Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original "We Are the World"—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title "Live 25".

A music video directed by Canadian filmmaker Paul Haggis was released to accompany and promote the song.

"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" was released on February 12, 2010, during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics, as a download by Interscope Records.

"We Are the World" was the best-selling pop single of all time until it was eclipsed by Elton John's 1997 version of "Candle in the Wind".

[4] Before the earthquake, Jones and Richie had planned to organize a re-recording of "We Are the World" on January 28, 2010 — the 25th anniversary of the original recording of the song.

[6] Phillips commented that, [They felt] that what happened 25 years ago was iconic and they did everything they could for Africa at that time, and they didn't feel re-cutting the song really made any sense.

"[7] The recording process brought together diverse artists, with the oldest being 83-year-old Tony Bennett and the youngest being 9-year-old Ethan Bortnick.

[11][12] The new version features updated lyrics and music, such as a rap part including LL Cool J, will.i.am, Snoop Dogg and seven others pertaining to Haiti, described as a "Greek chorus extension", which was written by will.i.am.

[6] Michael Jackson's sister, Janet, performed a duet with her brother using archival recordings from the original version per a request from their mother, Katherine.

"[7] The production team for the song included Humberto Gatica, RedOne, Mervyn Warren, Patti Austin and Rickey Minor.

[6] In addition to Jean, Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, most famous for playing a character on NBC's Heroes, appears in the chorus.

[citation needed] At the time of the recording, numerous artists commented on the process, the 1985 version of the song, and co-writer Michael Jackson.

"Idol" winner/singer Jordin Sparks revealed that, despite having been born four years after the release of the original, the song had a "huge impact" on her.

[18] Celine Dion said that the release of the song would not only benefit the Haitian people, but also serve as a remembrance of "the passion [Michael] Jackson had for helping those in need".

[18] Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones echoed Dion's sentiments and further explained that if Jackson was alive at the time of the recording, he would have wanted to be just as involved as he had been a quarter of a century ago.

[18] According to Phillips, there was a "handful" of musicians who either declined or could not rearrange their schedules for the song's recording, including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift,[13] who was preparing to tour in Australia at the time.

[citation needed] The 2010 version of "We Are the World", released under the name Artists for Haiti, debuted on the NBC television network on February 12 during their coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

[26] US Magazine mentioned that "this version features second-by-second unexplainable absurdities, including Justin Bieber being given the opening verse, Nicole Scherzinger and other Z-listers assigned more than one prime slot, and Wyclef Jean's incomprehensible yodeling".

[27] Maura Johnston, a writer for MTV, wrote more positively about the song, commenting favorably on the artists' performances in living up to their predecessors.

[30] Lavie's "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)" excluded the rap segment and minimized the Auto-tune that were the subject of critical reviews[24] of the celebrity version.

[38] "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" charted higher in its debut week than the original version, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 21.

[39] Radio stations in New York expressed that they would play the song frequently to raise awareness of Haitian citizens in need.