"We Are the World" was an all-star ensemble which was the American response to the UK's chart-topping single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid in 1984, which had similarly united many of the biggest British and Irish pop stars for the cause of Ethiopian famine relief.
The recording of the song was famous by a story about music producer Quincy Jones, who coined a term according the 45 music stars filled the studio to record it: "check your egos at the door."
The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie (with arrangements by Michael Omartian) and produced by Quincy Jones for the album We Are the World.
With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time physical singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide.
The initial shipment of 800,000 "We Are the World" records sold out within three days of release.