We Are The World

Originally released in 1985 to raise money for Africa, the song written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson was re-released in 2010 in response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti in the same year. The song, which features over 80 current artists, for example Wyclef Jean who is Haitian-American, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Hudson is an example of the USA coming together to help a cause in need. A variety of performers contribute towards the song, old and new, to appeal to a greater audience, such as Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, BeBe Winans and Tony Bennett. It bridges the gap between old and new, with all these artists collaborating and shows their capacity to work together to benefit somewhere else, in this case, Haiti.

The success of the song reflects the generosity of the American people and shows them in a very positive light in that even though America was struggling through a recession at the time, they still gave to people more in need than themselves. The song was first played at the opening ceremoney of the 2010 Winter Olympics, so shows America's desire for it to be heard and for it to raise money to help.

However the song was criticed for the rap included towards the end and the choice of artists - some said there was not enough diversity in the artists themselves, which shows that the main artists involved were mainstream pop singers, not a lot of Latin, country or rock musicians were involved.