We Are The World - Sheet Music for Guitar Chords/Lyrics USA For Africa

"We Are The World" is one of the most iconic charity songs in pop history. These guitar sheet music in E major are aimed at players with approximately three years of lessons or more. E major sits particularly well on the guitar, making good use of open strings. The homophonic choral texture — in which all voices move in parallel — makes the piece straightforward to learn. No unexpected stumbling blocks, but an arrangement that delivers immediate impact in live performance.

Sheet Music "We Are The World" – Celebratory Charity Pop for Guitar

Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote this song in 1985 for the USA for Africa relief project. Created as a collective appeal for solidarity and compassion, the recording brought dozens of international stars together in the studio. The opening verse sets the tone: a calm, urgent call that immediately draws listeners into a sense of community. Musically, the song lives and breathes through its memorable melody and its solemn, forward-driving pulse.

E major gives this arrangement its warm, open sound — and sits particularly comfortably under the hand on guitar. The melodic line moves within a narrow range of just five semitones (F#4–B4), well under an octave, and stays consistently in a comfortable middle register. This keeps the arrangement very approachable. The homophonic choral texture — all voices moving in parallel, with no independent counterlines — is the real key to the intermediate difficulty level: rhythmically, the arrangement maintains a brisk, steady tempo of 120 BPM, which calls for precision in the attack but requires no complex coordination between independent voice parts. The consistently diatonic harmony — all chords remaining within the key, no modulations, no surprises — provides confidence when reading and playing. As a chords/lyrics sheet, this arrangement is especially well suited to groups or ensembles where one person plays the chord accompaniment while others sing or play the melody — the term "choir" here refers to this kind of communal performance setting, not a multi-part vocal score.

• Range: F#4 to B4 (½ octave)
• Ideal for: charity concert, community festival, campfire with friends

Anyone who practices the chord changes without the melody first will quickly notice: the shapes in E major almost fall into place on their own — open strings help, and the flow comes quickly. Since there are no notable stumbling blocks in the writing, the real challenge lies in maintaining a steady pulse at 120 BPM. Choir directors and ensemble leaders often recommend locking in the tempo with a metronome before bringing the parts together — that way, the shared pulse is solid from the very first note. Feeling the beat physically — tapping along lightly or counting out loud — keeps the tempo stable and the accompaniment grounded.

The sheet music is available for immediate download after purchase. 100% licensed — ready to perform legally, right away.

Editorially reviewed by the notendownload.com team