Bob Dylan is one of the greatest musicians of all time. However, even the most devout Dylan fans can agree that he didn’t necessarily garner that title thanks to his voice. Now, Dylan’s voice is great, as it is unique and unorthodox; thus, it has a quality that perfectly matches his poetry. Although, he certainly can’t hit high notes like Freddie Mercury, Sam Cooke, or James Brown. It’s just not who he is as a performer, and it seemingly caused him a bit of insecurity when recording the infamous 1985 track, “We Are The World”.
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Folks now call the recording of the 1985 charity track “We Are The World”, “The Greatest Night In Pop”, thanks to the 2024 Netflix documentary. That title is not an understatement, as the evening featured many of the most important musical figures of the 20th century. Consequently, some of the most talented vocalists of all time were in the room. Nevertheless, according to Billy Joel, Bob Dylan was a bit reluctant to sing solo.
Stevie Wonder Taught Bob Dylan How To Sing Like Bob Dylan
Some of the renowned and revered vocalists who helped record the single were Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Dione Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and many others. While Dylan could surely write a better song than these people, he seemingly thought he couldn’t sing as well as they did in this particular context. Though Stevie Wonder changed his mind about that fact.
Recalling how Stevie Wonder helped Dylan, Billy Joel told Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, “Bob Dylan was shy to sing on his own, so Stevie Wonder comes out and is telling Bob Dylan how to sing like Bob Dylan. […] He was shy to sing on his own, but Stevie Wonder teaching Bob Dylan to sing like Bob Dylan, that was a moment.”
A moment indeed, but a moment that just might have helped Dylan gain the confidence to sing a solo on the track. Specifically, about halfway through the song, Dylan has an isolated vocal in which he sings the repeated lyric, “There is a choice we’re making / We’re saving our own lives / It’s true we make a better day, just you and me.”
As a musician, this might have been somewhat new territory for Bob Dylan. Regardless, he did it, and he took part in arguably the most famous musical collaboration of all time.
Photo by Cynthia Johnson/Liaison/Getty Images
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