2 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid II version) here (Apple Music)
Stream Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid II version) here (Spotify)
In some respects it seems quite hard to believe that it is 35 years since some of the biggest pop stars on the planet were corralled by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof to create the original Band Aid record. Yet such is the work that is needed to be done that we have had Band Aid II, Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 (the latter two to commemorate the respective anniversary of the original tune being released). In more recent times there has been more of a focus on the lyrics not always being appropriate, but this is largely because times and attitudes have changed. I truly believe that more people are helped by the song than are hurt by the clunkiness and/or lack of cultural foresight of some of the terminology. I was just 10 years old when the original version came out yet I remember it being an absolutely huge deal - and the video being played in class so we could all talk about how lucky we are in Western world and what extra we could do to help. The project certainly would have had success just from the big names involved yet the song was also key to it's enduring nature. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote an undeniable classic that not only educated with it's lyrics but uplifted with it's rousing call to arms & festive feel. Five years later, Stock Aitken and Waterman ruled the charts and orchestrated a re-release with stars from their own stable alongside a few other key acts...
Balanced carefully against the fact that more work was needed to be done for the causes Band Aid raises money for, 15 year old me was very anxious to hear a new version of the song with some of the biggest contemporary stars that 1989's charts had to offer. Do They Know It's Christmas had effortlessly become a staple of the holiday season. Kylie and Jason definitely ruled my world - their Enjoy Yourself and Ten Good Reasons albums were two of my most played albums of the year (albums that I still revisit for the joy and melody many years later). Add in new pop acts like Sonia, Big Fun, Lisa Stansfield, Bros et al alongside evergreen artists like Chris Rea, Jimmy Somerville and returnees Bananarama and it was a melting pot of pop fusion. Legend has it that Pete Waterman cancelled his wedding to record the song and over 4th/5th December the artists came together to add their contribution. The trick that has always been key to the success of this track is to marry the somber with the hopeful & optimistic. It had the typically PWL sound of the time with soothing synths, shimmering jingles and a propulsive beat (courtesy of Luke Goss I believe). It was certainly a more buoyant percolating dance vibe than the first song with a crescendo into the chorus that demanded you pay attention to the singers collective demands. It's the version I return to most regularly - perhaps because S/A/W productions were the soundtrack to my most formative years. When it was released on December 11th 1989 it shot to number one, remained there for 3 weeks and in that short time became the 9th best selling single of the year (sorry Like A Prayer). Glorious.
In some respects it seems quite hard to believe that it is 35 years since some of the biggest pop stars on the planet were corralled by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof to create the original Band Aid record. Yet such is the work that is needed to be done that we have had Band Aid II, Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 (the latter two to commemorate the respective anniversary of the original tune being released). In more recent times there has been more of a focus on the lyrics not always being appropriate, but this is largely because times and attitudes have changed. I truly believe that more people are helped by the song than are hurt by the clunkiness and/or lack of cultural foresight of some of the terminology. I was just 10 years old when the original version came out yet I remember it being an absolutely huge deal - and the video being played in class so we could all talk about how lucky we are in Western world and what extra we could do to help. The project certainly would have had success just from the big names involved yet the song was also key to it's enduring nature. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote an undeniable classic that not only educated with it's lyrics but uplifted with it's rousing call to arms & festive feel. Five years later, Stock Aitken and Waterman ruled the charts and orchestrated a re-release with stars from their own stable alongside a few other key acts...
Balanced carefully against the fact that more work was needed to be done for the causes Band Aid raises money for, 15 year old me was very anxious to hear a new version of the song with some of the biggest contemporary stars that 1989's charts had to offer. Do They Know It's Christmas had effortlessly become a staple of the holiday season. Kylie and Jason definitely ruled my world - their Enjoy Yourself and Ten Good Reasons albums were two of my most played albums of the year (albums that I still revisit for the joy and melody many years later). Add in new pop acts like Sonia, Big Fun, Lisa Stansfield, Bros et al alongside evergreen artists like Chris Rea, Jimmy Somerville and returnees Bananarama and it was a melting pot of pop fusion. Legend has it that Pete Waterman cancelled his wedding to record the song and over 4th/5th December the artists came together to add their contribution. The trick that has always been key to the success of this track is to marry the somber with the hopeful & optimistic. It had the typically PWL sound of the time with soothing synths, shimmering jingles and a propulsive beat (courtesy of Luke Goss I believe). It was certainly a more buoyant percolating dance vibe than the first song with a crescendo into the chorus that demanded you pay attention to the singers collective demands. It's the version I return to most regularly - perhaps because S/A/W productions were the soundtrack to my most formative years. When it was released on December 11th 1989 it shot to number one, remained there for 3 weeks and in that short time became the 9th best selling single of the year (sorry Like A Prayer). Glorious.
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