorrectly assumed the tape was a demo. People make mistakes, even Michael could have been genuinely mistaken, almost 10 years had passed, he was stressed out and dealing with a drug addition during that deposition.

Why would Michael go through such great lengths just to steal a bridge from Barnes and make a fake tape?? It's not like he never gave Barnes credit for songs he worked on, because he did give him credit. And if Barnes was just okay with having his bridge stolen why would Michael even need to make a fake tape? it doesn't make sense.

Barnes should not have waited until Michael was dead to try and claim credit for something. i don't care what anyone says. I will never support people who make claims after a person is unable to defend themselves. It's unethical and shady.
 
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The “demo” always sounded to me like it was recorded during the dangerous era. Also Michael didn’t come up with the “sha-la” until the day of the session which angered people.
For what reason? Why would he do that?

Could it be that it was originally there, but was taken out by lionel/quincy and then added back at the last minute? SImilar to the soft horn part that is present in the The girl is mind demo that he said wasn't used in the final song.

i mean there are other possibilities that don't require you to come up with conspiracy like theories.
 
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That's kinda jumping to conclusions, even if the tape was recorded after the demo, that does not prove barnes is telling the truth. It could simply mean that the lawyers used the wrong tape or incorrectly assumed the tape was a demo. People make mistakes, even Michael could have been genuinely mistaken, almost 10 years had passed, he was stressed out and dealing with a drug addition during that deposition.

Why would Michael go through such great lengths just to steal a bridge from Barnes and make a fake tape?? It's not like he never gave Barnes credit for songs he worked on, because he did give him credit. And if Barnes was just okay with having his bridge stolen why would Michael even need to make a fake tape? it doesn't make sense.

Barnes should not have waited until Michael was dead to try and claim credit for something. i don't care what anyone says. I will never support people who make claims after a person is unable to defend themselves. It's unethical and shady.
When Michael was asked if he was writing any portion of the song on the tape, he answered “not really” and that he and Lionel were merely “goofing off”. Clearly then, if also taken into consideration the fact that the tape was recorded after the demo had already been recorded, the tape is not a songwriting session. What the purpose of the tape could have been was for them to flesh out the lyrics some more.

Michael’s demo had some quite unfinished and rudimentary lyrics. Perhaps that is where most of Lionel’s contribution came into play, rather than for the melody and music of the song, which may be the reason why people have credited Michael most for the writing of the song. Thus, the tape is obviously not fake. No one is saying that.

What it isn’t though is a songwriting tape, akin to the The Girl Is Mine tape presented during the same deposition, where Michael was actually writing and composing the song on the spot. With regards to Barnes, he has never come across to me as someone who expects to receive undue credit, and frankly he has always been extremely positive about Michael and his creative process. Talking about how Michael would dictate to him what he wanted to hear on a song, just like Buxer has claimed.

He has also never really given a lot of interviews and, as far as I know, has only once ever mentioned the We Are The World story, even then brushing it off and not really wanting to talk about it a whole lot. So, I’m not saying one should definitely believe him, but to me he seems a credible person overall. Greg Phillinganes is another person, who has gone through a similar experience with Don’t Stop Til’ You Get Enough. Yet he has proof that he was snubbed. So it’s not like it has never happened before.

As you say, it’s very hard to know for sure nearly 40 years later, and I agree with you that many people who make claims after someone’s death shouldn’t be supported. One must, however, first see what the context of these claims is and what they are.
 
When Michael was asked if he was writing any portion of the song on the tape, he answered “not really” and that he and Lionel were merely “goofing off”. Clearly then, if also taken into consideration the fact that the tape was recorded after the demo had already been recorded, the tape is not a songwriting session. What the purpose of the tape could have been was for them to flesh out the lyrics some more.

Michael’s demo had some quite unfinished and rudimentary lyrics. Perhaps that is where most of Lionel’s contribution came into play, rather than for the melody and music of the song, which may be the reason why people have credited Michael most for the writing of the song. Thus, the tape is obviously not fake. No one is saying that.

What it isn’t though is a songwriting tape, akin to the The Girl Is Mine tape presented during the same deposition, where Michael was actually writing and composing the song on the spot. With regards to Barnes, he has never come across to me as someone who expects to receive undue credit, and frankly he has always been extremely positive about Michael and his creative process. Talking about how Michael would dictate to him what he wanted to hear on a song, just like Buxer has claimed.

