I love 80's nostalgia as much as the next person, and have fond memories of watching the "We Are The World" video countless times during 1985, but "The Greatest Night in Pop" seems ... needlessly ghoulish and insensitive? Doesn't this all but glorify famine and recast a very real humanitarian disaster as a moment of triumph for smug and rich music stars? Devoid of all relevant context, as a casual viewer I would think "good thing for those millions of starving Africans, because it paved the way for a generation of music stars to reach the pinnacle of their profession". Really, mass starvation was a necessary condition in order for pop music to produce its finest ever night?
For Lionel Richie, it really was a singular night -- he hosted the AMA's, won all the big awards, and was a key architect behind WATW. Obviously he participated with the best intentions, and still seems awed by the magnitude of what he did (and pays touching tribute to those who have since passed away, in particular Michael Jackson). It's the overarching, editing and directorial "best night ever!!" decision making that is at fault, not the first hand takes of the musicians. Bruce Springsteen downplays his role and says very little, like it was just another day at the office, a good deed for a worthy cause. As it happens, later that year he appeared on a record with an even better collection of talent ("Sun City").
The best moment of the documentary had nothing to do with WATW (the song), it was the wholly spontaneous version of "Day O" to honour Harry Belafonte.
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