Singer and 'AMerican Idol' judge Lionel Richie has confessed in a new interview that he regrets not booking Madonna for the star-studded charity hit ‘We Are The World’.
via: Vulture
Despite all of the revelations and insight provided by the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, about the making of “We Are the World,” there are still plenty of questions that remain. So Lionel Richie stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week to address some of them head on — beginning with the most pressing question of all: why was Dan Aykroyd there? “We needed a vibe,” Richie told Kimmel, citing his Ghostbusters and SNL credentials. Maybe Aykroyd’s presence would have made more sense if accompanied by Eddie Murphy, who Richie confirmed was also invited, but didn’t show.
And speaking of who got invited, Kimmel also asked Richie about a dilemma in the documentary, on whether to include Madonna or Cyndi Lauper — the latter of whom got the spot — and why it had to be one or the other. “Because we had only half a line to sing. A half a line,” Richie explained. “So we had to have voices that people knew right away….you have to have an identifiable voice, and for whatever reason it was just Cyndi had that,” he said, referencing her famous, gritty riff in the song. But Kimmel wasn’t satisfied, and when told that not having both of them featured was a mistake, Richie conceded, “I’m gonna say this now on national and international television, you’re right.”
He also accepted a pitch from Jimmy Kimmel for who should replace Katy Perry as the third judge on the singing competition show.
When the late night host suggested they narrow it down between Madonna and Cyndi Lauper only to choose Madonna in the end, Richie jumped on the suggestion.
“Wow. Madonna, if you’re listening … call me,” Richie said. “We got to call.”
When Richie was initially asked who he’d like to see replace Perry, he demurred at drumming up a name, but he commented on the powerful experience of coaching younger, up-and-coming musicians.
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