He has also never really given a lot of interviews and, as far as I know, has only once ever mentioned the We Are The World story, even then brushing it off and not really wanting to talk about it a whole lot. So, I’m not saying one should definitely believe him, but to me he seems a credible person overall. Greg Phillinganes is another person, who has gone through a similar experience with Don’t Stop Til’ You Get Enough. Yet he has proof that he was snubbed. So it’s not like it has never happened before.

As you say, it’s very hard to know for sure nearly 40 years later, and I agree with you that many people who make claims after someone’s death shouldn’t be supported. One must, however, first see what the context of these claims is and what they are.
How was gregg snubbed??? He was given a arranger credit which is what he deserved. The bridge he made is not his own original piece of music. Without Michael's song he never would have come up with it. it's built off of Michael's melody.

His name should not be right next to Michael's on DSTYGE so people give him half the credit on a song that 98% Michael's own composition. I am so glad Michael changed his mind about the credit, because people would now believe it was mostly Gregs song if he hadn't. The problem is Michael is too nice and too humble. He should have never offered him a song writing credit in the first place, that was his only mistake and Im glad he had the guts to correct it.

Eddie Van halen didn't get writing credit for his Beat it solo, and he didn't ask for one because he knows playing a solo doesn't make you the writer of the song.
 
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I forgot that every collaborator that says they contributed to something is lying.
This is a straw man argument against me.

I never said that.

I said people who said one thing or nothing at all before Michael's death and another thing after his death are most likely lying or at best embellishing. And I stand by that.
 
He was gregg snubbed??? He was given a arranger credit which is what he deserved. The bridge he made is not his own original piece of music. Without Michael's song he never would have come up with it. it's built off of Michael's melody.

His name should not be right next to Michael's on DSTYGE so people give him half the credit on a song that 98% Michael's own composition. I am so glad Michael changed his mind about the credit, because people would now believe it was mostly Gregs song if he hadn't. The problem is Michael is too nice and too humble. He should have never offered him a song writing credit in the first place, that was his only mistake and Im glad he had the guts to correct it.

Eddie Van halen didn't get writing credit for his Beat it solo, and he didn't ask for one because he knows playing a solo doesn't make you the writer of the song.

The first pressings of the single Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough had Greg's name on it as co-writer. Greg showed the contract that said he got 10% of the songwriting credits, for composing the bridge. We can discuss endlessly whether that was a deserved credit or not. But offering someone a contract with a deal and then reversing that decision, really counts as 'snubbing'.
 
I said people who said one thing or nothing at all before Michael's death and another thing after his death are most likely lying or at best embellishing. And I stand by that.
This is still an absolutely ridiculous blanket statement lol.
 
Eddie Van halen didn't get writing credit for his Beat it solo, and he didn't ask for one because he knows playing a solo doesn't make you the writer of the song.
Anybody can be credited for a song if they get registered at the copyright office in the USA.. Many Lennon/McCartney songs were written separately, they just made a deal to credit each other. Some bands give every member of the group credit whether a particular member helped or not. Ghostwriters do not get any credit at all. They get a flat fee and no royalties, as "work for hire". The song is credited to someone else who gets the royalties. Early in B.B. King's career, the Bihari brothers (who ran his label) put their names on his songs as co-writers. B.B. did not like this, but couldn't do anything about it. Colonel Parker had it set up that songwriters had to give 50% of the credit or publishing to Elvis Presley. Some refused to do this like Dolly Parton, so Elvis couldn't record I Will Always Love You. In modern times it's common for a singer to change a couple of words and get a credit. Sometimes writers decline credit for various reasons. In the 1970s on some of his songs, James Brown put his then under 10 year old daughters name on them instead of his to get around the taxman. That later came to backfire on him, because as an adult, one of the daughters sued James for unpaid royalties.
 
The first pressings of the single Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough had Greg's name on it as co-writer. Greg showed the contract that said he got 10% of the songwriting credits, for composing the bridge. We can discuss endlessly whether that was a deserved credit or not. But offering someone a contract with a deal and then reversing that decision, really counts as 'snubbing'.
If it was able to be changed, then clearly the contract was not set in stone.

And I just said I agree Michael shouldn't have offered him the 10% but I still say he made the right decision. If he he allowed it. Greg would now be claiming he wrote most of DSTYGE and people would believe it.

