'It was so surreal': Cyndi Lauper was starstruck while recording We Are The World
Cyndi Lauper was starstruck by all the famous faces in the room when she recorded ‘We Are The World’ to raise funds for African humanitarian aid in 1985.
Cyndi Lauper was starstruck while recording ‘We Are The World’
The ‘80s pop icon - famous for hits ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ and ‘Time After Time’ — had an out of body experience being the same room as the huge artists that she featured alongside on the the iconic charity song in 1985.
On the podcast 'JAM Nation with Jonesy and Amanda', Lauper said: “So you’re standing there, and basically I was on the end of the line. And I’m watching Diana Ross … and then there’s Paul Simon and Bruce [Springsteen], and there’s one after the other after the other.
“And you’re kind of standing there a little gobshite, because you can’t believe that they’re this far away from you. It was so surreal.”
The biggest artists of the time banded together to record ‘We Are The World’ under the name U.S.A. for Africa in January 1985. When the song was released, it raised millions of dollars in humanitarian aid for Africa and hit No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100.
On the record with Lauper — who was 31 at the time — were the likes of Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, late King of Pop Michael Jackson, and Dionne Warwick.
The big names made Lauper nervous when it came time for her to record.
She added: “By the time it got to me, though, I didn’t know what I was doing. I just was like, let loose, because I couldn’t even believe it. I mean, Steve Perry? Daryl Hall?”
Lauper praised the late music maestro, Quincy Jones, who organised ‘We Are The World’.
She said: “This was the genius of Quincy, that he put all these people together in a circle.”
Lauper said that witnessing the success of all the singers who collaborated on ‘We Are The World’ in the following years has been “pretty amazing”.
The 'True Colors' singer spoke further about the experience in ‘The Greatest Night in Pop’ documentary released last year, which offered a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the song.
She added: “They came out with the documentary, and I was like, ‘Woah, wait. How old am I?’”
The 71-year-old pop legend is saying goodbye to her storied performing career on her final ever tour, the ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour’, which began in October in Montreal, Canada.
Of the tour, Lauper said: “The whole idea of doing this was to bring people together, to say goodbye in a big way, and to bring people together in a joyful experience. To make them laugh and make them cry and make them dance.”
Lauper recently brought out Boy George to perform 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' as she bid farewell to London.
The Australian leg of the farewell tour kicks off on April 2 in Melbourne, Australia, before Lauper heads to Japan.
She said: “I can’t wait, honestly. I’ve been going to Australia most of my career. I just wanted to be able to go and say goodbye and do it right.”
The final US leg of the tour begins on July 15 in Buffalo, New York, and she will play her final show at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on August 30.
