We Are the World 2010

Twenty-five years after the recording of the original "We Are the World," artists have come together once again to re-record the monumental track to raise money for rebuilding efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

In January, 2010, two earthquakes rocked the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. The first registered at 7.0 on the Richter Scale, followed by twelve days of aftershocks, the smallest registering an enormous 4.5. Within hours of the original quake, people all across the western hemisphere had begun relief efforts. Twitter followers of actor Misha Collins (TV's Supernatural) pledged over $6,000 in a matter of just a few hours. Alt-rock bands Kill Hannah, Shiny Toy Guns and The Sounds dedicated sections of their websites and MySpace pages to promoting and aiding the Red Cross fundraising efforts.

But, if history is any indication, possibly the largest celebrity-fueled fundraising effort has come from producers Quincy Jones (who produced the original recording of "We Are the World" in 1985), RedOne and Haiti native Wyclef Jean, as well as a veritable Who's Who of contemporary music (an element not much different from the original). As was the case with the original recording, proceeds from sales of the track will go to the rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

The track opens with young Justin Bieber (not yet born when the original was recorded), singing lines originally sung by the song's co-writer, Lionel Richie. Bieber is followed by a duet between Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Hudson, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, Josh Groban, Barbara Streisand, Pink, Fergie, Celine Dion, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus (also younger than the original recording), Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx, just to name a handful, as well as rappers Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Bizzy Bone and more. Michael Jackson was co-writer of the original track along side Lionel Richie and was included in this new version through the original recordings. Janet Jackson sang alongside her brother's previously recorded tracks in a duet 25 years in the making.

A short version of the video for the song was premiered during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 12. Much like the original song's video, this new one shows, simply, footage of the recording session interspersed with news footage of the wreckage and rebuilding in Haiti. A longer version, with an introduction by Jamie Foxx - "Do more than just watch. Whatever you have, no matter how big or how small, it all counts." - is available on iTunes. The video was directed by Paul Haggis (Crash [2005]).