Do They Know It's Christmas?

November 28, 1984

Do They Know It 's Christmas? is a song by Band Aid in 1984, which was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.

Formation

The song was written in response to a report by Michael Buerk about the famine in Ethiopia, the British Broadcasting Corporation TV channel had aired on 15 November 1984. After Bob Geldof had seen this reportage, he put on his then- girlfriend and future wife Paula Yates the next day phone contact with his friend, musician Midge Ure of Ultravox ago, both were staying for a show in Newcastle upon Tyne. Geldof asked Ure to help with the collection of money to combat famine and Ure said spontaneously. After initial considerations in the first meeting on November 19, chose to cover a Christmas song, was both the idea itself to write a song and donate all royalties. Geldof tied on the same day contact with Sting, Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran. A day after the meeting, Geldof wrote the first lines and Ure composed a hook on a Casio keyboard. Both met in Ures own studio in Chiswick, to accommodate the material provided. The proposed Geldof producer Trevor Horn had to decline from lack of time, but put his studio on 25 November for 24 hours free of charge. In the four days of admission and composed by the two texteten Do They Know It 's Christmas? . Ure created and arranged in his studio a demo tape and played most of the instruments. One day before the recording gave John Taylor of Duran Duran bass accompaniment. Ure also took to the song by Sting and Simon Le Bon. Geldof on the phone with numerous well-known pop artists and asked them to strongly support the project through active participation.

After the recordings Geldof had an appointment at the radio station BBC 1 Originally, he should present his new album, instead he wore the unknown Charity Song ago. Geldof later founded with some fellow musicians, the Band Aid project with the aim to raise money for victims of the famine.

Production

Recording on November 25, 1984, produced by Trevor Horn and Midge Ure in horn Sarm West studio in Portobello Road in Notting Hill.

For recording the demo came with the already -established instruments and vocals Ures used. Ure began with the recording of the chorus, in which the artist rows Feed the World and Do they know it 's Christmas time lengths than one choir. After a subsequent press photocall individual vocal tracks of the artists present were recorded, which were then reduced to single lines during mixing. Phil Collins had brought his entire drum kit for recording and the drums has been completely re-recorded after the vocal Collins in only two takes and sometimes used instead of the originally intended drum machine for the finished recording.

When the recording was finished, Ure made ​​together with his sound engineer Rik Walton in the afternoon to the mix, which lasted until the early morning hours. The next morning Bob Geldof spoke the following lines:

" This Record what recorded on the 25th of November 1984. It's now eight am on the 26th. We've been here 24 hours and I think it 's time we went home. "

"This record was recorded on 25 November 1984. It is now 8 clock early in the 26th We are now 24 hours here and I think it 's time to go home. "

Publication and success

Do They Know It 's Christmas? was published on 29 November 1984, including in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland and Australia a number -one hit. In the USA, the title reached number 13 until Christmas 1984, 6 million records sold and thus taken about 8 million dollars. In January 1985, the Band Aid Trust was founded with the aim to manage the funds and to document the expenses, Geldof and Ure are founding members of the Anglo-Saxon form of the foundation.

The plate was about 3.5 million copies of the best selling single in the UK in the 1980s and until the appearance of Elton John's re-recording of the song Candle in the Wind as an obituary for the late Princess of Wales in 1997, the best-selling single in the UK at all.

In the UK, Do They Know It 's Christmas was? Christmas 1985 once again published (with new B-side ) and reached # 3 on the charts once again. Overall, the single played a revenue of around 12 million euros.

Geldof and Ure were given for the composition of the BRIT Award ( 1985) and the Ivor Novello Award. Both were raised because of their merits to knighthood; Geldof is as Irishman since 1986, Knight Commander ( Honorary ) and the Ure since 2005 Officer of the British Empire.

Chart positions

In the upper table are all in the charts of " Band Aid " releases, including " Band Aid II" and " Band Aid 20", listed together. The re-releases of the song after 2004 were made partly in a variety of versions, in Austria, for example, from 2007 to 2009 version of "Band Aid 20 " counted from 2010 and the version of " Band Aid ". For clarity, these have been combined.

In the table below all charitable cover versions of the song by other music groups are listed.

Band Aid

Cover versions

Contributing musicians

Most of the musicians who participated in the project were British and Irish, but it had also some American musicians:

• Stuart Adamson ( Big Country )
• Robert " Kool " Bell ( Kool & The Gang )
• Bono (U2 )
• Pete Briquette ( The Boomtown Rats )
• Mark Brzezicki ( Big Country )
• David Bowie
• Tony Butler ( Big Country )
• Adam Clayton (U2 )
• Phil Collins ( Genesis)
• Chris Cross ( Ultravox )
• Simon Crowe ( The Boomtown Rats )
• Sarah Dallin ( Bananarama )
• Siobhan Fahey ( Bananarama )
• Johnnie Fingers ( The Boomtown Rats )
• Bob Geldof ( The Boomtown Rats )
• Boy George ( Culture Club )
• Glenn Gregory ( Heaven 17 )
• Tony Hadley ( Spandau Ballet)
• Holly Johnson ( Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
• John Keeble ( Spandau Ballet)
• Gary Kemp ( Spandau Ballet)
• Martin Kemp ( Spandau Ballet)
• Simon Le Bon ( Duran Duran )
• Marilyn
• Paul McCartney
• George Michael ( Wham! )
• Jon Moss ( Culture Club )
• Steve Norman ( Spandau Ballet)
• Queen
• Rick Parfitt ( Status Quo )
• Nick Rhodes ( Duran Duran )
• Francis Rossi ( Status Quo )
• Sting ( The Police )
• Andy Taylor ( Duran Duran )
• James Taylor ( Kool & The Gang )
• John Taylor ( Duran Duran )
• Roger Taylor ( Duran Duran )
• Dennis J. T. Thomas ( Kool & The Gang )
• Midge Ure ( Ultravox )
• Jody Watley ( Shalamar )
• Bruce Watson ( Big Country )
• Paul Weller ( The Style Council )
• Keren Woodward ( Bananarama )
• Paul Young
• Nik Kershaw
• Andy Bell ( Erasure )

Cover versions

Do They Know It 's Christmas? was repeatedly gecovert. 1989 and 2004 it was re-recorded by both Band Aid II and Band Aid 20. Other cover versions followed by DJ Sammy, Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers ( Spectacular Christmas Party ), TV Allstars and Barenaked Ladies.