Netflix trailer: The Greatest Night In Pop
I wasn’t going to watch this, because I hate the song.
Well, “hate” is a strong word. If it hadn’t been ubiquitous I wouldn’t be so against it, then again its ubiquity added to the coffers for the cause, and as Springsteen says at the end, ultimately it’s not about the aesthetics of the song, but the good that is being done.
But my inbox was going wild. People kept telling me they watched and loved it. And good friends in iMessage too.
So I caved.
And I’m glad I did.
I can’t say there’s an external buzz. Sure, there was hype when the doc launched, but it’s not like there’s been a steady stream of stories, it’s not like the film has been pushed down our throats.
That was the last century, just like this movie.
And that’s the modern paradigm. Hype is almost always useless. It’s about quality, having that certain je ne sais quoi that gets people telling others about it. I’m now a member of a club, of those who’ve seen the doc. I guarantee my inbox will go further wild with others who’ve seen the movie, establishing a sense of community.
That’s how you do it in 2024.
That’s not how you did it in 1984.
That was when acts were giants, bigger than ever before. Dinosaurs might have roamed the earth in the sixties and seventies, but the eighties were different. Because of MTV. Around the world. We all knew the same hits and furthermore we knew what the stars looked like, even Quincy Jones. Quick, pick Andrew Watt out of a lineup, even Max Martin. Almost no one can do it. But Q…
And Q is the ringmaster here, who organizes the session and keeps it going. Because first and foremost this is a recording, this is work.
Yes, when the sun has already risen, not that anybody inside the studio knows, it’s no longer glamorous. This is their job. Singing and getting it right. And it’s boring and oftentimes elusive. You’re doing the same thing over and over again, trying to nail it. This is what it is like when the cameras are off. Behind the scenes. Although the cameras were on during this session.
Ken Kragen put it together. Ken was a visionary, but every act ultimately left him, because they wanted to be in control, they ultimately didn’t want to do it Ken’s way. And not a single one of them had the same level of success thereafter. Whether it be Gallagher, Travis Tritt, Kenny Rogers or Lionel Richie himself.
There’s a lot to learn in this doc, it’s not only nostalgia. Lionel went solo and Ken said no one knew what he looked like, and got Lionel’s visage everywhere. Yes, Ken was a master planner. A true old school manager. Sure, he had a Harvard MBA, but his skills were innate. There’s no school for managers, you can’t learn the skills, either you have them or you don’t. Ken even had another worldwide event planned before he died. He told me about it constantly.
So Ken and Harry Belafonte… I don’t want to ruin it, but when everybody spontaneously sings “Day-O,” it’s magical.
And Lionel calls Stevie… Who never gets back to him. So Lionel writes “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson, and the song suffers for it.
As for Stevie…during the session he insists there be Swahili in the song. This is artists. They have visions, opinions, they’re strong-willed, and they’re hard to get along with. However, it’s these qualities that make them successful. But putting them all together in one room?
You build it and then they come. No star will commit until another star commits, then they all want in.
Cyndi Lauper is at the advent of her fame, straight out of Ozone Park. Not the wise septuagenarian she is today.
Springsteen is reveling in the success of “Born in the U.S.A.”
Everybody is peaking, and everybody is there. Well, for a while anyway. Waylon leaves when Stevie runs on about the Swahili, believing his audience won’t be able to relate. And he was right, stars know their audience, intimately, and they stay true to them…or lose their stardom.
To see Sheila E. wake up and realize she’s only involved because they want Prince… That’s showbiz, it’s about using people. Everything is evanescent, no one can be trusted, if you’re not thinking about yourself you’re going to be taken advantage of.
You’ll nearly cry during this extravaganza. You’ll remember when. When everybody knew all the hits. Just before MTV changed, became about how you looked, when videos became expensive films instead of larks. When music ruled the world.
I don’t know what a young person will say about “The Greatest Night in Pop,” but if you lived through it, if you were there, you’ll be enraptured, nearly stunned, taken away to a different time that is baked into your DNA, that you know so well, even if you don’t think about it on a regular basis.
I know the world only goes forward. I know that to expect today’s music world to have the energy and power of the past is ridiculous.
But I remember when.
And it’s captured in this film.
You should watch it.
