Huey Lewis will never forget his time in the studio with Michael Jackson.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of the film in Los Angeles The biggest night in pop on Monday, which talks about the iconic 1985 recording of “We Are the World,” Lewis opened up about his friendship with the King of Pop.
Lewis participated in a charity song with fellow stars such as Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Jackson, who died in 2009. After working together, they always remained on friendly terms.
“There was something there and we exchanged messages once or twice,” Lewis, 73, says of Jackson. – He congratulated me on the next album.
Looking back on what it was like to work on the song, Lewis says he was “beyond nervous”.
Huey Lewis opens up about his career-threatening hearing loss and new album ‘Weather’
“And one thing I remember, which is interesting, is that they wanted to do the lead vocal in one pass mostly because there were, I think, five microphones and they wanted to gradually turn one up while gradually turning the other down so that the ambience of the room would match and everything “, he says.
He adds: “And so the first time Lionel sings, ‘The time is coming,’ and then someone messed up, I guess Stevie Wonder did it the first time.”
Huey Lewis in Los Angeles on January 29, 2024.
Charley Gallay/Getty
“So they came back and did it again. And then Stevie Wonder messed up a little bit, playfully,” explains Lewis. “Then they did it a third time. Then they got all the way to Al Jarreau and he was screwing up a bit, messing up. So they start over.”
The musician tells PEOPLE that he then asked the sound engineer, “‘Hey, Humberto, the next time someone messes up, can you let them go all the way through so I can practice my line?’
“We never had to practice on the line in that thing. And Michael was so sweet, he said, ‘That’s a good idea,'” adds Lewis.
Huey Lewis Says Upcoming Broadway Play Is His ‘Salvation’ After Hearing Loss (Exclusive)
Elsewhere in the interview, Lewis revealed to PEOPLE that he has a Broadway gig coming upThe heart of rock and roll – which opens on April 22 – was his “salvation” after losing his hearing.
“Well, we’re very excited. We’ve been working on it for a long time,” the singer-songwriter tells PEOPLE. “I lost my hearing seven years ago, so I can’t sing or perform, but I can do this. And man, it’s been a lifesaver for me personally and I’m really happy.”
Lewis was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease after hearing a sudden roar that no one else heard backstage at a private performance in Dallas in 2018. The condition affects the inner ear and causes dizziness and hearing loss.
The biggest night in pop is now available to stream on Netflix.
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Source: HIS Education