# We Are the World / USA for Africa singer order? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630 "2008-03-25T02:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/1 "2008-03-25T02:33:02Z")
I think I got all of them down, but even after searching I haven’t been able to find a complete list in the order they appear. I even tried watching a YouTube video (with a slow dial-up connection) that claimed to label each singer but it didn’t show the later singers. I’m trying to positively identify the 2nd to last singer, right after Bruce Springsteen’s 2nd solo part and before Ray Charles’ 2nd solo part (and the last solo part of the song). Is that Jeffrey Osborne? Someone else? Did I flub any of the other identifications? Lionel Richie Stevie Wonder Paul Simon Kenny Rogers James Ingram Tina Turner Billy Joel Michael Jackson Diana Ross Dionne Warwick Willie Nelson Al Jarreau Bruce Springsteen Kenny Loggins Steve Perry Daryl Hall Michael Jackson (again) Huey Lewis Cyndi Lauper Kim Carnes Bob Dylan Ray Charles Stevie Wonder (again) Bruce Springsteen (again) ??? Ray Charles (again) ---
**Author:** ![Cerridwyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Cerridwyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerridwyn)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/2 "2008-03-25T05:38:43Z")
[QUOTE=Swede Hollow] I think I got all of them down, but even after searching I haven’t been able to find a complete list in the order they appear. I even tried watching a YouTube video (with a slow dial-up connection) that claimed to label each singer but it didn’t show the later singers. I’m trying to positively identify the 2nd to last singer, right after Bruce Springsteen’s 2nd solo part and before Ray Charles’ 2nd solo part (and the last solo part of the song). Is that Jeffrey Osborne? Someone else? Did I flub any of the other identifications? Lionel Richie Stevie Wonder Paul Simon Kenny Rogers James Ingram Tina Turner Billy Joel Michael Jackson Diana Ross Dionne Warwick Willie Nelson Al Jarreau Bruce Springsteen Kenny Loggins Steve Perry Daryl Hall Michael Jackson (again) Huey Lewis Cyndi Lauper Kim Carnes Bob Dylan Ray Charles Stevie Wonder (again) Bruce Springsteen (again) ??? Ray Charles (again) [/QUOTE] [http://youtube.com/watch?v=clZE4Wrrw\_w](http://youtube.com/watch?v=clZE4Wrrw_w) Lionel Richie Lionel Richie/Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Paul Simon Paul Simon/Kenny Rogers Kenny Rogers James Ingram Tina Turner Billy Joel Billy Joel/Tina Turner Michael Jackson Diana Ross Diana Ross/Michael Jackson Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick/Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Al Jareau Bruce Sprinsteen Kenny Loggins Steve Perry Daryl Hall Michael Jackson (again) Huey Lewis Cindy Lauper Kim Carnes Kim Carnes/Huey Lewis/Cindy Lauper ALL Bob Dylan ALL Bob Dylan (again) sings w/ALL Ray Charles sings w/ALL Ray Charles Stevie Wonder sings w/Bruce Springsteen Stevie Wonder (again) Stevie Wonder sings w/Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen (again) ALL James Ingram sings w/Ray Charles James Ingram (again) Ray Charles (again) ALL ALL sings w/Ray Charles (again) I loved singing this song, but could not do in my own voice. I would mimic the voices of the singers. I still remember all the words, order of singers & how they sang their part. Thanks for the smile. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/3 "2008-03-25T12:13:09Z")
My drama class performed this in high school. I was absent the day everyone got their parts, and returned the next day to find that the only role left was Lionel Richie. No one else wanted him because he sings first. And that is how a scrawny little white girl in a sweater vest came to represent Lionel… :o ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/4 "2008-03-25T17:15:41Z")
A bit of trivia…this song is still pretty popular here in Cameroon. Always feels a bit absurd when they play it. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/5 "2008-03-26T00:48:28Z")
[QUOTE=Cerridwyn] [http://youtube.com/watch?v=clZE4Wrrw\_w](http://youtube.com/watch?v=clZE4Wrrw_w) … James Ingram sings w/Ray Charles James Ingram (again) Ray Charles (again) ALL ALL sings w/Ray Charles (again) I loved singing this song, but could not do in my own voice. I would mimic the voices of the singers. I still remember all the words, order of singers & how they sang their part. Thanks for the smile. 😃 [/QUOTE] Wow, so that was James Ingram again. It looks like he changed his shirt / windbreaker. The first appearance looks more metallic and the second looks like bright white. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/6 "2008-03-26T05:34:16Z")
[QUOTE=Cerridwyn] I loved singing this song, but could not do in my own voice. I would mimic the voices of the singers. I still remember all the words, order of singers & how they sang their part. Thanks for the smile. 😃 [/QUOTE] Heh. About two years ago a buddy of mine and I would listen to this song frequently on our drives to/from work. Between the two of us, we had pretty solid imitations of every singer. As a slight aside, if one is abreast of the Jimmy Kimmel/Matt Damon “feud,” and saw Sarah Silverman’s [I’m Fucking Matt Damon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnVJZkDuVBM) video, one might have missed the [follow up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGa29kPBbp4&feature=related) by Jimmy Kimmel, which in the final minutes parodies this song. They even have Huey Lewis reprise his role in the original. It’s pretty sweet! ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-are-the-world-usa-for-africa-singer-order/442630/7 "2008-03-26T06:38:28Z")
In fact, it’s just one guy. His name is [André-Philippe Gagnon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMKkjRNcWtY).