Which 1985 charity single by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder topped the Billboard Hot 100?
Answer
That's What Friends Are For
“That’s What Friends Are For” was the charity single by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder that topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager wrote the song, which was first recorded by Rod Stewart for the 1982 film Night Shift. Warwick then organized a new recording with John, Knight, and Wonder to raise money for the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Released in 1985, the collaboration reached No. 1 in January 1986 and remained there for four weeks. It became the best-selling single of 1986 in the United States and raised millions of dollars for AIDS research and prevention.
The recording is often grouped with “We Are the World,” another major charity hit from the same period. They were separate projects with different performers and causes.