Michael made the right decision for his legacy.
 
Elvis Presley getting writing credits and/or 50% publishing, when he never wrote a song in his life, was good for "The King's" legacy. 😂
I could care less about Elvis.

Michael was/is treated more like Elvis forgotten songwriters than elvis himself. People try to downplay his talent and writing skills every chance they get, whilst Elvis and the beatles are elevated even though they stole all sorts of things. They get to stay on their pedestals with little effort.
 
I could care less about Elvis.

Michael was/is treated more like Elvis forgotten songwriters than elvis himself. People try to downplay his talent and writing skills every chance they get, whilst Elvis and the beatles are elevated even though they stole all sorts of things. They get to stay on their pedestals with little effort.
Here's a good example

When Prince wrote the song Kiss he wrote it using just an acoustic guitar. It was his band that took what he did and helped shape it into the song we all know today. But I don't see people accusing Prince of not giving credit.

That's not an attack on Prince btw. I'm just pointed out that people are so quick to accuse Michael of not giving songwriting credits to people when the same thing could be said about other artists as well.
 
If it was able to be changed, then clearly the contract was not set in stone.

And I just said I agree Michael shouldn't have offered him the 10% but I still say he made the right decision. If he he allowed it. Greg would now be claiming he wrote most of DSTYGE and people would believe it.

Michael made the right decision for his legacy.
Hell naw. I don't think Greg is that type of person at all....
 

As announced on January 5, the documentary about “We Are The World” called “The Greatest Night in Pop” has premiered last night at Sundance film festival.

Netflix executives and the cast and crew of “The Greatest Night In Pop” attended the Special Screening during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 19, 2024 in Park City, Utah.

While the key narrative is done by Richie, Michael Jackson fans will be pleased to know that there are unseen footage of Michael. Especially when Richie and Jackson wrote the song at Michael’s house.

Also we will see Michael singing the song ACapella before the other stars arrives.

2024-sundance-film-festival-the-greatest-night-in-pop-special-screening.webp

We will have to wait until January 29 to all see it on Netflix!

 

As announced on January 5, the documentary about “We Are The World” called “The Greatest Night in Pop” has premiered last night at Sundance film festival.
Netflix executives and the cast and crew of “The Greatest Night In Pop” attended the Special Screening during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 19, 2024 in Park City, Utah.



Director Bao Nguyen and Lionel Richie were at the center of the attention and reviews have started to flow in and are all very positive.
As expected, the documentary is about putting together all the greatest artists at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood on January 21, 1985 after the American Music Awards that night.
It seems that Nguyen managed to keep a sort of interest by showcasing few dramatic moments and stories such as trying to get Prince on the project, or Cindy Lauper’s jewelry incident or few walk outs.
While the key narrative is done by Richie, Michael Jackson fans will be pleased to know that there are unseen footage of Michael. Especially when Richie and Jackson wrote the song at Michael’s house.
Also we will see Michael singing the song ACapella before the other stars arrives.
We will have to wait until January 29 to all see it on Netflix!
Until then, here the trailer again:
 

I’m not in Sundance. Netflix kindly sent me a link to Bao Nguyen’s “The Greatest Night in Pop” which is — I am sure — getting a huge, loud standing ovation right now at its premiere. The documentary of how the song “We Are the World” was made 39 years this coming week is incredibly entertaining and will leave you in tears. For people my age approximately, who saw this come together, you realize we have already reached the pinnacle of popular music in our time.

Even if you think you know this story, Nguyen and the producers have unearthed a lot of rare, unseen archival footage including Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson writing the song together.

So this is the story of how Lionel Richie’s manager, the late Ken Kragen– inspired by Bob Geldof — came up with the idea of creating a superstar single to shed light on the massive famine in Ethopia and other parts of the world. The year was 1985, which some might argue was the high water mark for the soundtrack of our lives. As Richie recalls in the film, they immediately called Stevie Wonder to help write the song. He was unreachable, so Richie and Quincy Jones, who’d just made three titanic albums with Michael Jackson,. went to the King of Pop to co-write the song. Jackson was then still clear, cogent, unmarked by too much eccentricity despite having a menagerie at his parents’ home including Bubbles the chimp and a hissing snake. Jackson fans will absolutely revel in their star’s appearance and magnificent vocals in this film.

The idea was to corral as many huge stars for a one night only recording session in Hollywood after the American Music Awards — which Richie was hosting. So Lionel was co-writing the song, helping Quincy and Michael organize the recording, and working all that night on stage. This was a time when the AMAs were important enough that A listers all showed up. So bringing them over to A&M Studios seemed like the best idea. No assistants or publicists were allowed, just a film crew. And around 46 superstars.


Ngyuen builds a dramatic story that many people will remember, but does it in such a way that that feels like a cliffhanger. Stevie shows up at last and becomes sort of an underboss in the process, guiding icons like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon through the process. At one point someone remembers that he walked Ray Charles to the bathroom. “It was literally the blind leading the blind.” We do get to see the famous moment when Cyndi Lauper’s’ jewelry was found to be clanging while she sang, which gave everyone a good laugh.

Stevie also wants to include some kind of indigenous language in the song. He suggests Swahili, which sends country star Waylon Jennings out the door, never to return. But the rest of the gang persists even they’re dog tired. Famously, Quincy posted a sign that read “Check Your Egos at the Door,” and that’s what everyone did — even gifted drummer Sheila E., who says in the film she was happy to be there but felt like they were using her to lure Prince to the studio. (He never showed up.)

Kragen formed a charity called USA for Africa, which went on to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Ethiopia. Many similar groups and songs followed including Live Aid and Farm Aid. There were so many charity singles with singing stars that eventually “Saturday Night Live” did their own parodies. In 2010, I attended the 25th anniversary recording, that featured Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Adam Levine, Rob Thomas and many others. It was a very moving experience. But nothing compares to this original historic moment.

Much will be made of the stars — Tina Turner, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Bruce Springsteen, Al Jarreau, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, etc — each at the peak of their vocal powers. But it’s up to Lionel Richie — who has survived Kragen and Jackson — to tell the story. And Quincy Jones, who one player praises not only for orchestrating the whole thing but also “being a psychiatrist.” It’s Quincy who weaves this spellbinding night into a piece of lasting art.

“The Greatest Night in Pop” premieres on Netflix on January 29th. Younger audiences will learn a lot about what the music industry was in its glory. For a people of a certain age, who remember a lot of this, seeing everyone so young will make this experience ever so much more bittersweet.
 
Here's a good example

When Prince wrote the song Kiss he wrote it using just an acoustic guitar. It was his band that took what he did and helped shape it into the song we all know today. But I don't see people accusing Prince of not giving credit.

That's not an attack on Prince btw. I'm just pointed out that people are so quick to accuse Michael of not giving songwriting credits to people when the same thing could be said about other artists as well.
Kelley seems bitter and a bit angry at everything , I wouldn't worry.
 

As announced on January 5, the documentary about “We Are The World” called “The Greatest Night in Pop” has premiered last night at Sundance film festival.

Netflix executives and the cast and crew of “The Greatest Night In Pop” attended the Special Screening during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 19, 2024 in Park City, Utah.

While the key narrative is done by Richie, Michael Jackson fans will be pleased to know that there are unseen footage of Michael. Especially when Richie and Jackson wrote the song at Michael’s house.

Also we will see Michael singing the song ACapella before the other stars arrives.

2024-sundance-film-festival-the-greatest-night-in-pop-special-screening.webp

We will have to wait until January 29 to all see it on Netflix!

“there are unseen footage of Michael” 🤔
 

As announced on January 5, the documentary about “We Are The World” called “The Greatest Night in Pop” has premiered last night at Sundance film festival.
Netflix executives and the cast and crew of “The Greatest Night In Pop” attended the Special Screening during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 19, 2024 in Park City, Utah.



Director Bao Nguyen and Lionel Richie were at the center of the attention and reviews have started to flow in and are all very positive.
As expected, the documentary is about putting together all the greatest artists at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood on January 21, 1985 after the American Music Awards that night.
It seems that Nguyen managed to keep a sort of interest by showcasing few dramatic moments and stories such as trying to get Prince on the project, or Cindy Lauper’s jewelry incident or few walk outs.
While the key narrative is done by Richie, Michael Jackson fans will be pleased to know that there are unseen footage of Michael. Especially when Richie and Jackson wrote the song at Michael’s house.
Also we will see Michael singing the song ACapella before the other stars arrives.
We will have to wait until January 29 to all see it on Netflix!
Until then, here the trailer again:
“there are unseen footage of Michael” 😠
 

I’m not in Sundance. Netflix kindly sent me a link to Bao Nguyen’s “The Greatest Night in Pop” which is — I am sure — getting a huge, loud standing ovation right now at its premiere. The documentary of how the song “We Are the World” was made 39 years this coming week is incredibly entertaining and will leave you in tears. For people my age approximately, who saw this come together, you realize we have already reached the pinnacle of popular music in our time.

