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Eitan Battat East to West (S4 | E151)
World Music
Each week Eitan Battat takes you on a slow, soothing, relaxing, and enchanting journey with music from around the world. Join him live on a new program of East to West every week on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Only on WERBRADIO.COM. World Music East to West S4 | E151
All East to West programs are available on demand, click here

In This Episode …
Eitan features the music of: Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Tina turner, Kenny Rogers, and many more!
Opening Music: MFSB (as always), the signature sound of East to West.
Introduction by Eitan Battat:
The Greatest Night in Pop
I happened to watch a brand-new release on Netflix. It’s called The Greatest Night In Pop. “The Greatest Night in Pop” unveils the remarkable journey behind the creation of the iconic song “USA for Africa.” The song was recorded on January 29, 1985. Yes, just about 39 years plus a week from music lover like me.
For music lovers, like me, which love to hear the stories behind the songs.
“The Greatest Night in Pop” unveils the remarkable journey behind the creation of the iconic song “USA for Africa.”, this was one of the best documentaries I ever seen.
So many challenges. Starting with writing the song itself. So, Inspired by Bob Geldoff, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie got together and tried to write a song. They wanted to bring Stevie Wonder to help them. However, Stevie did not respond to any of their calls. it was all happening while Lionel Richie was preparing to be the host of the American music award, and Michael Jackson was producing his new album. They but were finally able to come up with something the Quincy Jones, the producer of the song, loved and almost fell off his chair.
The other challenge was and getting commitment from the artists. Each one of them had a busy schedule. One by one, they got the artists commitments and once they had the artist commitment, Quincy Jones team had to study each artist, unique style and range to sequence the properly in the various parts of the song.
The final product, as you know it, is perfect, and it is a result of hours of listening to the artist’s songs and understanding the artist’s vocal range and style.
Having so many artists in the same studio also created another challenge. Each artist used to have an assistant next to him or her and had its own unique style and habits of recording.
Quincy Jones realizes that and puts up a big sign that says check your ego at the door. The actual recording of the chorus and the various solos took 10 hours. They started at 10 in the evening and ended up at eight in the morning.
The result is a timeless creation that resonates even more deeply with the awareness of the stories and challenges behind it. As Lionel Richie says it and sums it up, we stayed up all night to create something that would live forever.
Personally, I think it’s one of the best songs ever recorded, and now that I’m aware of the story and the challenges that created this song, I love it even more.
“USA for Africa” documentary was created in loving memory of all the artists and contributors that have passed away.
About Eitan Battat
The creator of WERB Radio, Eitan Battat has been involved with radio in one form or another all his life. If you listen to even a minute of his weekly global music extravaganza you will hear the sounds and the voice that will be forever attached to global music. Eitan takes our station’s mantra, “Music from Planet Earth,” to new heights with selections from global music’s past and present. But more than the insights, knowledge, poise and presence of mind that you will hear on the show, it is the love of craft that is permanently infused into this show. If ever a man was made to be a radio host, it is Eitan.
If you have a request or want to call in during the show you can reach Eitan here: Eitan Battat
