I'm Rebecca Lervoy and this is You Can't make this up is the podcast where we uncover the true stories behind

your favorite Netflix documentaries and films. On today's episode, we take a closer look at the Netflix documentary,

The Greatest Night in Pop.

When I arrived at the studio, I realized it was the cream of the crop of pop music for that time.

Today we're talking to director Bao Nguyen.

It was an ambitious attempt to raise money for famine relief in Africa,

record a single sung by the biggest names in rock, pop,

R&B, and country. But putting 1985's We Are the World down on tape was easier said than done. The all-star chorus had to balance schedules, fix

tech issues, and curb egos to create the legendary record. But their biggest challenge,

the clock was ticking and they only had one night to make it happen. Netflix's The Greatest Night in Pop features never-before-seen footage of the song's early planning stages, including the writing sessions,

and goes inside the studio where We Are the World was recorded.

Stars like Lionel Ritchie, Bruce Springsteen, and Cindy Lauper reminisce alongside musicians

engineers and production crew about one of the most storied nights in music history.

Quincy said, Diana are you okay and she's like, I don't want this to be over. And now I'm joined by Director Bao Dwin.

Welcome to you can't make this up, Bao.

Thank you so much for having me, Rebecca.

So there was this idea about a song for Ethiopian Famine Relief

by American Artists.

It was inspired by Do They Know It's Christmas,

as we see in the dock, and executive Ken Craigan who was approached by Harry Bellafonte literally had the rollodex and for those who don't know that is a paper

contacts thing like you have on your iPhone and everyone's names in it but

the heart of the project was Lionel Richie. Could you have done this documentary

...