Even if you think you know this story, Nguyen and the producers have unearthed a lot of rare, unseen archival footage including Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson writing the song together.

So this is the story of how Lionel Richie’s manager, the late Ken Kragen– inspired by Bob Geldof — came up with the idea of creating a superstar single to shed light on the massive famine in Ethopia and other parts of the world. The year was 1985, which some might argue was the high water mark for the soundtrack of our lives. As Richie recalls in the film, they immediately called Stevie Wonder to help write the song. He was unreachable, so Richie and Quincy Jones, who’d just made three titanic albums with Michael Jackson,. went to the King of Pop to co-write the song. Jackson was then still clear, cogent, unmarked by too much eccentricity despite having a menagerie at his parents’ home including Bubbles the chimp and a hissing snake. Jackson fans will absolutely revel in their star’s appearance and magnificent vocals in this film.

The idea was to corral as many huge stars for a one night only recording session in Hollywood after the American Music Awards — which Richie was hosting. So Lionel was co-writing the song, helping Quincy and Michael organize the recording, and working all that night on stage. This was a time when the AMAs were important enough that A listers all showed up. So bringing them over to A&M Studios seemed like the best idea. No assistants or publicists were allowed, just a film crew. And around 46 superstars.


Ngyuen builds a dramatic story that many people will remember, but does it in such a way that that feels like a cliffhanger. Stevie shows up at last and becomes sort of an underboss in the process, guiding icons like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon through the process. At one point someone remembers that he walked Ray Charles to the bathroom. “It was literally the blind leading the blind.” We do get to see the famous moment when Cyndi Lauper’s’ jewelry was found to be clanging while she sang, which gave everyone a good laugh.

Stevie also wants to include some kind of indigenous language in the song. He suggests Swahili, which sends country star Waylon Jennings out the door, never to return. But the rest of the gang persists even they’re dog tired. Famously, Quincy posted a sign that read “Check Your Egos at the Door,” and that’s what everyone did — even gifted drummer Sheila E., who says in the film she was happy to be there but felt like they were using her to lure Prince to the studio. (He never showed up.)

Kragen formed a charity called USA for Africa, which went on to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Ethiopia. Many similar groups and songs followed including Live Aid and Farm Aid. There were so many charity singles with singing stars that eventually “Saturday Night Live” did their own parodies. In 2010, I attended the 25th anniversary recording, that featured Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Adam Levine, Rob Thomas and many others. It was a very moving experience. But nothing compares to this original historic moment.

Much will be made of the stars — Tina Turner, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Bruce Springsteen, Al Jarreau, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, etc — each at the peak of their vocal powers. But it’s up to Lionel Richie — who has survived Kragen and Jackson — to tell the story. And Quincy Jones, who one player praises not only for orchestrating the whole thing but also “being a psychiatrist.” It’s Quincy who weaves this spellbinding night into a piece of lasting art.

“The Greatest Night in Pop” premieres on Netflix on January 29th. Younger audiences will learn a lot about what the music industry was in its glory. For a people of a certain age, who remember a lot of this, seeing everyone so young will make this experience ever so much more bittersweet.
“Quincy Jones, who’d just made three titanic albums with Michael Jackson” 😡
 
Does anyone know if the standard Netflix Subscription will do? I ask since certain shows aren't always available pending subscription. I'm starting to miss the old cable days. I'm tired of multiple entertainment subscriptions for $14.99. Which reminds me, I need to cancel Paramount TV soon, lol. I had to get that for the Thriller 40 doc.
 
Does anyone know if the standard Netflix Subscription will do? I ask since certain shows aren't always available pending subscription. I'm starting to miss the old cable days. I'm tired of multiple entertainment subscriptions for $14.99. Which reminds me, I need to cancel Paramount TV soon, lol. I had to get that for the Thriller 40 doc.
Netflix content (shows & movies) remains the same on each subscription type. There's "standard with ads", exactly how it sounds. "Standard", and "Premium", which has the content in 4K.
 
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