We Are the World

==Release==
On March 7, 1985, "We Are the World" was released as a single, in both [[7-inch]] and [[12-inch]] formats.<ref name="tara 344">Taraborrelli, p. 344</ref><ref name="We Are the World">{{cite news |title=We Are the World |date=April 10, 1985|newspaper=Columbia Missourian}}</ref> The song was the only one released from the ''We Are the World'' album and became a chart success around the world. In the U.S., it was a number-one hit on the [[R&B singles chart]], the [[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks]] chart, and the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], where it remained for a month.<ref name="george 41">George, p. 41</ref><ref name="Campbell 113">Campbell, p. 113</ref> The single had debuted at number 21 on the Hot 100,<ref name="Famine-aid song sells well locally" /> and it took four weeks for the song to claim the number one spot, half the time a single would normally have taken to reach its charting peak.<ref name="'World' rules the charts">{{cite news|title='World' rules the charts|last=DeKnock|first=Jan|date=April 17, 1985|newspaper=[[The Ledger]]}}</ref> On the Hot 100, the song moved from 21 to 5 to 2 and then number 1. "We Are the World" might have reached the top of the Hot 100 chart sooner, were it not for the success of [[Phil Collins]]' "[[One More Night (Phil Collins song)|One More Night]]", which received support from both pop and rock listeners.<ref name="'World' rules the charts" /> "We Are the World" also entered ''Billboard''{{-'}}s Top Rock Tracks and Hot Country Singles charts, where it peaked at numbers 27 and 76 respectively.<ref name="george 41"/> The song became the first single since [[the Beatles]]' "[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]" to enter ''Billboard''{{'}}s Top 5 within two weeks of release.<ref name="We Are the World" /> Outside the U.S., the single reached number one in Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The song peaked at number 2 in two countries: Germany and Austria.<ref name="Ultratop Singles Chart Archives">{{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=USA+For+Africa&titel=We+Are+The+World&cat=s|title=Ultratop Singles Chart Archives|publisher=ultratop.be|access-date=September 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name="WATW Ireland">{{cite web|url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement |title=Irish Singles chart – Searchable database |publisher=Irishcharts.ie |access-date=July 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125210/http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement |archive-date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="WATW NL">{{cite web|url=http://www.top40.nl/artist.aspx?contributor_id=228090&jaar=1984&maand=3&week=12#|title=USA for Africa – Dutch Top 40 Chart|publisher=top40.nl|access-date=July 31, 2011}}</ref>

The single was also a commercial success: the initial shipment of 800,000 "We Are the World" records sold out within three days of release.<ref name="tara 344"/> The record became the fastest-selling American pop single in history.<ref name="Whoever dreamed that up?">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/29/business/whoever-dreamed-that-up.html?&pagewanted=5|title=Whoever dreamed that up?|last=Bennett|first=Robert A.|date=December 29, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref> At [[Tower Records (music retailer)|Tower Records]] in [[West Hollywood]], 1,000&nbsp;copies of the song were sold in two days.<ref name="Forty-Five Voices">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964119,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220093750/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964119,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 20, 2008|title=Forty-Five Voices|last=Worrell|first=Denise|date=March 25, 1985|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref> Store worker Richard Petitpas commented, "A number one single sells about 100 to 125&nbsp;copies a week. This is absolutely unheard of."<ref name="Forty-Five Voices" /> By the end of 1985, "We Are the World" had become the year's best-selling single.<ref name="American Music Award nominees named">{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF41ADE2F9681DA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=American Music Award nominees named|date=January 4, 1986|newspaper=[[Daily News of Los Angeles]]|access-date=September 25, 2009}}</ref> Five years later it was revealed that the song had become the biggest single of the 1980s.<ref name="A Pop Virtuoso Who Can Do It All">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/03/arts/pop-view-a-pop-virtuoso-who-can-do-it-all.html|title=A Pop Virtuoso Who Can Do It All|last=Holden|first=Stephen|date=December 3, 1989|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref> "We Are the World" was eventually cited as the best-selling single in U.S. and pop music history.{{refn|[[Elton John]]'s [[Candle in the Wind 1997|1997 version]] of "[[Candle in the Wind]]"—a tribute to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]—later claimed the status of biggest selling pop single of all time.<ref name="If It's a Hit, Why Stop There?">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/17854116.html?dids=17854116%3A17854116&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Oct+12%2C+1997&author=ANNE+BEATTS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=If+It%27s+a+Hit%2C+Why+Stop+There%3F&pqatl=google|title=If It's a Hit, Why Stop There?|last=Beatts|first=Anne|date=October 12, 1997|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 8, 2009|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105075907/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/17854116.html?dids=17854116%3A17854116&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=Oct+12%2C+1997&author=ANNE+BEATTS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=If+It%27s+a+Hit%2C+Why+Stop+There%3F&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref>|group="nb"}}<ref name="Bob Geldof biography">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/geldof_bob/artist.jhtml|title=Bob Geldof biography|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|publisher=MTV|access-date=July 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029155813/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/geldof_bob/artist.jhtml|archive-date=October 29, 2009}}</ref><ref name="In Pop, Whose Song Is It, Anyway?">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/27/arts/pop-view-in-pop-whose-song-is-it-anyway.html|title=In Pop, Whose Song Is It, Anyway?|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=August 27, 1989|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Listen Up! Quincy Jones Has a New Gig">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/05/business/listen-up-quincy-jones-has-a-new-gig.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=Listen Up! Quincy Jones Has a New Gig|last=Andrews|first=Edmund L.|date=June 5, 1995|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref> The song became the first single to be certified multi-platinum; it received a 4× certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]].<ref name="Campbell 113"/><ref name="Pointers, Prince and Pavarotti in platinum parade">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24957451.html?dids=24957451:24957451&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+31%2C+1986&author=Tom+Popson&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=POINTERS%2C+PRINCE+AND+PAVAROTTI+IN+PLATINUM+PARADE&pqatl=google|title=Pointers, Prince and Pavarotti in platinum parade|first=Tom|last=Popson|date=January 31, 1986|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=September 25, 2009}}</ref> The estimated global sales of "We Are the World" are said to be 20&nbsp;million.<ref name="The many faces of Michael Jackson">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-26-jackson-faces_N.htm|title=The many faces of Michael Jackson|last=Breznican|first=Anthony|date=June 30, 2009|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|access-date=July 19, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919102248/https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-06-26-jackson-faces_N.htm|archive-date=19 September 2010}}</ref>
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*
Description	What you type	What you get
Reference	Page text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>	Page text.^[1]
Named reference	Page text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>	Page text.^[2]
Additional use of the same reference	Page text.<ref name="test" />	Page text.^[2]
Display references	<references />	↑ Link text, additional text. ↑ Link text