1985年7月13日，名為“拯救生命”的大型搖滾樂演唱會在英國倫敦和美國費城同時舉行。13日中午，演唱會先在倫敦威姆布萊體育場開幕．72000人出席了開幕式。兩小時後，美國費城約翰肯尼迪體育場的音樂會也宣布開始，共有9萬人觀看了演出。演出一直持續了16個小時，並通過全球通信衛星網絡向140多個國家播出了實況，估計總共吸引了近15億的電視觀眾。全世界100多位著名搖滾樂歌星參加了這次義演，他們之中有鮑博．迪倫、保爾．麥卡特尼、布魯斯．斯普林斯廷、蒂娜．特納、艾爾頓．約翰、邁克．傑克遜……
這次大型搖滾樂義演活動獲得了巨大的成功，一共為掙紮在饑荒中的非洲災民募集到5 000多萬美元的巨款。搖滾歌星們完成了靠政治家喋喋不休的演說和國際會議沒完沒了的討論所根本完成不了的壯舉……
在說「We are the world」之前,我們先來說一說這首歌的曆史.
1984年，英國歌手菲爾柯林斯（Phil Collins）看到新聞中非洲依索匹亞等地區的人民，長期處於饑荒與營養不良而死亡，遂在聖誕節之前提出構想，由鮑伯蓋朵夫（Bob Geldof）擔任召集人，由數十位當紅藝人以「Band Aid」為名共同灌錄單曲義賣，將義賣所得援助非洲饑民，單曲「他們知道現在是聖誕節嗎？」（Do they know it's Christmas ?）於焉誕生。這張單曲推出後，立即在全世界引起回響，光是英美兩地就賣出約三百廿萬張。
英國歌壇的此項義舉，美國歌唱界自然不落人後，由黑人歌手哈利貝拉方提（Harry Belafonte）提出建議，之後獲得眾大牌歌手的鼎力支持，由昆西瓊斯（Quincy Jones）擔任製作人，在1985年2月28日，45位當紅歌星雲集洛杉磯的錄音室，灌錄了「四海一家」（We are the world）這首義賣單曲。
「四海一家」這首歌是由萊納李奇和麥可傑克森合寫，兩人費了四天的時間寫曲，萊納先完成一部分，麥可看到後靈感大發，一夜之間就把全曲寫好。之後他們又花了兩個半小時作詞，為了普遍推廣此曲，歌詞也力求簡單易學。單曲完成後推出問世，受到的歡迎難以想象，短短數周便賣出八百萬張單曲，更勝英國藝人的「他們知道現在是聖誕節嗎？」。
英美歌壇有了這兩次成功的經驗，認為可以為非洲災民做的更多，於是由英國的鮑伯蓋朵夫繼續擔任召集人，籌劃英美兩地歌星馬拉鬆式的援非慈善演唱會，演唱會定名為「Live Aid」，於7月13日分別在英國倫敦的溫布利體育館和美國費城的肯尼迪體育館舉行，兩邊接力進行長達十小時的義演。這場演唱會除了吸引爆滿的現場觀眾，還經由七個人造衛星，傳送到全球一百六十幾個國家。負責穿針引線的鮑伯蓋朵夫還因此獲得諾貝爾和平獎的提名。
平心而論，「四海一家」確實是首出色的製作，數十位大牌歌手每人分唱幾句歌詞，要能充分發揮個人特色，又要兼顧歌曲的流暢性，確實不容易。歌曲中反複吟唱的第三段內容，給人留下了極為深刻的印象。這一段其實是樂曲第一樂段的副歌。第一樂段由三段歌詞構成，在歌曲的結尾處，做為副歌的第三段歌詞被反複重唱了六遍，使歌的主題得到了強化。由於在演唱中采用合唱，輪唱等形式，不但不使人覺得呆板乏味，反而有一種意境得到升華、靈魂得以淨化的感覺，給人一種意猶未盡之感。
| 注：文字及鏈接均引自網絡
| | Autumn 04-10-2006 |
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There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie); Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers)
We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change (James Ingram)
We're all a part of God"s great big family (Tina Turner)
And the truth (Billy Joel)
You know love is all we need (Tina Turner & Billy Joel)
We are the world, we are the children (Chorus)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we"ll make a better day just you and me (Michael Jackson & Diana Ross)
Well, send'em you your heart so they know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick & Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread (Willie Nelson)
And so we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jurreau)
We are the world, we are the children (Bruce Springsteen)(Chorus)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Kenny Logins)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Steve Perry)
It's true we"ll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)
When you're down and out there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall (Huey Lewis)
Well, well, well, let's realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
When we (Kim Carnes)
stand together as one (Kim Carnes & Cyndi Lauper & Huey Lewis)
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
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
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
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
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
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
We are the world，we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
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
We are the world（We are the world），we are the children（we are the children）
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving（so let's start giving）
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
We are the world（We are the world），we are the children（we are the children）
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving（so let's start giving）
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
We are the world，we are the children（are the children）
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving（so let's start giving）
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
We are the world（We are the world），we are the children |
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