The song written by Michael Jackson in collaboration with Lionel Richie for a charitable cause was “We Are the World.”
The song was created to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia during the 1983–1985 crisis. It was organized by singer and activist Harry Belafonte, with Quincy Jones producing and Ken Kragen coordinating the project. Jackson and Richie wrote the song in January 1985, completing it shortly before the recording session.
The recording was performed by the supergroup USA for Africa, which brought together major artists including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan. The single was released on March 7, 1985, and became one of the best-selling singles in music history.
A common mix-up is confusing this song with “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, the earlier charity single recorded by the British group Band Aid. “We Are the World” was the American response to the same humanitarian crisis. Jackson also co-wrote the later charity single “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” in 2010, but Lionel Richie was not a co-writer of that remake.