Sheila E alleges that the producers of 'We Are The World' invited her solely with the intention of enticing Prince

By M Muzamil Shami

The singer mentioned that everyone took turns attempting to persuade me to give him a call and ask him to come down.

In 1985, within the context of "We Are the World," Sheila E served as a direct connection to Prince. In a recently released documentary titled "The Greatest Night in Pop," the renowned musician Sheila E shared a poignant revelation about her experience during the recording of the iconic song. She discovered that her invitation to participate was primarily fueled by the hope that her presence would attract Prince to join the session.

As she recalled in the documentary, during the late hours when she anticipated singing one of the verses, the focus shifted to whether she could convince Prince to attend. Sheila E expressed her discomfort, feeling as though she was being utilized merely to increase the chances of Prince's arrival. The situation left her with a sense of being instrumentalized, with the lingering expectation that Prince might make a surprise appearance as time passed.

       Photograph of Prince and Sheila E. taken by Ross Marino, courtesy of Getty Images

The complete recording session unfolded on the night of January 28, 1985, bringing together some of the biggest names in pop music, such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and Bruce Springsteen, in a single room. Despite the presence of numerous music icons, Prince was notably absent.

Before Sheila E sensed that she might be exploited, both she and Lionel Richie, the co-songwriter of the track, independently reached out to Prince. "I contacted Prince to update him on the situation," she recounted. "I suggested he join us, as it was a fantastic gathering with everyone enjoying themselves."

Richie also recalled reaching out to Prince, who offered to contribute a guitar solo, an offer Richie turned down, insisting that they needed Prince to lend his vocal talents.

       Photograph of Prince and Sheila E. by GARY GERSHOFF/GETTY

"I had a hunch he wouldn't show up due to the large crowd, making him uncomfortable," Sheila E disclosed. "I informed Lionel that I was going to leave. Singing a verse was never part of their plan, which was a bit disheartening."

At that time, Prince and Sheila E shared a close collaborative relationship, with her participating in recording sessions for the 1984 album Purple Rain and serving as the opening act for his Purple Rain Tour. They were briefly engaged in the 1980s.

When it became evident that Prince wouldn't be present, they decided to have Huey Lewis take on the solo line originally intended for him.

In a discussion about the new Netflix documentary on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Sheila E elaborated on feeling deceived by the false promise of a solo vocal part. She recalled Lionel and Quincy urging her to call Prince, with everyone attempting to persuade him to join. Reflecting on the situation, she expressed disappointment, saying, "I just thought, wow, they were all my friends. That’s cold-blooded."

The director of the documentary, Bao Nguyen, also joined the podcast and revealed that Richie did not contest Sheila E's account and interpretation of the events.