Je’Leycia Procter

Mr. Flores

ENG 1201

4 February 2022

We Are the World.

“We are the world, We are the children, We are the ones who make a brighter day, so

let's start giving.” This line is the line that the message is solely derived from. When all of the

artists sang this song it was in a studio. The first version of We Are the World was released in

1985, the artists in this song were people that were popular during that time. The second version

was released in 2010, and just like the original, these artists were popular and changed the vibe

of the song for newer generations. These songs send the same messages but have different styles

in order for them to be received. While both of these songs have the same message, the first one

is geared toward the generation of people during 1985, while the second one is geared toward

generations who come after, but they both are being used to show people it is good to help

others.

We Are the World(1986) was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson. This song

was recorded to raise awareness and money for the famine in Africa. The song was produced

overnight and the group of singers ended up being called U.S.A for Africa. The remake of We

Are the World, which was written in 2010, has a lot of the same words except for the rap that

was added at the end of the song. It had a variety of younger singers and rappers that performed

in it. These songs are being used to tell people to help others when they are in need because not

everyone can just ask for it willingly.

 As stated in the first and second paragraphs, both of these songs were written with the

intention of raising money for Africa and showing people that they should help others when they

need it most. Another line they sing is “Oh, send them your heart, So they know that someone

cares…And so we all must lend a helping hand”(U.S.A. of Africa). This line shows that they

want people to help others so they know they aren’t alone in their situations. This shows that

they can help others with their problems and they will know that everything is okay. They are

trying to show that giving others a helping hand isn’t a problem and hopefully it inspires others

to help out. This line is them saying that helping people shows that others care even if they have

never met them in person or online.

At this point, you can see the difference in the videos. In the first version, it doesn’t show

much visual evidence for the issues in Africa. But in the second one, they showed different

videos of Haiti, the children and many families. The second video gives more evidence as to why

they should spread awareness for other countries. These short clips inserted in different parts of

the video continuously show the reason why they are singing these songs. In the first video, there

is nothing showing the cause except for the name of the group of singers, U.S.A. of Africa. The

second video brings more awareness so younger people can understand what is going on in

Africa and Haiti and what they should do to help others, which makes this one more informative.

In both of these videos, you see different generations of people. In the first one, you have

Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and others. But in the

second one, you have Usher, Janet Jackson, Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, and other singers from

this time. In 1985, they put some of the best singers that they could get short notice to sing this

song and put it out immediately. Using these specific voices helped get the message out to the

rest of America and people who would actually listen because they were familiar and liked by
most. This was the same for the second group in 2010, except they put their own twist on things.

Both of these songs were trying to get to people in general, although the second one song was

used to influence the younger generation as well, more than the older generation since they are

the future.

Both of these videos used pathos to get their point across. The first group sang their song

in hopes that their point would get across. The second version added videos and detail, although

their living conditions were not the best, they were happy, possibly because they got a little bit of

help. Like the original they used their words, singing voices, raps and adlibs to get people to

understand the message they are trying to send.

The audiences for these videos are the younger generation, people who are more

fortunate, live in better areas, and people who can or are willing to help. Since the younger

generation is the future this video would specifically be pointed toward them. There is also the

possibility that they wanted to show people who were more fortunate that they could use their

money and other things for good and help people who need it. Then people who are willing to

help are being spoken to through these videos as well because they want to do it. What they are

singing about and what they are showing can motivate them to help someone else.

These videos are the same but very different. They are all making the same claim that

you should help people when they need it. In the chorus, they said, “There's a choice we're

making. We're saving our own lives, It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me”(U.S.A. of

Africa). This shows that with the help of others, they can make a difference for the people in

Africa. They both try to send messages with the voices that they believe would benefit them in

the best ways and singers that people would understand. The second version is obviously more

updated and sends a stronger message with the visual evidence that is added in.
 Works Cited

“U.S.A. For Africa - We Are the World(Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by

USAforAfricaVEVO, 12 April 2010, https://youtu.be/9AjkUyX0rVw.

“We Are The World 25 For Haiti - Official Video.” Youtube, uploaded by wearetheworld, 12

February 2010, https://youtu.be/Glny4jSciVI.