Chinese stars collaborate on a version of "We Are the World" to aid 2008 earthquake victims.
We were working in China just weeks after the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake and witnessed a phenomena that was both poignant and interesting from an intellectual property standpoint.
The Sichuan earthquake — also known as the Wenchuan earthquake The Sichuan earthquake, also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (川大地震 Wènchuān dà dìzhèn) was a deadly 8.0 quakethat rocked the Sichuan province killing at least 68,000 people, left hundreds of thoussands injured, and nearly 5 million people homeless. With an epicenter 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, it was a shallow quake (just 19 kilometres (12 mi) deep) and thus manifested tremendous destructive energy at the surface.
Viewed from Beijing, the country’s internal media attention seemed split between coverage of accelerating preparations for the upcoming Olympic games and coverage of the devastating quake. Deeply moving coverage of collapsed schools and distraught parents (especially in a one-child system) was tempered by stories of parents who lost children adopted orphans created by the quake. It was an act of self-reliance mirrored by China’s acceptance of only limited forms of outside aid.
To be sure, China’s self-reliant policy was self-serving toward its overall policy of tightly controlling both its external and internal exposure to the West. However, the Chinese response was nonetheless moving and admirable.
Coverage of the quake was also periodically interrupted by what was obviously an internal appeal for relief funds –a musical appeal using the 1985 song We are the World with lyircs in Mandarin. Although it is possible that rights to the song were waived by its IP owners, it was interesting that there was no mention of the English language version. In fact, the song was specifically touted as “new” and composed especially for the earthquake rescue and relief effort. The intended artistic appeal was clearly similar, with perhaps the most significant difference being the youth of the Chinese stars — an array of Chinese rock and pop stars — being the most significant change from the multi-generational array in the original USA for Africa version.
We Are the World was, of course the song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and co-produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the charity USA for Africa. IIRC there was also an album by the same name. Although garning mixed reviews from music critics, the single gathered a diverse array of many of the most famous recording artists of the time and topped music charts around the world and won several Grammy awards. It was the first single go hit multi-platinum as measured by the Recording Industry Association of America.
To date the song has sold more than 20 million copies and raised more than $60 million U.S. dollars for humanitarian aid in Africa. Our personal memories centered on the brief solo by Willie Nelson — but you have to admire any production that can bring together Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles singing in chorus.
I snapped up my cell phone to capture a few flickering images of the Chinese campaign and version of the song.
[Lerner & Lerner / LernerMedia archives]
Update: Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, an authorized remake of We Are the World was used to raise funds to assist the Haitian people.
We Are The World 25 For Haiti – Official Video
