In the fall of 1985, a group of beloved performers came together for a cause near and dear to the community’s collective heart.
Bacharach-singing Twitter queen Dionne Warwick teamed up with Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and (the as-of-this-week retired) Elton John for a charity single like few others.
Thankfulness banner song “That’s What Friends Are For” came together in the wake of the Band-Aid “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” charity song boom. While proceeds of Band-Aid’s trendsetting track went towards solving the Ethiopian famine crisis — as did those of the subsequent record-breaking “We Are the World” — Dionne & Friends’ sights were set more locally.
With a little easy listening and a lot of heart, this quartet raised millions for the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
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“Working against AIDS, especially after years of raising money for work on many blood-related diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, seemed the right thing to do,” Warwick told the Washington Post at a reunion performance in 1988.
“You have to be granite not to want to help people with AIDS, because the devastation that it causes is so painful to see. I was so hurt to see my friend die with such agony. I am tired of hurting, and it does hurt.”
“That’s What Friends Are For” remains one of only a handful of charity singles to ever top the US Billboard Hot 100, alongside anthems like “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and “Candle in the Wind 1997” (both of which John was also a part of).
In addition to philanthropic success, the song saw both social and critical acclaim as the biggest song of 1986 and the Song of the Year at the 28th Grammy Awards.
Revisit the iconic rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For”:
DBMC
I remember when this came out. It was really moving.
I even bought the single, though it’s not really my kind of music.
SDR94103
“something to be thankful for”
Our friends were dying. Look at the photo, nothing but laughter. I’m still angry.
Doug
What this article completely leaves out is that out of the millions of dollars that Warwick raised from this, it was discovered in 1991 that 90% of it went to her and her associates, mostly in administrative costs including lavish traveling and meals. She later declared bankruptcy. It’s amazing how quickly people forget history.
storm45701
Why is Liza Minnelli there?
whitenoiz
i *think* that’s Carole Bayer Sager. May have co-written the song (She’s a songwriter herself.) with Burt who she was married to at the time.
barryaksarben
it is Carole Bayer Sager who co wrote the song
abfab
Storm, if you were hoping to become a true FOD, you are now completely and totally disqualified. This faux pas is grounds for immediate expulsion. Cheers Sweetie!
storm45701
I didn’t know you were the gatekeeper, abfab. Remind me to care.
It’s a strange photo to use with out identifying who’s in said pic. I’m glad it wasn’t Liza, because we’d be asking: what the hell happened to her part?
whitenoiz
An aside… when my local radio station used to play this song they would conveniently neglect to tell people what the song was a benefit for until i called to complain.
IvanPH
I’ve always loved this song and I didn’t know that it’s a charity song. Now, this song is more special to me. Thanks, Queerty.
Toofie
Just a great song!
abfab
Elton John aka The Queen of England, is not retired. What is wrong with you! He still has a leg of a large European Tour to complete and after that do you really think he’s going to stop being a record producer and a recording artist? Not to mention a major fundraiser and philanthropist. Please.