How George Harrison Paved the Way for USA for Africa’s ‘We Are the World’

George Harrison was not one of the artists featured on USA for Africa’s mega single “We Are the World.” Despite that, he paved the way for the song with his own music and actions. Here’s a look at a time when he took an influential moral stand.

George Harrison’s ‘Bangla Desh’ paved the way for USA for Africa’s ‘We Are the World’

In 1971, George released the song “Bangla Desh” to raise money for the victims and survivors of the Bangladesh Liberation War and the ensuing genocide. He used a pair of concerts called The Concert for Bangladesh to raise funds for the same causes. Financial Times reports “Bangla Desh” was the first charity single. Since the idea of a charity single is so simple, it’s surprising no one had released one before the 1970s.

“Bangla Desh” was far from the last song of its kind. The genre came into full force in the 1980s with the release of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and USA for Africa’s “We Are the World.” The former has become a Yuletide staple, while the latter is primarily remembered for the array of artists who sang on it.

George Harrison gave some of the money he raised to UNICEF

The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters features an interview from 1971. In it, George was asked where the idea for The Concert for Bangladesh came from. “Um, it came, really it was Ravi Shankar’s idea,” George said. “He wanted to do something like this, and he was talking to me and telling me about his concern for the thing and asking me if I had any suggestions, and then after half an hour, he talked me into being on the show, and so once I decided I was going to go onto the show then that was it.”

George explained why money from The Concert for Bangladesh went to UNICEF. “We heard so many stories about all different organizations,” he said. “In the end, we had to really say what we’re going to give the money to. So we said we’ll give the money to UNICEF, and they have to say to us exactly what they need, and they can come to us and say we need this and this and this, and then we’ll sign the check and let them buy the things they need.” The singer revealed the money from the first concert went to the musicians involved and the money from the second concert went to charity.

How ‘Bangla Desh’ and ‘We Are the World’ performed on the pop charts

“Bangla Desh” reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting there for seven weeks. The track appeared on the album The Best of George Harrison. That record peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for a total of 15 weeks. That album is odd, as it includes both Beatles songs written by Harrison and some of his solo material.

“We Are the World” was far more successful. That record topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, staying on the chart for 18 weeks in total. It remains the group’s only charting single, though many of the individual artists on the song had numerous hits. The album We Are the World topped the Billboard 200 for three of its 22 weeks on the chart.

“We Are the World” is more famous than “Bangla Desh” but USA for Africa might not have existed without George’s song.