On January 18, 1986, “That’s What Friends Are For” by Dionne & Friends hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The uplifting song, that reminded us to “keep smiling and keep shining,” was performed by an epic supergroup spearheaded by Dionne Warwick and featured Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. Released as a charity single to support AIDS research and prevention, the song raised awareness and $3 million dollars for the cause. Aside from becoming the unofficial anthem for the fight against AIDS, “That’s What Friends Are For” also became the No. 1 song of 1986. The song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and for Song of the Year at the 1987 Grammys.
Songwriting power duo Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager originally wrote “That’s What Friends Are For” for the 1982 movie, “Night Shift.” Recorded by Rod Stewart, the song was played over the closing credits but was not released as a single. Recognizing that their song had major hit potential, the songwriters encouraged Warwick to record it in 1985. She agreed to the plan as long as it was a duet with Wonder. Eventually, Knight and John joined in as well. The group then collectively decided to turn it into a charity single for AIDS. At the time of the song’s release, AIDS was still a misunderstood and little-discussed disease. The recording not only raised millions of dollars for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), but it also educated many more people about the disease.
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In a 1988 interview with the Washington Post, Warwick explained her commitment to raising awareness and money for AIDS research. A family friend had died from the disease, and they only found out nine years later that he had died from AIDS. “None of us knew what was wrong — his heart just gave out…” she said. “Well, of course it was AIDS, which we found out much later, giving us all an aftershock.”
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In 1990, “That’s What Friends Are For” inspired the first national AIDS fundraising effort by the pop music community. The concert was organized by Arista Records to celebrate the label’s 15th anniversary and to raise money and awareness for the disease. Hosted by popular actors of the day, including Melanie Griffith, Whoopi Goldberg and Michael Douglas, 22 Arista artists performed at the event. For the closing number, Warwick, Whitney Houston and 40 other artists sang “That’s What Friends Are For” in a stirring, unified sign of support to those affected by AIDS.
The enduring impact of the song is a true testament to the power of music. To this day, we can always count on the Dionne & Friends classic, in good times and bad times, to inspire us.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHO
