One of the biggest hits of the 1980s brought together four extraordinary performers. But as Gladys Knight recalls in a newly released episode of Off The Record, getting everyone into the recording studio was quite another matter.
In 1985, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder came together to record That’s What Friends Are For, a song that would become one of the most successful charity singles of the decade.
Originally written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, and recorded by Rod Stewart for the 1982 film Night Shift, the song was given a new lease of life when Warwick decided to record it with three of her famous friends.
Released under the name Dionne & Friends, the single raised awareness and millions of dollars for AIDS research at a time when the disease was still surrounded by fear, misunderstanding and considerable stigma.
The record went on to spend four weeks at number one on the American Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammy Awards.
On the finished recording, everything sounds effortless. Four distinctive voices, each instantly recognisable, coming together on a song that has remained familiar to audiences for more than forty years.
But behind that polished recording was a rather different experience.
Waiting for Stevie Wonder
During an interview filmed for our archive, Gladys Knight recalled the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the recording session.
With some of the biggest names in music assembled in the studio, everything was ready for the session to begin.
Well, almost everything.
There was one rather important person missing.
Stevie Wonder.
As Gladys remembers it, the musicians and singers waited through the day and well into the night. Hours passed, and still there was no sign of Stevie.
For anyone who has worked in a recording studio, waiting for an artist to arrive is hardly unusual. But this was a particularly memorable example.
And when Stevie eventually appeared, it was at an hour when most people would have been thinking about breakfast rather than recording a hit single.
Gladys tells the story with the warmth and humour of someone who was there, and who can now look back on the experience with considerable amusement.
The Stories Behind the Music
The recollection forms the centrepiece of a new episode of Off The Record, our series exploring the stories behind some of the world’s best-known musicians and recordings.
Rather than simply revisiting the familiar histories of famous artists, the series draws on interviews and original footage gathered over more than forty years.
Sometimes the stories are extraordinary. Sometimes they’re amusing. And occasionally, as with Gladys Knight’s recollection, they reveal just how much can happen before a record ever reaches the shops.
In this episode, Gladys takes us back to the studio in 1985 and remembers a recording session that certainly didn’t run to schedule.
The resulting single became an international success, helped raise substantial funds for AIDS research and remains one of the most recognisable collaborations of its era.
And whatever happened behind the scenes, none of the waiting is apparent when you listen to the finished record.
Watch Stevie Wonder — He’s On His Way…
The new episode of Off The Record is available to watch on RODtv, featuring Gladys Knight’s original on-camera recollection of the session.
Off The Record — The Stories Behind the Music. Original interviews, rare archive footage and the stories you don’t usually hear.
