The Greatest Night in Pop

Have you seen ‘The Greatest Night in Pop’ on Netflix? Set in January 1985 it documents the recording of the charitable hit “We are the World”.

I watched this documentary with a real smile on my face the whole way through (I probably looked pretty dopey…) as some of the most famous voices of the 80’s rubbed shoulders and got over their many and varied issues for a good cause. 

The leadership of producer Quincey Jones and peace-keeping social-smoothing energy of Lionel Ritchie are real takeaways. 

The camera often flew over the socially awkward Bob Dylan, and I was quite struck by his nervousness in this environment. By this time Dylan had been nominated for several and indeed won two Grammys, and you would think that this recognition might give him some self-assurance that he belonged there. 

When it came to singing, Dylan was still awkward and off, and without some help from Stevie Wonder he might never have got there. 

I have often leaned on this small element of the documentary since watching it a few months back. 

As I push my limits, more and more I am in situations where I feel like I don’t quite belong. And I think of this nervous man, a small and quiet figure amongst the divas and movers and shakers, a Grammy winner, a future Nobel Prize winner, someone considered the best singer-songwriter ever, and I give myself a smile, and walk right in.

Seth’s Blog – Seth Godin wrote on this same topic a few weeks back, and I realised it wasn’t only me who noticed Dylan and his awkwardness. Here is his take on the documentary (and while you are there you might consider subscribing to his daily blog). 

Have a great week out there!

This Bob Dylan song has been a favourite of mine since my teens, I learnt to play it on the guitar when I was 14 years old or so and I am pretty sure the lyrics have shaped the man I have become.