Twenty-five years ago

On Jan. 25, 1985, a group of some of the largest entertainers at the time came together in a recording studio to record a song.

That song was released in early March that year and reached No. 1 in eight countries.

"We are the World," was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. It was produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian.

The single featured solo performances by Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles.

Additional support came from several performers, including Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Waylon Jennings, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne and Smokey Robinson, and many more.

The entertainers named the supergroup USA for Africa. Proceeds from the song went to aid and generated more than $10 million only four months after the original song was released.,

Richie and Jones recently announced a new recording of the song was in the works and all proceeds from the new version would be donated to Haiti relief.

According to some reports, the recording process will commence Feb. 1.

Several entertainers have already been linked to the new version, including Usher, Natalie Cole, John Legend and Alicia Keyes.

Several performers came together last week for "Hope for Haiti," an organized telethon that appeared on practically every television station.

Artists taking part included Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and the Edge from U2, Beyonce, Madonna, Springsteen, and more.

Currently, the "Hope for Haiti Now" CD is available for purchase on iTunes.

It will be interesting to see how many performers sign on to re-record "We are the World."

It's just as odd to realize the original song was released to the public almost 25 years ago.

The song was recorded in similar fashion as "Do They Know It's Christmas?" a song written by Geldof and Midge Ure and recorded in 1984 to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Both songs feature several artists trading vocal lines back and forth before all of the artists come together to sing the chorus in unison. Incidentally, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" has been re-recorded two different times to continue raising money.