“We Are The World” is a charity single written by legendary American singers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and performed by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. The original purpose was to break down racial, national, and political barriers with music, and raise funds for the famine in Africa. The chorus, “We are the world, we are the children,” emphasizes that all humanity belongs to one big family and has a responsibility to support one another. The song achieved tremendous success upon its release: it not only quickly became a global phenomenon, but also sparked unprecedented international attention to the challenges in Africa.
When I first heard this song as a child, the warm melody and the powerful chorus of so many stars filled my heart with admiration for America’s inclusiveness and influence. From the opening lines showing “there is suffering in the world” to the ending message of “let’s start giving and make a better day,” the design of the song further convinced me that the United States is a role model of love and unity. Besides, “We Are The World” inspired the production of a classic in Taiwan, “Tomorrow Will Be Better”—not only one of my favorite songs, but also, in my opinion, the best song from the best era in Taiwan.
Over forty years after the release of “We Are The World,” our world continues to face multiple challenges: extreme weather frequently causes disasters globally, geopolitical conflicts and wars drive up the number of refugees, aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainties have made many vulnerable groups even more fragile, and social divisions caused by social media. (Ironically, the United States, once a role model of love and unity, seems to be the root cause of all these challenges.) Today, the line “There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives” feels particularly real, because in the age of globalization, tragedies in any part of the world will ultimately impact all of humanity in some form. The war that broke out in Iran earlier this year made me want to make a cover for this song. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any a cappella, so I had to piece something together myself, even drawing from my previous cover of “Everytime We Touch”). Because this song reminds us that when we put aside our differences and act together as one, we can overcome any crisis, and I believe this is exactly the voice most needed in the turbulent 2026.
(The background is a photo of sunrise I took at Kilimanjaro in 2024, which I found very fitting for this song. Every grid of video represents a continent that I have visited and contains at least one piece of cloth or accessory from that continent — trying my best to represent as much of the world as possible.)
《四海一家》是由美國傳奇歌手麥可・傑克森和萊諾・李奇創作，在1985年由「藝人聯合援非組織」（USA for Africa）群星演唱的一首慈善單曲。創作初衷是用音樂打破種族、國界與政治藩籬，喚醒全球對非洲糧食危機的關注，並以實際行動募集資金與物資。副歌中的「四海皆一家，我們都是神的子民」，強調全人類同屬一個大家庭，有責任彼此扶持。歌曲發行後取得巨大的成功：不但迅速風靡全球，更是引發了國際社會對非洲問題前所未有的關注。
小時候第一次聽到這首歌時，溫暖明亮的旋律和群星合唱的氣勢令我對美國的包容性和號召力充滿嚮往。從歌曲開頭「世上有苦難」到結尾「我願伸出援手」的動人設計，更令我認為美國是愛與團結的榜樣。除此之外，《四海一家》催生了華語樂壇的經典《明天會更好》——這不但是我最喜歡的一首歌曲之一，也是我認為台灣最好的年代最好的一首歌。
《四海一家》發行後四十多年的今天，我們的世界仍面臨多重挑戰：極端氣候在全球頻繁釀災、地緣政治衝突與戰爭導致難民人數持續攀升、新冠疫情後遺症與經濟不確定性讓許多弱勢群體更加脆弱、以及社群媒體分化輿論所造成的社會撕裂。（諷刺的是，當年愛與團結的領袖美國似乎成了這些問題的始作俑者。）在這樣的背景下，歌詞中那句「我們正在做的選擇，是在拯救自己的生命」顯得格外真實——因為在全球化的時代，任何角落的苦難最終都會以某種形式反饋到全人類身上。今年年初爆發的伊朗戰爭，讓我想翻唱這首歌（可惜我找不到無伴奏合唱的樂譜，只好自己胡亂拼湊，還借鑑了自己之前唱過的「Everytime We Touch」），因為這首歌提醒我們：當人類放下分歧、共同行動時，沒有任何危機不能克服，而我認為這正是紛亂的2026年最需要的聲音。
（背景照片是我2024年在吉力馬札羅拍的日出，我認為特別應景。每一格影片都代表一個我曾經去過的洲、至少有一件當地的衣服或配飾——盡力在這支影片中展現世界上不同的地區，貼合《四海一家》的精神。）