Bao Nguyen’s The Greatest Night in Pop is a masterful demonstration of event planning, showcasing hidden gems and 80s nostalgia.
It can be quite a challenge to gather a group of popular and talented individuals, or even a group of unenthusiastic friends and relatives, in one room at the same time. It would be extremely difficult to bring together 46 of today’s biggest music stars for an event without compensation (which explains why most top-charting collaborations only involve two artists). According to Nguyen, who debuted his film about the creation of We Are The World at Sundance, there are numerous managers, publicists, and agents that would need to be contacted.
The Grandest Evening in Popular Music serves as a last-minute miracle. When Ken Kraven, a Hollywood manager, came up with the idea to gather the country’s top pop stars for a joint music session for a good cause, he didn’t have much hope of making it happen. However, Kraven and his team had a plethora of connections and some other strategies in their arsenal. They were able to convince superstars Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson to participate as the songwriters. The first rule was to secure the participation of already established, high-profile individuals.
Another superstar, the legendary singer Harry Belafonte, was the source of the fundraiser’s purpose: to staunch the problem of African famine. And Bob Geldof of the British charity Live Aid came on to share his wisdom regarding musical activism.
The planners had a short amount of time to make their plan come together, but once Ngyuen’s documentary began, we were introduced to famous celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, and Diana Ross. With encouragement from producer Quincy Jones and fueled by a late-night meal of chicken and waffles, the group came together and performed a memorable song, finishing before sunrise.
The song’s enduring popularity can be attributed in part to its cleverly uncomplicated structure. According to Nguyen, “The chorus was designed to accommodate a wide range of vocal abilities.” Lionel and Michael crafted it to be an anthem that can be easily sung along to.
The melody holds a special place in the director’s early recollections. Raised in Maryland by Vietnamese immigrant parents, the tune played frequently. On a recent trip to Vietnam to visit his parents who have since gone back, the song played on the taxi’s radio. “I felt compelled to create this movie,” he explained.
The project was created as a solution to the challenges presented by the Covid pandemic. In the beginning of 2020, the director and producer Julia Nottingham released their documentary on Bruce Lee, called Be Water. They both agreed that their next project would need to utilize archival footage. Nottingham had a connection with the company responsible for producing the American Music Awards, which served as a precursor for artists before they headed to the recording studio. She contacted music producer Larry Klein, who happened to have a large amount of unseen video footage. “He told me, ‘I’ve been anticipating this call for 35 years,'” Nguyen recounted.
The 40-year-old director initially had doubts about being the right person to tell the story. He couldn’t recall when the song was released and had no experience with music documentaries. However, upon further consideration, it became clear that the story was compelling and fit his role as a filmmaker to discover something new and personal. As he delved into the materials, his vision took shape and he saw it as a heist film, similar to “Ocean’s 11,” with a secret mission to gather 40 of the biggest celebrities for an all-night event at a undisclosed location.
The movie is filled with a captivating sense of anticipation. As famous actors arrived at the recording studio, they were reminded by Jones’ rule posted on the wall: “Leave your egos behind.” The genuine interactions captured in the footage, like when the stars asked for each other’s autographs, also captivated Nguyen. “It’s incredible to witness these extraordinary individuals just being themselves.”
Display the image in full screen mode.
Around midnight, the artists started to lose energy. Dylan required assistance to hit his cues. Stevie Wonder proposed that the group switch to singing in Swahili – sparking a discussion about whether the people of Ethiopia, a country heavily impacted by famine, speak Aramaic or Swahili. This scenario may resonate with anyone who has been in a chaotic group Zoom call.
However, they persisted and began to relax and become silly, resembling a group of children at a sleepover. Despite the numerous personalities in such close quarters, there was surprisingly minimal conflict. This may be due to the fact that the drama took place off-camera: notable absences included Madonna, who was not invited (the producers chose Lauper instead of the Material Girl), and Prince, who requested to record a solo in a separate room – a request that was denied.
The song generated over $60 million in funds, but Nguyen emphasizes that its influence was much more significant as it brought attention to the issue of African famine on a global scale. “In today’s world, we are bombarded with images of poverty, but I believe it truly motivated a lot of foreign aid,” and paved the way for numerous artist-activists.
Amazingly, Nguyen has not grown tired of the song. He expressed concern about this while creating the documentary, but he still enjoys it to this day. In fact, he listened to it this morning while getting ready.
-
The most iconic Pop event is currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: theguardian.com
